Can you ride an e-bike up a trail without annoying other hikers?

The Werners cycling on their electric bikes on their way up to the Herzogstand mountain in Germany. — AFP

Robert Werner and his wife Ursula usually make time to say a friendly hello to hikers as they ride their gently whirring e-bikes up trails in the Bavarian Alps. But more often than not, their greetings are met with frowns.

“The first thing they look at when they see us are our bikes,” says hotelier Robert, 46, of his electric-powered bicycle. “If we have an engine, they respect us less.”