E-bikes are latest answer in reduction of vehicle noise
THROUGH the years, outdoor enthusiasts who now sport a little gray around their temples have seen a steady parade of off-highway vehicles come and go, all designed to make reaching the backcountry easier and eventually less expensive.
But while the Jeeps and Broncos, four-wheel drive pickups and buggies, and ever-changing all-terrain vehicles have made it easier to reach the previously unreachable, they come with a significant downside. Noise.
There is no way to silence an internal combustion engine, though I admit that technology has come a long way in that department. Consider today’s diesel pickup trucks. They are much quieter now than they were just a decade ago, but I digress.
The problem with noise associated with man-made modes of transportation is that it does not belong in the wild. Not much of the year anyway. It is an intrusion that animals like deer and elk have come to equate with human activity, the kind they have learned to avoid. It lets them know it is time to find cover.
Some years ago, my wife’s cousin and I were hunting mule deer during muzzle-loading season. While glassing a small herd of deer on a distant hillside, the quiet of the morning was shattered by noise of pickup truck bouncing up a two-track in the bottom of the draw. The deer heard it long before we did, and after looking in its direction, the deer moved to the uphill side of a large, overgrown tree.
There they waited until the truck passed and then returned to the place they were before and went back to feeding. A while later the truck came back, and the deer reacted the same way as they did before. Side by sides and four-wheelers elicit a similar response. Surely many of you have seen similar behavior while in the field.
While at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in January, I got a close look at an electric option for stealthy travel in the field: bikes with fat tires and an electric power plant. Perhaps some of you have seen these in the field or are riding them.
Rambo Bikes has been in the hunt, so to speak, since 2015. “Our owner is a hunter, and he was thinking of another way to travel while getting to his deer stand,” said Zach Dosch, marketing manager for Rambo Bikes. “Obviously, a lot of us use ATVS, UTVS, anything like that. They leave scent. They’re noisy. So he put a motor on a bike.”
In 2023, the company is offering 16 models — some with no suspension and some with full suspension front and rear.
“Each bike is designed for a specific purpose in mind. So, if you are just riding urban, city-style, we do have those bikes available now,” Dosch said. “We have two kids e-bike versions and everything from a 750-watt motor all the way up to dual 1,000-watt motors.”
Watt is the measurement used to describe how much power the electric motor can not only deliver but sustain over time.
Rambo also makes a vast collection of racks and other aftermarket parts to modify its e-bikes to the buyer’s liking. Among them are carts for hauling a kayak or a big game animal and a selection of packs.
Range of travel depends on everything from motor and rider size to the terrain and elevation changes. Dosch said the range for model sporting dual 1,000-watt motors and dual batteries could have a range as far as 80 miles. The bike also comes with two-wheel drive.
E-bikes sell for anywhere from $3,300 to $8,300 and could be an alternative for folks looking for quiet in their outdoors.
Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. Find him on Facebook at @dougwritesoutdoors. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com