I hated e-bikes. Period. I thought they were stupid, expensive, unnecessary, and dangerous. I’ve testified against their public land use in Montana and have not been quiet about my rage against the machine. Full transparency and a bit of TMI: an e-bike played a strong supporting role in my divorce some years back. But that’s another story for another day.
But, well, here we are. The year is 2024, and two QuietKat Apex Pro e-bikes are sitting in front of me as I type from the tailgate of my pickup. We’ve been testing these things for the better part of a year, and my revelations are more stance-changing than I could have ever anticipated.
As I break these things down to send them back to where they came from, I’m ready to confess. They’ve changed my perspective entirely.
I never wanted to test them. But now I’m super-bummed to send them back. I guess that says something. I’ve even been digging into my wallet trying to figure out if there’s a way to buy them. That says even more.
So, what the heck happened?
Where It Began

The evolution of my disdain for e-bikes went something like this: I didn’t. Then, I did. Now, I don’t.
To be fair, I am biased against two-wheeled machines with a motor. I witnessed my uncle’s untimely death on a motorcycle as a young child. I think the vision of his motorcycle skidding one way while my uncle skidded another after being hit by a drunk driver directly in front of my grandmother’s house set the tone. That’ll impact a gal and make her wary of fast-moving, bi-wheeled crafts.
Growing up, I only owned one bike. It was the 1991 (visually and auditorily obnoxious) Huffy Street Rocker. My only memories of biking occurred on that Pepto Bismol pink and Easter egg purple travesty, blaring FM radio’s greatest hits of today and yesterday.
I did have a motorcycle — but it was a Yamaha Mini-TY80. I never rode it anywhere other than our pasture, chasing horses that didn’t want to be chased and turkeys that hated me.
All this is to say I was not a biker. My family never biked. I had never mountain biked in my life. Every motorcyclist on the road made me uncomfortable (and still do). I had a rough start regarding my opinion of anything less than a quadricycle.
Why I Hated E-Bikes for Hunting

Conservation & Access
- Were these in line with fair chase?
- Were they a nuisance to the herds their riders were pursuing?
- Were they a danger to those hunters on foot?
- Were they going to destroy the trails?
The BRAP

Here Comes the ‘Hunter’

The Changing of the Tide
My New E-Bike Friend: The QuietKat Apex Pro

Apathy Turned to Love

Where I Sit Now With E-Bikes

However, However, However …
