E-bike tour guide pedals Yellowstone, Gardiner rides

Thu., April 25, 2024

By Brett French Billings Gazette

E-bike breakdown

E-bike technology dates back to the late 1800s, but the industry didn’t begin taking off in the United States until around 2001.

According to the Department of Energy, sales of e-bikes hit 1.1 million in the United States in 2022, a four-fold increase from 2019. Consequently, the bar graph for e-bike sales looks like a steady but steep climb.

The cycles are made in three different classes.

Class 1 e-bikes top out at 20 mph and the motor only works when the rider is pedaling. The bikes have different levels of assistance that can be increased for hills or completely shut off for downhill coasting.

Class 2 e-bikes have a throttle that allows riders to glide along without pedaling. Again, the top speed is 20 mph.

Class 3 bikes can travel up to 28 mph, some have throttles that only work up to 20 mph. Because of the throttle capabilities, some bike paths and trails ban the use of Class 2 and 3 e-bikes.

Because the bikes carry a large battery, the cycles are heavy – anywhere from 65 to 80 pounds. The battery size also makes a difference in how far a rider can travel, with ranges varying from 20 to 50 miles.

Other factors affecting the distance a rider can trek on a single charge include their weight and size, whether there is a lot of uphill riding, headwinds and what level of assistance the rider uses when pedaling. The use of more assistance drains the battery faster.

A readout on the handlebars shows the amount of battery charge left, as well as which level of assistance the rider is using. To recharge a battery can take from three to six hours, depending on how depleted the charge.

E-bikes were first allowed in national parks in September 2019 following an executive order by then-Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt. The order approved e-bikes wherever the Park Service allowed bicycles.

That rule was challenged in a lawsuit, the outcome of which required parks to conduct environmental reviews on e-bike trail use.

BILLINGS – In the winter, Jay O’Connor used to feed 55 horses that in the summer provided horseback rides for fishing or hunting guests.

Now O’Connor owns 40 e-bikes that he parks in the garage for the winter and ignores.

As the owner of Big Sky Ebike Tours and Rentals in Gardiner since 2020, O’Connor said he’s “living the dream” guiding cycling tours in and around Yellowstone National Park. After all, where else can cyclists possibly see bison, elk, bighorn sheep, bears, foxes, coyotes, deer and a variety of hot pools, fumaroles and geysers in one trip, not to mention spectacular views of the surrounding mountains?

In and out

O’Connor’s guided rides inside Yellowstone include a 17-mile trip around the base of Bunsen Peak on a gravel service road closed to public vehicles. From Old Faithful, his Geyser Basin Tour pedals to Morning Glory Pool along the Firehole River and then on to Biscuit Basin. Shuttling the bikes he can then skip on to Firehole Lake Drive and ride Fountain Freight Road to Grand Prismatic Spring.

“I don’t do anything on the roads at all,” he said, instead focusing on getting his guests away from crowds.

Last weekend, with the 50 miles of highway from Mammoth Hot Springs to West Yellowstone open to bicycle traffic only, O’Connor was leading tours from Mammoth to Norris Geyser Basin, a 38-mile round trip.

Outside the park, one of his most popular tours travels down the Old Yellowstone Trail to the red-colored rock uplift of Devils Slide and on to Yankee Jim Canyon where the Yellowstone River is forced into a narrow gorge. The return ride stops at Yellowstone Hot Springs for a soothing soak.

“That’s a really popular ride for us because there is so much wildlife in the basin,” O’Connor said.

Costs range from $175 for the Bunsen Peak ride to $275 for the Geyser Basin tour. Four people is the minimum for a tour, otherwise an additional fee is tacked on. Bike rentals are $50 an hour to $100 for a full day.

Up and down

Much like the trails and roads he rides, O’Connor’s business has seen some ups and downs since it was launched.

Opening during the COVID pandemic was a “kick in the teeth,” but then participation in outdoor activities grew because indoor venues were closed. That inaugural year was followed by a solid summer of growth before the historic 2022 flood. The raging waters of the Gardner and Yellowstone rivers washed out the nearby North Entrance road to Yellowstone. Gardiner businesses were suddenly isolated at a dead end. Last year, tours rebounded after the route was reopened, and so far this year O’Connor is quickly filling his summer tours.

“My primary demographic is families and people over the age of 40,” he said.

Feeling young again

E-bikes are also a personal choice for O’Connor. He had a hip replacement last year and was still able to pedal 20 miles a day with the motorized assistance the cycles provide. His first ride on an e-bike made him feel like he was 20 again, propelling him to start the tour and rental service.

“This business wouldn’t work with a traditional bike,” he said.

That’s because when touring, he uses a microphone that connects to earbuds each rider wears. This way he can tell his tour group what power level of assistance he’s at and what gear the cycle is in, so everyone stays at relatively the same pace.

On traditional bicycles, the group would likely be more spread out depending on the rider’s ability, or lack thereof.

The charge

Most of O’Connor’s tours are under 25 miles, so the bikes’ batteries last for the entire ride. On longer trips, like in the spring when he goes from Mammoth to Norris and back, he carries an extra battery.

On one of those spring rides into the park, O’Connor came around a corner to find a newly awakened black bear only 10 feet off the road.

“He was groggy,” he said. “He must have just crawled out of hibernation.”

Rather than fleeing from the pack of riders, the bear ambled over to a boulder and curled up for a nap. That’s not something most bike riders will encounter, providing a charge unlike the one e-bikers may typically need.