David Turner, mountain biking legend and owner of the eponymous Turner Bikes brand recently unleashed a no-holds-barred tirade against e-mountain bike riders as well as those that produce and promote them.

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Turner was commenting on a Pinkbike story about Yahama's rumoured entry into manufacturing complete e-bikes, rather than just drive units. He's not a fan, to put it mildly, calling e-MTB riders "fat" and "lazy" while also railing against their potential to affect trail access.

Turner's comments are far from rare in the highly charged discussion around electrically assisted mountain bikes in the United States. Many there fear they could endanger already tenuous land access, but it's a very public outburst from a high profile and respected figure in the mountain bike industry.

He said: "Motorized mountain bikes are perfect for expediting the banning of mechanized everything off public trails, as has been repeated over and over in these [Pinkbike] threads by a lot of other mountain bikers, but the opposition will lump us all together, bikes is bikes."

"I know I am spitting into the wind, and that the people's pursuit of an easier life and the manufacturer's ability to sell them what they want will steam roll us curmudgeons. I just want to say 'I told you' so when some lazy fat f*ck on a 750watt eMTB is crying about the NO BIKES signs in the parking lot."

It's worth noting that only pedal-assisted e-bikes limited to a top speed of 15.5mph and 250W of assistance are currently legal in the UK. Any more speed or power requires a motorbike license, though it's easy enough to find sites offering 'hacks' for sale that bypass these restrictions.

He didn't reserve his ire for the end consumer either, saying: "This is about trying to jump start the floundering bicycle industry with electricity and the big companies that are driving this movement [through] sexy product development and subsequent marketing will deal with the aftermath after they pay off their tooling costs"

The USA has a very different and much more fractious access system than the UK and Europe, but his comments reflect the unease many feel about how electrically assisted bikes could exacerbate existing user conflicts.

However, there's a worrying strain of elitism in Turner's comments. On the question of who buys e-MTBs, he said: "Lazy riders not wanting to squeeze in a couple more rides per week to get their fat asses stronger to hang with their best buds, just more people looking to make excuses for their lifestyle and fix it with a credit card instead of take [sic] responsibility and either ride more/eat less or if one is getting old and [de]crepid, ride the same amount of time and accept we will ride less distance."

That's somewhat ironic coming from a person who has made a living creating ever more capable, lightweight and - yes, more expensive - machines that allow riders to ride faster and further, but there we are. 

At off-road.cc, we don't have any particular issue with electric mountain bikes, with the proviso that they're used legally and responsibly - which is exactly the same case for any bicycle. The current 15.5mph speed limit can easily be exceeded on descents and the flat by most unassisted riders, while a 250W motor is unlikely to churn up a trail any more than a normal rider would.

As with most things in life, the issue is rarely with the machine, but with the person in control of it. Being responsible and respectful of other trail users and not riding trails in unsuitable conditions is a greater factor that whether you have a battery helping to power your bike.

David Turner's full comment is below, verbatim:

"Motorized mountain bikes are perfect for expediting the banning of mechanized everything off public trails, as has been repeated over and over in these PB threads by a lot of other MOUNTAIN BIKERS, but the opposition will lump us all together, bikes is bikes. Yamaha help? That is laughable, the little effort put out by the 5 large motorcycle companies the last few decades has done NOTHING for their land access and the petrol motorized access has shrunk to motocross tracks and squirrel cages called OHV parks. For those of you that live rural with a billion acres of public land can shrug your shoulders and walk away. But the fact is most of these toys are bought where most of the people live and that is where most of the opposition lives and where most of the conflicts will arise and ultimately where most of us will be banned for the most part 'cause an electric motorized pedal bike looks too much like a human powered pedal bike. Easier just to change the laws/rules/bills whatever to say NO MECHANIZED VEHICLES. All for what? Laziness, yes yes I know I am spitting into the wind, and that the peoples pursuit of an easier life and the manufacturers ability to sell them what they want will steam roll us curmudgeons. I just want to say 'I told you' so when some lazy fat f*ck on a 750watt eMTB is crying about the NO BIKES signs in the parking lot. So sorry to offend you, but really WHO is going to buy a MORB? Lazy riders not wanting to squeeze in a couple more rides per week to get their fat asses stronger to hang with their best buds, just more people looking to make excuses for their lifestyle and fix it with a credit card instead of take responsibility and either ride more/eat less or if one is getting old and 'crepid, ride the same amount of TIME and accept we will ride less distance. At the very end it's all about the time we had on the bike, not mileage. Enjoy the time away from work/stress/concrete jungle whatever. And this ain't about disabled people, this is about trying to jump start the floundering bicycle industry with electricity and the big companies that are driving this movement thru sexy product development and subsequent marketing will deal with the aftermath after they pay off their tooling costs haha. Ride Centres are the future people! Controlled access, segregating us from them, we will all be in a squirrel cage right where they want us, not roaming about causing harm to Mother Earth and Her beloved hikers and horses. 
David Turner 
Turner Bikes"

As ever, your thoughts are welcome in the comments below.