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My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

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Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#81

Post by averagewall »

I used to ride an ebike to work and my workmate sometimes rode a fancy racing bike. He had special tyres and clothes and all sorts of expensive stuff to make it easier. He also had to park it in the lunch room instead of the carpark because he was afraid it'd get stolen. I once asked him why he doesn't just put a motor on it and he wasn't happy with that at all. I don't remember his response other than some kind of arrogant dismissal.

If a motor is cheating, then thin tyres, carbon fiber frames and aerodynamic helmets are cheating too. They all reduce the human effort.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#82

Post by Broken_Hippo »

wildrhythms wrote: post #26
Benjamin_Dobell wrote: post #6

I've never lived anywhere near where I worked or studied - absolutely not within push-bike riding distance. So I used to ride a motorcycle. However, after several near misses with oblivious car drivers I decided I didn't want to die. Riding a push-bike is great for your fitness, but it's not feasible if you have a long distance to travel every day. That can be assisted by public transport, but that means you need rea…

Thanks for mentioning the stigma around motorcycles and scooters in the U.S. They are seen as grown up toys, yet all over the world motorcycles serve as a primary means of transportation for millions of people. Careless drivers obviously aren't targeting motorcycles, but I think there's a collective lack of mindfulness to their presence on the road. Anecdotally, I became a better car driver after just a few weeks of…

Scooters have a worse reputation: In Indiana, folks with scooters were either kids (as a 15-year-old can ride one), too poor for a car, or someone with a DUI conviction and that is their only transportation.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#83

Post by MandieD »

jessaustin wrote: post #39
dheera wrote: post #19

I commute on an electric bike in the Bay Area. Electric bikes are awesome to ride, but here are a summary of the main issues I've experienced so far: - LIES, LIES, LIES ABOUT RANGE -- I have a Gigabyke (gigabyke.com) which ships with an SLA battery (a horrible design desicion) and claims a range of 35 miles and a maximum rider weight of 250 pounds. Good luck. I weigh half that and when I got it new, I clocked in exac…

IMHO there's nothing inherently wrong with a cyclist "running" a red light. Cyclists are likely to be more aware of traffic conditions than motorists, and they have a strong interest in ensuring intersections are clear before entering. As with anything else, judgment matters. It's unfortunate that occasionally motorists will be sitting at a red light when they see a cyclist carefully approach the intersection and cro…

It's not the opinions of the car drivers that matter, but those of the police that might spot you: I got a Breathalyzer test and a 70 EUR ticket for doing just that on a bicycle in a mid-sized town in Germany on a Sunday evening, still light out. The Breathalyzer probably happened because "running" a red light after a minute at a dead stop probably looked particularly crazy.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#84

Post by Broken_Hippo »

jessaustin wrote: post #39
dheera wrote: post #19

I commute on an electric bike in the Bay Area. Electric bikes are awesome to ride, but here are a summary of the main issues I've experienced so far: - LIES, LIES, LIES ABOUT RANGE -- I have a Gigabyke (gigabyke.com) which ships with an SLA battery (a horrible design desicion) and claims a range of 35 miles and a maximum rider weight of 250 pounds. Good luck. I weigh half that and when I got it new, I clocked in exac…

IMHO there's nothing inherently wrong with a cyclist "running" a red light. Cyclists are likely to be more aware of traffic conditions than motorists, and they have a strong interest in ensuring intersections are clear before entering. As with anything else, judgment matters. It's unfortunate that occasionally motorists will be sitting at a red light when they see a cyclist carefully approach the intersection and cro…

It is much more an issue when the police and the law think it is wrong for a cyclist to run a red light. This requires law changes: something like you can hit the crosswalk, but have to dismount the bike and walk across the pedestrian crossing.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#85

Post by Broken_Hippo »

maxharris wrote: post #23

It could replace cars as long as it's not snowing, or raining, or too cold outside, or you don't have stuff to carry. You know what could replace cars for millions of people? A subway. But first we have to work on legalizing high-density urban environments with narrow streets...

I live in a city in Norway.

