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E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

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Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#21

Post by denimnerd42 »

stefan_ wrote: post #16
denimnerd42 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the rear frame is much stronger than the front fork so a rear wheel drive is what i'd recommend unless you have a sturdy steel fork. come join our discussion at the ebike discord https://discord.gg/6fRvwSx

Motor forces are entirely insignificant over what wheels, fork and frame experience when you are hard braking (primarily, of course, through the front brake). No, the bigger issue with front drive is that the front wheel has less weight over it (so significantly less traction) and that should it ever lose traction, you are more or less guaranteed to crash while the rear wheel slipping is perfectly recoverable. This i…

a direct drive motor weighs 8-10kg so hanging that off the front of the fork will increase all forces, not just the ones by the motor.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#22

Post by retrovm »

nkingsy wrote: post #19
retrovm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Helmets are for sports. Ebikes have a ~50% market share in Belgium where approximately nobody wears a helmet ever. It's really not an issue.

Sure with a 250w ebike and no cars go nuts. I have a 1500w motor and share a road with semi trucks

You're welcome to wear whatever you want while riding your illegal whatever-you-call-it. Don't scold the rest of us.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#23

Post by wongarsu »

sp332 wrote: post #20
retrovm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Helmets are for sports. Ebikes have a ~50% market share in Belgium where approximately nobody wears a helmet ever. It's really not an issue.

Are Belgians really doing 28 MPH on a regular basis?

I think ebikes are limited to 25km/h (15mph) across the EU. That's a speed a commuter might reach on a regular bike on flat terrain, the motor just helps making it effortless and terrain-independent. It's still advisable to wear a helmet since cars drive faster than that.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#24

Post by big_chungus »

heyflyguy wrote: post #8

Seems pie in the sky to get adoption of e-bikes in places like my home state of Texas. Our city has e-bikes for rent all along the city biking system, very cheap too! These bikes are available for rent nearly all of the time, except for when we close down a few streets for the spring fair. So, adoption isn't going to happen very fast in places where there is no appetite. We have cheap gas here and A/C in our cars.

You're right that A/C and heat is a big factor; forget being able to shower there, no one likes exercising in one hundred ten-degree heat. Distance is a problem too, though: in cities lots of people commute 40+ miles to work each way, which isn't really feasible by bike. Thinking about when I got started working as hourly, I would never have spent two or three times the time because that would have a serious opportunity cost, so probably never an option for hourly workers.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#26

Post by Fricken »

nkingsy wrote: post #19
retrovm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Helmets are for sports. Ebikes have a ~50% market share in Belgium where approximately nobody wears a helmet ever. It's really not an issue.

Sure with a 250w ebike and no cars go nuts. I have a 1500w motor and share a road with semi trucks

And that's why it's disingenuous to frame cycling safety as a binary that's contingent on whether or not a particular cyclist is wearing a helmet. The risk equation for you is vastly different from someone who hops on their cruiser bike to go 10 blocks on a protected bike trail to the grocery store.

Once you factor in all the variables, the helmet is only a small part of the equation, and probably not going to do you much good should you find yourself under the wheels of a semi-truck. Yet having that piece of styrofoam strapped to your head has given you the (possibly misplaced) confidence to go fast with semi-trucks.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#27

Post by Symbiote »

nkingsy wrote: post #19
retrovm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Helmets are for sports. Ebikes have a ~50% market share in Belgium where approximately nobody wears a helmet ever. It's really not an issue.

Sure with a 250w ebike and no cars go nuts. I have a 1500w motor and share a road with semi trucks

That's classified as an electric motorbike in the EU, if it's a legal, registered vehicle. You need the appropriate driving license and insurance to drive one.

Alternatively, if it's a modified bicycle, it's simply illegal on public roads.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#28

Post by jdavis703 »

retrovm wrote: post #10
nkingsy wrote: post #6

I ebike 20 miles for work every day and live it. I don’t use my ebike for small errands because it’s too easy to just rip expensive stuff off of it while locked up. Also, the picture shows a rider with no helmet which is insane. I wear a motorcycle helmet and leathers. The speed limit for ebikes on roads in CA is 28, which is deadly with even a normal bike helmet. Finally the article says that the new models are ligh…

Helmets are for sports. Ebikes have a ~50% market share in Belgium where approximately nobody wears a helmet ever. It's really not an issue.

Yes and there’s an analogy here between car commuters and car racers. We don’t expect “normal” car drivers to wear helmets. But professional racers absolutely wear helmets. Even in the case of commuters, a helmet could save your life in an accident. For any drivers who thinks bike commuters need helmets, I would encourage you to also get car helmets for you and your loved ones: https://www.amazon.com/RaceQuip-253116-X-Large-Helmet-SA-201...

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#29

Post by alistairSH »

retrovm wrote: post #10
nkingsy wrote: post #6

I ebike 20 miles for work every day and live it. I don’t use my ebike for small errands because it’s too easy to just rip expensive stuff off of it while locked up. Also, the picture shows a rider with no helmet which is insane. I wear a motorcycle helmet and leathers. The speed limit for ebikes on roads in CA is 28, which is deadly with even a normal bike helmet. Finally the article says that the new models are ligh…

Helmets are for sports. Ebikes have a ~50% market share in Belgium where approximately nobody wears a helmet ever. It's really not an issue.

Cultural differences in traffic management. In the US, bicycle infrastructure is sparse outside of dense urban cores (and even then, it can be spotty). That leaves many cyclists sharing roads with higher speed auto traffic.

Also, the style of bicycle is often different. Hybrid and town bikes are far less common the US than Europe. I suspect that an easy-step over, big tire, upright town bicycle is easier (and this safer) to use.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#30

Post by brmgb »

intc wrote: post #7

Hmm. What about a regular bike which one moves with muscle power? Had a nice ~85 km afternoon loop today. =)

> Had a nice ~85 km afternoon loop today.

That's nice as a sport but we are mostly talking about commuting here. The assist an e-bike gives you is nice if you don't want to sweat and have to go uphill.

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