Backcountry Approach Bike Thread

Over where I am in the NW corner of WA, there are a couple forest roads with logging gates and good skiing beyond. One can bike up them, but 2000' of climbing at an average 10% grade makes for a lot less energy for skiing. There are also a number of trailhead roads that washed out and are easily e-bikeable but would add similar amounts of vert, e.g. the Heliotrope ridge road at Mt Baker which adds 2000' of vert over 4.5 miles or so. Having some power to assist with that is what I'm thinking about.

Plus I want to use it for commuting, because my new commute is a bit farther with a big hill, and I don't like getting too sweaty.

I've done quite a lot more research and am settling on mid-drive options, because it sounds like that's the only thing that's good on sustained, steep hills. I don't necessarily need a mountain bike or suspension, but the bigger tires will be nice on some of these logging roads. There aren't a ton of options that fit mountain tires and don't come with a suspension fork.

Here're a few things on my list now

https://ride1up.com/product/prodigy/
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/tu...=349388-216846
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/tu...=348371-206159
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...rCode=bluedark
https://surlybikes.com/bikes/skid_loader

Since I plan to use it for daily commuting, it's probably worth it for me to invest a bit more than the minimum.

Kamtron, the Turbo Tero is the only bike you listed that makes sense for riding off road in the mountains regularly because the gearing on the others is too steep, even with e-assist. If you can budget over 3k, its probably worthwhile to find a lightly used e-mtb with a transferrable warranty on the motor and battery if you plan on riding off road a lot.

Kamtron are those very numbers to access snow line in mid winter, or specifically the spring season when the snow line is higher? I’m a little familiar with some of the roads but haven’t skied from them. Too bad pow is too soft for fat bike tires.

Dromond, Heliotrope trailhead is that distance if the road is snow-free, so think early season and come spring. Mid winter it's snowmobile terrain.

I'm not planning on proper off-roading, Benneke. But some of these are rough roads we are talking about.

I got on a Tero the other day and cruised up the biggest hill by the shop with no problems. Think I'm leaning towards the Vado, however. The included commuter gear and upgraded components seem worth it. Plus I can replace the chainring for climbing if it's over-geared.

For fat bike conversions, CYC just dropped the gen-4 X1 Pro: https://www.cycmotor.com/x1-pro-gen-4 To stay Class-3 with an X1 (the smaller Stealth kit won't fit a fat bike), you could omit throttle, set the motor to 750W, and set max assist speed to 28mph. Or keep the throttle and set max assist speed to 20mph. Don't need really assist going faster than 20 mph anyway.

Something needs to be done about these brazen e-MX dirt bikes though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0POoAu5Gd5Y It's BS when they claim they're "class 2", and then angry hikers lump them together with legal ebikes when trying to close trails. LEO's needs to figure out that anything electric over 70 lbs with a throttle gets the same ticket as a gas dirt bike or quad when illegally used. Keep a scale in the trunk of the cruiser.

I put this photo in the skinny ski thread. It probably fits here better. Since my son put it on social media hopefully he doesn't mind me posting it again. The New Zealand approach rig.
Attachment 480153

Let's talk ski carry systems. I'm using an ebike to ride to the resort, and plan to use it for FS approaches this spring. I've done a bit of bike to ski but not enough to hash out the best system just yet. I can make something decent, just want to be on a the right path to start. I'm planning to either wear my boots or chuck them in my front rack/basket.

Things I've tried:
1) Skis on back - not my favorite, I think it's better to have the skis on the bike.
2) Skis strapped to top tube horizontally - this is OK, but I dislike riding bowlegged to avoid the bindings, and my ebike is a step through so it's not as easy as a regular top tube setup.
3) Skis on rear rack flat (skis the trees photo 2) - huge bouncy lever, not sturdy enough bumps.

Skis on rear rack with edges on rack looks like the best option (Skis the trees photo 3 and BFD). Any consensus? I like the idea of having them angled up like I do on my sled but not sure it's necessary.

Attachment 507669

I posted this pic in the thread about ski carry widgets, but here seems on topic. The skis are together on one side of the top tube. There is a typical rear rack, which the skis and my tent (brown bag) and other junk are bungeed onto. With the skis in this position, the bindings are well back of my legs and I didn't have to pedal bowlegged. I should have collapsed the poles and moved them to the back, but I got lazy or in a hurry.

It seems to me that having the skis sticking out the back like this would be more manageable on non-technical singletrack than carrying them on your pack. I didn't ride any singletrack with this setup, it was riding/pushing up a closed Forest Service road for some camping and very tame skiing by TGR posters' standards. Some parts of the road were too steep for me to ride easily with all that stuff and a backpack. However, even pushing the loaded bike seemed easier than walking while carrying a camping load.

Also, another aspect of bike access, which is probably obvious to everyone in this thread, is that even on an unpowered MTB, it makes the exit a breeze. Instead of walking a few miles out at the end of the weekend, I just had to jump on the bike, mostly coasting, and was back at the car in well under 30 minutes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by North

...Skis on rear rack with edges on rack looks like the best option (Skis the trees photo 3 and BFD). Any consensus? I like the idea of having them angled up like I do on my sled but not sure it's necessary.

---

I still think this option is by far the best (i.e. my last photo in my previous post on page 1). The weight distribution is good (no bounce of the skis) and they don't get in the way at all while riding. I can angle mine up/down or flat because the pieces of wood that substitute for ski boot sole are just held with one bolt in the middle allowing them to pivot up or down depending on your preference. It also makes getting them on/off easy to click the skis in and then rotate into position adjacent to the top tube. Construction with wood is also very quick, easy, and cheap if you want to make a prototype then improve on it with a second and third version. It is plenty strong and secure for the weight of my touring skis.

For short rides across town to the local ski hill shuttle (~5miles) I sometimes just wear my touring boots. The yellow bike in photos also has a front rack now which makes adding a couple panniers super easy.