Rain? Yeah, that's really no issue. Just dress properly and maybe take a change of clothes. Grocery store trips? Totally doable. I walk to the grocery and carry the stuff back. I did so in the states too - you just don't make huge trips. A lot of commuter bikes have places to carry your basic stuff anyway. Add a backpack and you are generally good. Too cold? Again, dress well most of the time and it isn't much of an issue. Your tolerance for cold grows over time. I'm not sure walking is warmer: On one hand, you move slower but on the other, it takes longer. Some forms of cold do suck, but one deals.

Now, I'd like to agree with you on snow and ice. It seems risky to me - but I'm from Indiana. But they sell studded tires for bikes, and folks ride them in the winter here in town.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#86

Post by grogenaut »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #85
maxharris wrote: post #23

It could replace cars as long as it's not snowing, or raining, or too cold outside, or you don't have stuff to carry. You know what could replace cars for millions of people? A subway. But first we have to work on legalizing high-density urban environments with narrow streets...

I live in a city in Norway. Rain? Yeah, that's really no issue. Just dress properly and maybe take a change of clothes. Grocery store trips? Totally doable. I walk to the grocery and carry the stuff back. I did so in the states too - you just don't make huge trips. A lot of commuter bikes have places to carry your basic stuff anyway. Add a backpack and you are generally good. Too cold? Again, dress well most of the t…

Studded tires on a 2 wheeled vehicle require real skill to handle. Like near snowboarding levels with generally worse crash consequences (pavement not snow)

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#87

Post by jessaustin »

MandieD wrote: post #83
jessaustin wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMHO there's nothing inherently wrong with a cyclist "running" a red light. Cyclists are likely to be more aware of traffic conditions than motorists, and they have a strong interest in ensuring intersections are clear before entering. As with anything else, judgment matters. It's unfortunate that occasionally motorists will be sitting at a red light when they see a cyclist carefully approach the intersection and cro…

It's not the opinions of the car drivers that matter, but those of the police that might spot you: I got a Breathalyzer test and a 70 EUR ticket for doing just that on a bicycle in a mid-sized town in Germany on a Sunday evening, still light out. The Breathalyzer probably happened because "running" a red light after a minute at a dead stop probably looked particularly crazy.

If you didn't see the cop, you might not have been as aware of your surroundings as one ought to be to run a red? Nevertheless I've found police in general not to care too much about what cyclists do. Once when I was cycling while completely wasted, a cop simply told me to walk my bike the rest of the way home. Which I did.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#88

Post by belorn »

bbarn wrote: post #43

I'm glad the author likes hers, and it enables her to commute. I don't care who rides what on a street. What I do care about is people riding them on small narrow paths made for cycling at best speeds, at 24-28 mph. As someone who raced for 10+ years and still rides 120ish miles a week, I don't even ride that fast around bike paths. It's just too dangerous with joggers, strollers, kids on bikes, whatever. When I see…

In Sweden there is two requirements that distinguish a electric bike from a electric moped. A electric bike can only assist the rider, and the speed is limited to 15.5 mph. Any vehicle with a motor above that speed require a driver license and registration plate.

28 mph seems way to high for cycling roads, and as a owner of a electric bike I would too get annoyed if someone passed me at those speed.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#89

Post by viral_krieger »

THE_PUN_STOPS wrote: post #53
viral_krieger wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did you learn from riding a motorcycle?

I'm not OP but I do ride and experienced the same. If you're taking it seriously and respect the danger, you learn how to drive as if you are invisible. You learn to pay attention to and anticipate the movements of other drivers, to look at their wheels and not their eyes. Eyes lie, wheels do not. You learn just how careless a shocking majority of people are behind the wheel of a two ton vehicle. You peek into every…

Thanks for the reply. I agree not hanging out in someone's blind spot and anticipating other drivers' actions are extremely important things to keep in mind while driving.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#90

Post by viral_krieger »

closeparen wrote: post #67
viral_krieger wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did you learn from riding a motorcycle?

Also a motorcyclist. - We're trained to look and anticipate much further down the road than car drivers are. - Unlike car drivers, we don't get to space out and rely on our mental autopilots to wake us up when something goes off-nominal. It's a much more active and deliberate process. - We develop a "sixth sense" for when cars are going to change lanes without signaling (there are lots of cues: driver head movement,…

I haven't thought about how motorcycles would be more unstable going through a turn. Thanks!
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