Your Complete Guide To Biking With an Electric Bike in San Diego

October 25, 2019

Biking in San Diego can be a wonderful experience, but what if you have an electric bike? Are you able to follow the same trails as non-motorized bicycles? What traffic laws should you follow to safely and legally ride in San Diego?

As it turns out, navigating legalities around e-bikes is easier than it seems. Once you get the hang of it, there are many beautiful areas you can enjoy on your electric bike.

Get Familiar With the Laws

One of the best things about riding ebikes in San Diego is the legal simplicity. The majority of electric bikes are regulated just like non-motorized bikes. That means no registration is required and you’re expected to adhere to the following rules:

Ride with traffic
Use the bike lane
No parking or stopping on bike paths
No biking on toll bridges or freeways

Observe Trail Etiquette

Some of the best electric bike activities take place out on the hiking trails, which means you should be familiar with trail etiquette. When you’re sharing the road with hikers, be polite by remembering the following:

No littering
Take blind corners slowly
Yield to equestrians, pedestrians and bikers on non-motorized vehicles
No crowding fellow hikers

Check Out the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve

While not every trail admits bikers, there are still plenty of paths to choose from at this preserve. Best of all, there’s a range of difficulties and terrain so you can take a route you feel comfortable with. There’s also lots of open space, which is perfect when you’re hanging out with friends.

Discover “The Board Walk Loop”

What if you can’t pick between a day spent biking and one spent on the beach? Fortunately, “The Board Walk Loop” can satisfy both cravings. This path takes you past several sandy shores:

Mission Bay
Pacific Beach
Vacation Isle
Mission Beach

Take the So Cal Riviera Tour

One of the most popular places to take San Diego e bikes is the So Cal Riviera Tour, which is a picturesque journey through idyllic Southern California scenery. As the name suggests, it is an actual tour, which means you’ll be accompanied by an expert guide.

Head Out to Black Mountain

For experienced bikers, Black Mountain is the perfect challenge. It’s incredibly open, making it perfect for photography, and is rather steep in places, which may appeal to veteran trailblazers. We recommend you plan your route beforehand and bring the appropriate navigating gear, as it’s somewhat easy to get lost on these paths.

Spend the Day at Lake Poway

Those just starting their e-bike journey may be more comfortable with the relatively easy trails at Lake Poway. While these paths aren’t much of a challenge, they’re great for bikers who want a casual, laid-back day near the water. The area’s quite popular with outdoors enthusiasts, which means that it may be crowded on three-day weekends. However, you do get the benefit of never getting lost, since there’s always someone around to ask for directions.

Experience the Beauty of Tecolote Canyon Natural Preserve

If you like to go it alone, the Tecolote Canyon Natural Preserve has several single track trails that take you through breathtaking scenery. Since the pathways are so narrow, you’ll want to be confident in your e-bike handling, as you’ll most likely have to yield to other hikers you happen across.

Meet Other Passionate Riders

The SD e bike community is large and welcoming. If you’d like to find others who share a love of outdoor adventures, there are plenty of meet-up groups you can join. You can also attend one-time events put on by bike advocacy groups, retailers and local organizations.

We hope this guide has given you a few new areas to explore. Don’t have an e-bike of your own yet? No worries — you can get men’s and women’s electric bikes from your local shop.