Visit any major city across the world, and chances are people can be seen riding identical bicycles, many which have a sort of electric-powered motor, as part of a bike share program.

Sedona is not a major city and has no such program, nor many electric bicycle users. But e-bikes do have a practical use around town, and there is speculation that their market could grow.

“I thought, this is really the answer for getting more people out of their cars and onto bikes,” said Susan Lamon, owner of Sedona E-Bike Tours and e-bike owner since 2003. “They’re great for tourism, they’re great for running errands and things like that. It’s just a different kind of bike. I still have a lot of bikes, different non-powered bikes …. [the e-bike] has a different purpose.”

Commuter, Tourism Approved

Commuting is one of the most common uses for local e-bike riders, for the simple fact of avoiding the traffic that so often turns the shortest of journeys into painstaking waits. People going to work or school can get there quickly without building up too much of a sweat. Day-trippers have also found them useful.

Alex Petitdemange rides his e-bike about three times per week from West Sedona to the Village of Oak Creek for work, the 10-mile trip taking about 25 minutes each way. Petitdemange’s bike in particular can reach up to 28 miles per hour with the pedal-assisted motor, but he can turn the motor completely off while going downhill. Class 1 e-bikes, which are pedal-assist and are the most common, do not go over 20 miles per hour and the motor does not function without the rider pedaling.

In terms of safety on the road, Petitdemange said he feels safer than on a regular road bike because he can go as fast as the vehicles around him.

“It helps because with that kind of speed, you’re actually at the car traffic speed pretty much or faster,” said Petitdemange, service manager at Absolute Bikes. “I feel like the cars still see you as a bike but after a couple times they get close, they realize you’re going faster or the same speed, especially through the roundabouts and stuff.”

The pedal-assist helps him during the uphill parts of the ride, and he turns the motor off to coast during the downhills without any resistance. His bike in particular also has a motor with various modes, while other types of e-bikes, like those with a throttle or rear-drive engine, still have drag when the motor is turned off, making for a heavier bike.

Absolute Bikes in the Village of Oak Creek has class 1 e-bikes in stock to test. Same goes for Lamon, whose tours take its customers around the VOC and Sedona, bringing them to some of the best red rock vistas accessible from paved roads. The class 1 e-bikes allow families and people of disparate riding levels to enjoy a tour together.

None of the tour routes leave paved roads, she said, adding that people tell her they would like to rent from her. To Lamon, what keeps more e-bikes out of the area are their high prices and the lack of ability to test them out.

Absolute Bikes is the only shop in the area that has e-bikes in stock, with just four on hand to test. Many who bring e-bikes to town buy them online, and can be low quality. Lamon made the financial risk of buying her fleet for Sedona E-Bike Tours without ever testing them.

“People are very interested in e-bikes. My customers are, locals are. The price is the barrier on that,” Lamon said. “That’s what a lot of my tours are about, is educating people about what e-bikes are — what’s a good e-bike, what’s a crummy e-bike — I help them with that. I’d say more than half of my customers are in two camps: They either own an e-bike or they’re looking to buy one.”

Another speed bump in the way is local shops’ inability to service many of the off-brand e-bikes. Over the Edge is certified to work on Bosch and Trek. Absolute has certifications, as well.

With so many variations of build and technology between the bikes, oftentimes it is not as simple as removing a few nuts and bolts. Further complicating matters is that the cheapest e-bikes found online come from foreign countries without reliable service manuals. Shops will not touch those bikes for liability issues.

“The other day we had to turn down service for a company that makes e-bikes …. There was no way to take off the rear wheel without taking the mechanism apart, and we didn’t want to risk not being able to put it back together,” said Dekiah Durst, sales associate at Over the Edge bike shop.

Trail Use Prohibited

Riding e-bikes on the red rock trail system is not allowed. In May 2015, the Bureau of Land Management officially categorized them as motor vehicles, rendering them legal only on official U.S. Forest Service roads, trails and land designated for motor vehicle use. There are logical reasons on both sides of the fence in regard to their theoretical use on the trails.

In the instance of mountain bikers with skill levels of different extremes wishing to ride together, an e-bike could bridge that gap. At the same time, inexperienced riders traversing the highly technical trails common to the area on a heavier bike that provides more than man-powered speed could spell danger for themselves and other trail users, such as hikers or equestrians.

“There’s a lot of local concern about what it’ll mean, and I understand it,” Lamon said. “Some of [the e-mountain bikes] are really poor quality, so you’re going to see some accidents. The thing about e-bikes is they attract a chunk of people who are inexperienced riders. So you put somebody on a mountain bike, which is difficult enough, and then you put a motor to it and then they have no skills [too].”

For now, e-bikes are only allowed on trails that permit off-highway vehicles, such as Broken Arrow Trail and Devil’s Bridge, and motorcycle trails that can be found in Flagstaff and at Forest Road 119A, the junction of East Cornville and Beaverhead Flats roads in Cornville.

Jordan Reece, Sedona Bike Park trails supervisor under the Sedona Parks and Recreation Department, said he does not see why an e-bike would not be allowed at the park. Reece once saw a small child using a balance bike, a small bicycle used to train small children with a self-propelling throttle, successfully navigate the park.

He has also seen motorized off-road skateboards use the park as well.

“At the bike park it’s fine. There’s no rules on the sign saying you can’t take pretty much anything on it,” Reece said.

The Sedona Mountain Bike Festival, which celebrated its fourth edition this past March, had limited e-bike presence. Given that they are not allowed on the trails, it made sense that vendors nor riders bring them along. There were some demonstrations with e-bikes.

But given how prolific Sedona has become in the mountain biking scene nationwide, it appears as though at one point in time decisions will have to be made: Whether or not to allow mountain e-bikes onto all, none or some of the trails.

This story is the second part of a series about electric bicycles. Pick up a copy of the Friday, July 13, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News to read the final installment.