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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

#91

Post by Houshalter »

cooper12 wrote: post #76
nextlevelwizard wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you seriously not have better things to do than police comment section for silly typos?

Well gender is part of someone's identity, so it's important to get it right. If you misgendered a person in real life, it might make them feel insecure about their looks and features and hurt their self-esteem. (a man might for example wonder if he is acting feminine) It's also more important on the internet and communities like this one which are commonly stereotyped as a boys club where male is the default and fem…

There isn't any picture of the author in the article, so how would it make them feel insecure about their looks?

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

#92

Post by viral_krieger »

EliRivers wrote: post #79
viral_krieger wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What did you learn from riding a motorcycle?

I learned that car drivers cannot see motorbikes, so when I'm driving a car, I specifically look for them; every time I check the mirrors, or am waiting to pull out or across, I'm specifically looking for a motorbike, and when I shift lane I turn my head to see what model of motorbike is sitting in my blind spot.

There are not many motorcycle drivers near where I live and I noticed that they are more difficult to spot than other vehicles when you're changing lanes. I'll make sure to keep that in mind.

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

#93

Post by maxharris »

jessaustin wrote: post #41
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...

Most communities will be filled with e-bikes long before they get a subway.

Sure, more communities could get e-bikes before they get subways. But this isn't an appropriate metric because it puts a tiny village on the same footing as a dense city.

To really get somewhere, we have to look a little deeper and ask "where do the majority of people live?"

The populations of large metropolitan areas in the United States:

NYC: 20.2 million LA: 13.1 million Chicago: 9.5 million SF: 4.6 million Seattle: 3.7 million Denver: 2.8 million

According to the last census, 62.7% of Americans live in cities: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-33....

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

#94

Post by jessaustin »

maxharris wrote: post #93
jessaustin wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most communities will be filled with e-bikes long before they get a subway.

Sure, more communities could get e-bikes before they get subways. But this isn't an appropriate metric because it puts a tiny village on the same footing as a dense city. To really get somewhere, we have to look a little deeper and ask "where do the majority of people live?" The populations of large metropolitan areas in the United States: NYC: 20.2 million LA: 13.1 million Chicago: 9.5 million SF: 4.6 million Seattl…

Four of those already have a subway. (Of course their subways could probably be improved...) Denver will never have a subway. It has a fair light rail system, to which more lines and stops could probably be added, but it will never be dense enough that a subway would be an improvement. I haven't spent much time in Seattle.

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

#95

Post by llukas »

hollerith wrote: post #38
llukas wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sitting in a car is still worse as you're exposed to same air but got no benefit. (unless you sit in HEPA filtered tesla or something...)

Although a HEPA filter can be very helpful, it does not remove most of the pollutants in car exhaust (CO, NOx, SOx).

PM2.5 particles are thing that give you cancer and higher concentrations are related to car traffic.

PM10 are not healthy either.

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

#96

Post by hollerith »

llukas wrote: post #95
hollerith wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Although a HEPA filter can be very helpful, it does not remove most of the pollutants in car exhaust (CO, NOx, SOx).

PM2.5 particles are thing that give you cancer and higher concentrations are related to car traffic. PM10 are not healthy either.

Oh, sure, but again the CO, NOx, SOx and most of the unburnt hydrocarbons in gasoline-fueled vehicle exhaust are not particles (they're gasses) and are not removed to any significant degree by a HEPA filter.

In the US, diesel cars are rare, and I would guess that the non-diesel cars in the US produce very little in the way of particulate pollution. Am I wrong about that?

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

#97

Post by jessaustin »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #84
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 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.

https://cdllife.com/2014/top-trucking-news/16-states-pass-de...

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

#98

Post by dheera »

wapz wrote: post #24
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…

Were you using only electric when you went the 23 miles? I live in Japan now and all the bikes are "electric-assist." You still have to pedal and it just feels like someone is pushing you or you are in a much higher gear than you are. On my regular bike in the bay area (Berkeley area), I was able to turn 95% of the signals green by stopping right on the sensors (I rode a motorcycle too so I knew where they were). The…

Mine would be worthless trying to assist it. The motor drives it at 20mph and pedalling it at 3mph is horribly exhausting after even 100 metres. (Mine weighs 180 pounds ...)

Personally I don't see much value in electric assist. If I am looking to exercise, I just use my non-electric carbon fiber road bike. And the same amount of exertion translates to a LOT more speed on that road bike than the same amount of exertion assisting a 50-200 pound e-bike. If I'm riding an e-bike, it's usually specifically because I don't want to be exerting myself (e.g. hills, commuting to work, hot days, tired, carrying groceries).

I'd much rather e-bikes just came with insane amounts of battery that rival the range of gas scooters rather than trying to be this weird mish-mash of hey-it's-electric-but-you-still-have-to-pedal-because-we-are-being-cheap-and-only-putting-a-tiny-little-motor-and-inadequate-battery.

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

#99

Post by llukas »

hollerith wrote: post #96
llukas wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PM2.5 particles are thing that give you cancer and higher concentrations are related to car traffic. PM10 are not healthy either.

Oh, sure, but again the CO, NOx, SOx and most of the unburnt hydrocarbons in gasoline-fueled vehicle exhaust are not particles (they're gasses) and are not removed to any significant degree by a HEPA filter. In the US, diesel cars are rare, and I would guess that the non-diesel cars in the US produce very little in the way of particulate pollution. Am I wrong about that?

Hmm. According to this https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents...

Most particulates are from exhaust but amount of this is falling and soon most contributing factor would be brake/tire wear.

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

#100

Post by cooper12 »

Houshalter wrote: post #91
cooper12 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well gender is part of someone's identity, so it's important to get it right. If you misgendered a person in real life, it might make them feel insecure about their looks and features and hurt their self-esteem. (a man might for example wonder if he is acting feminine) It's also more important on the internet and communities like this one which are commonly stereotyped as a boys club where male is the default and fem…

There isn't any picture of the author in the article, so how would it make them feel insecure about their looks?

I was speaking in general terms. And there is a thumbnail.
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