141–150 of 244 posts
There are some very clever e-bikes, and perhaps their prices are reasonable. But there are a lot of bikes which are standard models with an added Bosch motor on the crank and a battery clipped to the frame.
This is a fantasy in the US, change my view. We have waaaay too many overweight/obese people. And, as other comments point out, there would have to be a sacrifice in terms of automobiles for this to truly work. I find it highly doubtful that Americans would be willing to make that trade. Also, I think that if it came up there would be significant push back from groups you wouldn’t expect, like the disabled or union t…
An e-bike doesn't care if you're overweight or obese. It might reduce range a little bit... But it's not an impediment to riding. Additionally in Denmark one can see a lot of out-of-shape people riding manual (non-electric) bikes. Urban biking does not require athleticism, just as suburban driving does not require the skills of a NASCAR driver.
> there would have to be a sacrifice in terms of automobiles for this to truly work. I find it highly doubtful that Americans would be willing to make that trade
Cities that are investing in better non-automobile infrastructure are seeing people move to other modes of transportation. In many places there's literally no more room to expand highways. That's why voters in places like LA and Seattle are writing billion-dollar checks to build out sustainable transportation infrastructure.
> We talk about how the middle/lower class feels a sense of generational wealth loss, a major push to move people to bicycles from cars would really drive(no pun intended) that message home.
The average American pays about $800/month in auto-expenses. I think I spend an average of $20/month maintaining my bike. All that extra money can be used for whatever your interests might be... eating at interesting restaurants, travel, indulging in a hobby, paying down student loans, etc.
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.
Helmets are for any activity that has an impact risk to your head which includes cycling not just sports. I live in Austria where few cyclists wear helmets yet my girlfriend who works in the local hospital sees patients coming in with serious head injuries on a daily basis from biking accidents that could have easily been prevented by wearing a helmet. Since then we both wear our helmets religiously. You don't even h…
For those who have e-bikes, what are your thoughts on riding them without the motor assistance? Is it heavy and difficult? Do they have battery regeneration from breaking? I've been on the fence about getting one, and normally ride a crappy hybrid bike to and from work every day, which an e-bike would be useful for. But I also do 40+ mile trips on weekends and am afraid that if the battery dies, I'll be lugging a hea…
But there are also top of line electrified road bikes which are almost (almost!) like the road bikes they use in Tour de France but with an engine strapped onto them. They weigh about 11-13 kg and you'd have no trouble riding them without the assist. Of course those aren't cheap...
40 mile trips (60km?) are doable on e-bikes, but you'd have to conserve the battery. Like turning off the assist on flat terrain and only using it for riding uphill. Since you have a display indicating how much charge there's left you won't all of a sudden run out of power.
For those who have e-bikes, what are your thoughts on riding them without the motor assistance? Is it heavy and difficult? Do they have battery regeneration from breaking? I've been on the fence about getting one, and normally ride a crappy hybrid bike to and from work every day, which an e-bike would be useful for. But I also do 40+ mile trips on weekends and am afraid that if the battery dies, I'll be lugging a hea…
Don't get me wrong, I bike every day there's no ice on the streets and really enjoy driving those Uber e-bikes too, but seriously: any mobilty solution that's aimed as a "revolution" can't go around people with disabilities, heavy rain, northern winters, multiple kids, 10km+ commuters, elderly people and transportation of more than 10kg of cargo.
If you're coming with cargo bicycles, you haven't tried parking one in an "already-convinced" city, also go read the above sentence again.
Truly written by a non-disabled twentysomething in Southern California who gets his groceries by delivery service. Don't get me wrong, I bike every day there's no ice on the streets and really enjoy driving those Uber e-bikes too, but seriously: any mobilty solution that's aimed as a "revolution" can't go around people with disabilities, heavy rain, northern winters, multiple kids, 10km+ commuters, elderly people and…
It feels like a "gotcha". "Aha! because I cannot do this, no one can!"
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.
Helmets are for any activity that has an impact risk to your head which includes cycling not just sports. I live in Austria where few cyclists wear helmets yet my girlfriend who works in the local hospital sees patients coming in with serious head injuries on a daily basis from biking accidents that could have easily been prevented by wearing a helmet. Since then we both wear our helmets religiously. You don't even h…
Truly written by a non-disabled twentysomething in Southern California who gets his groceries by delivery service. Don't get me wrong, I bike every day there's no ice on the streets and really enjoy driving those Uber e-bikes too, but seriously: any mobilty solution that's aimed as a "revolution" can't go around people with disabilities, heavy rain, northern winters, multiple kids, 10km+ commuters, elderly people and…
How much better would the lives of everyone else down there be with the reduced traffic?
The main reason I prefer renting e-bikes instead of using my own bike isn't the electric power. It's the convenience and not having to worry about my bike getting stolen. If I only want to bike one way and not round trip, no worries. If I was to own an e-bike, I would want to not have to worry about it getting stolen. Everything would have to be like e-bikes you rent. All the parts would need to be integrated and not…
It's really quite simple to make your bike a less attractive target for theft.