Ebike recommendations for 4wd roads?

[Jip_Jorp]

I'm considering getting an ebike for the 4wd roads to 14er THs that my Subaru can't handle. Ideally something that functions like a cheap, quiet dirt bike that I don't have to pedal. Anyone have any experience with this? I'm a little confused about the regulations around the bikes. It sounds like if I want unpedalled propulsion I need a class 2 bike which are legal as long as they can't go over 20 mph. I also see tons of 12-year-olds in my neighborhood ripping around on e-bikes faster than this... It looks like something like a Philodo would fit my needs at a good price, but would be overpowered for ebike laws, but Id probably never even go over 10mph in my use case. (EDIT: My bike rack only allows for 60 lbs per bike, so Philodo is out.) The guy at the bike shop told me their cheap class two bikes would burn their motors out on consistent uphills. Anyone navigated this mess already and figured out a good option?

[seannunn]

That is a good idea, and probably one of the (very) few legitimate uses of an ebike. (Add to that people over 80 yo and/or legitimately handicapped.)

It is really annoying to be running on a flat trail and see a fat 35 year old man fly by on a ebike at 25-30mph, barely pedalling.
Even worse is to see little kids tooling around the neighborhood on ebikes and motorized scooters; this week's sign of the apocalypse.
Let us know what you end up buying and how it does for you.
Best of luck.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[SkaredShtles]

That is a good idea, and probably one of the (very) few legitimate uses of an ebike. (Add to that people over 80 yo and/or legitimately handicapped.)

It is really annoying to be running on a flat trail and see a fat 35 year old man fly by on a ebike at 25-30mph, barely pedalling.
Even worse is to see little kids tooling around the neighborhood on ebikes and motorized scooters; this week's sign of the apocalypse.
Let us know what you end up buying and how it does for you.
Best of luck.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO

[interloper]

I considered doing the same thing, it's part of why I ended up buying a dual-sport. But what I didn't realize until I started riding regularly is just how tiring it can be riding extremely rough 4WD roads on a dirt bike. You're constantly shifting weight, balancing between rocks, ruts, and steep grades. Unless you're planning on camping when you get to the trailhead you're probably going to be much more physically tired than you would have if you had just hiked the road.

I can't speak to using an e-bike, specifically, though. I'm sure it would be less tiring than my 290 pound XT 250, but it's worth considering the physical exhaustion aspect. Anything that's going to be remotely comfortable riding is probably something your Subaru could do anyways.

[cottonmountaineering]

following this thread too, ive seen a few "categories" of ebikes but dont know how well they perform

regular e-bikes
something like this with a twist throttle, but still a mtb frame https://electriccyclerider.com/2025/04/ ... ce-e-mtbs/
surron etc

id be worried with the surron id run out of battery and have no pedals, so the middle option looks nice

[justiner]

probably one of the (very) few legitimate uses of an ebike.

Many people use them to replace their cars on short trips, saving both time and money -- and generally rediscovering the joy of being out of a car and on a bicycle.

To the initial question of "which"? I probably would suggest you go with a fairly lightweight pedal-assist eMTB. Both because it's going to be cheaper/easier to bring it along with you on your Subaru, but also there's not much else you're going to need. A lighter bike is -- as mentioned -- going to be a lot more easier and less fatiguing to handle. That would fit 80% use cases in getting to the trails.

[morth2]

I'll add some general thoughts as a mountain biker, but with the caveat I don't have personal experience with e-bikes of any variety. This is a good summary of both categories and current regulations: https://www.imba.com/emtb I've seen other sources that indicate Class 3 can be either pedal-assist or throttle-assist and the real distinction is Class 3 has the higher top speed. Any source I've come across is consistent on the Class 1/2 distinction being pedal-assist vs. throttle assist.

TL/DR on access: Each land manager is making their own regulations so you need to check with the specific land manager for the trails you're interested in to be sure. My understanding is that IMBA's info on the Forrest Service is still accurate (despite their link to the press release being dead) in that any FS trail open to motorized traffic is e-bike legal (so anywhere a dirt bike can go, an e-bike can go).

I second justiner's recommendation of a pedal-assist eMTB; all of the big brands (Specialized, Giant etc.) as well as many smaller ones (Pivot, Ari, etc.) have eMTB offerings now. I know a handful of people that have Specialized or Canyon Class 1 eMTB's that are all under 40lbs, and all agree they handle slightly differently but as well or better than their meat MTB.

Keep in mind you still have to 'drive' the bike; if you've never ridden an MTB on single track it's an entirely different animal than riding a bike on pavement. Like interloper mentioned with the dirt bike, you still do a lot of work even if you're not pedaling; there's less weight to the bike itself but the same general mechanics to handling apply. If you're unsure, I'd try to borrow/rent one to try out before buying. Find a buddy with one, some bike shops have demo/rental fleets, and some of the manufactures will bring demos to events or host demo days periodically. One other thought on handling: I believe with Class 2 eBikes the pedals still free wheel with the throttle-assist active which means you don't have stationary foot pegs like you do on a dirt bike; personally this sounds more challenging for uphill, technical terrain than pedaling but maybe I'm missing something since I haven't tried one out.

[John619]

Class 1 is no throttle pedal assist only, up to 20 mph.
Class 2 is pedal and throttle, up to 20 mph.
Class 3 is pedal only up to 30mph.

I have about 1000 miles using a Aventon Aventure 1st gen ebike (supports 1,2 and 3 Class modes). Its more more of a gravel bike than a true mountain ebike though. Its heavy at over 70lbs with the battery. As for riding it to rough trailheads, not sure because at age 69+ my mountain bike skills have degraded... I go as far as my 4Runner will take me and then start hiking...

[Jim Davies]

Just to take things in a different direction, has anybody every considered using a wheeled cart to carry camping gear up a jeep road? It should be easier than carrying it on your back, and wouldn't require batteries etc. I see listings for "game carts" and such, but they tend to be kind of heavy (20 lbs +).

[Monte Meals]

^"has anybody every considered using a wheeled cart to carry camping gear up a jeep road? "

Or perhaps a smaller version of this

[Ebenton]

Monte Meals that's a game cart. . Probably most know no carts or wheeled anything in a wilderness area. Here's a link to something called trekkers friend https://trekkersfriend.com/srsltid=AfmB ... GrZjoCGWNH. There's probably more . But we are drifting away from E bike s that the OP asked about. Be well and ATB everyone

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> Probably most know no carts or wheeled anything in a wilderness area.

Or jeep roads, for that matter.