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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

#161

Post by ben-schaaf »

peterwwillis wrote: post #65

I use an e-scooter rather than e-bike because 1) it's more compact 2) it's relatively cheaper 3) I only go short distances 4) I'm a lazy s.o.b. Some people will need to sit while riding. Some people need to haul stuff. Some people may need to travel farther. Some people may prefer having weather-shielding. Future cities should allow for a range of micromobility options, not just one thing.

I wanted to make that same choice for the same reasons, but they turned out to be illegal to ride in public where I live (Sydney). Instead I bought an e-bike and it was probably the best purchase I've ever made.

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

#162

Post by drcross »

bduerst wrote: post #110
cmclaughlin wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I converted a nice traditional steel frame bike to with an e-bike kit. I would not really recommend that route - especially not if you’re hauling around a kid or gear like me. I was blowing through brake pads every 3-6 months and for most people it’s probably best to buy a nice e-bike that’s well built and tailored to the task.

What was the cost/time to convert a steel frame bike?

512 euro for the kit with battery. 1 hour if you exclude the YouTube tutorial videos prior to getting the kit.

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

#163

Post by golemiprague »

atoav wrote: post #155

As a life long cyclist (half of that time in big european cities, half on the countryside) I doubt that the muscle power to propell your bicycle forward is the issue that blocks a wide adoption of the vehicle. As far as I can tell the (by far) biggest issue is the perceived risk involved which boils down to mostly two things: infrastructure and adoption. Better infrastructure demands you not to be as hardcore to star…

Try doing the same thing in a non European or hilly city where temperature and humidity are much higher. You can see that in cities like Tel Aviv riding bikes became way more popular since electric bikes and scooters became ubiquitous. Not every place is as flat, cold and small like the Netherlands and Denmark

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

#164

Post by blacksmith_tb »

retrovm wrote: post #58
Japhy_Ryder wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You seem very defensive in your position of advocating people be less safe on their bikes. Quite odd. Anyway, good day. "There is good evidence that bicycle helmets are effective in reducing head and facial injury in the event of a crash [...]" [0] 0. Ivers R. Systematic reviews of bicycle helmet research. Inj Prev. 2007;13(3):190. doi:10.1136/ip.2007.015966 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2598379/

The evidence in favor of wearing a helmet while in a car is just as strong, but nobody is up here advocating for that. By the way, helmets on bicyclists tend to make car drivers behave like even bigger jackholes than usual. https://psyarxiv.com/nxw2k "... public health research might be best served by shifting focus to risk elimination rather than harm mitigation."

The argument could be just as strong, but since very few people wear helmets in cars (only Formula 1 etc.), I think it's unlikely "the evidence" is just as strong; however, by all means provide us a reference.

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

#165

Post by reddog »

No thank you. In my 40 years of driving I've been in two accidents. Both times I was rear-ended while waiting to make a lefthand turn. Both times were major inconveniences that made me late for work and cost me time and money to resolve but no one was injured in the slightest.

Had I been on a e-bike/scooter/moped I would have certainly been badly injured and possibly killed.

Give me 3000 lbs of steel, multiple crumple zones, smart 3 point seatbelts, anti-lock brakes, traction control, active head restraints, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning and 23 airbags if I am traveling over 20mph. Especially if I've got family in the car.

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

#166

Post by dragontamer »

mc32 wrote: post #133
underbluewaters wrote: post #50

I've been commuting using a class-1 (limited to 20 mph) e-bike around Santa Barbara, CA for the last year and it is a dream. Far better experience than I expected. It won't work in all cities but if you have reasonable bike lanes switching over from a car can have many benefits. 1. Cost. Sure it's a high initial outlay (3k) but I'm not paying for insurance, gas, parking, and auto loan payments. 2. Faster. I can hop o…

I remember when Dean Kaman introduced ginger/Segway as a transformational revolution in personal transportation... If only he’d thought of electrifying available people-powered systems and miniaturizing as well adding capacity rather than re-inventing things. Of course hindsight... but what if he’d seen things differently.

All the kids these days seem to want a hoverboard. So the Segway is still a success IMO. Albeit limited to toy usage (for now), but a lot of inventions start out as a toy.

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

#167

Post by rawfan »

akhilcacharya wrote: post #128
acomjean wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been doing a commute from Cambridge ma to Boston with an ebike this year. I agree it’s big plus is being able to pick up speed rapidly in traffic. The being able to easily keep up with traffic is what I miss when I switch to my regular bike, which I had been comuting with for years. Also I ride it more than my traditional bike because it is easier. (I rode to work today) Parking is easier too though I’m still a…

I've considered doing this; my concern is the windchill. How do you manage that?

I commute with a regular bike and proper clothing is your friend. It's also not rocket science. You get pretty warm through the movement so often it's okay to just wear something that stops the wind.

I usually wear regular clothing (like jeans and hoodie) and add to it when necessary (long johns in the winter, maybe a power-stretch jacket).

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

#168

Post by maccam94 »

reddog wrote: post #165

No thank you. In my 40 years of driving I've been in two accidents. Both times I was rear-ended while waiting to make a lefthand turn. Both times were major inconveniences that made me late for work and cost me time and money to resolve but no one was injured in the slightest. Had I been on a e-bike/scooter/moped I would have certainly been badly injured and possibly killed. Give me 3000 lbs of steel, multiple crumpl…

I do not sit in the middle of the road waiting to make a left turn on a bike. That just seems way too dangerous. Instead I ride through the intersection to the right side of the cross street, and wait to go straight through after the light changes.

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

#169

Post by Lio »

ouid wrote: post #55
underbluewaters wrote: post #50

I've been commuting using a class-1 (limited to 20 mph) e-bike around Santa Barbara, CA for the last year and it is a dream. Far better experience than I expected. It won't work in all cities but if you have reasonable bike lanes switching over from a car can have many benefits. 1. Cost. Sure it's a high initial outlay (3k) but I'm not paying for insurance, gas, parking, and auto loan payments. 2. Faster. I can hop o…

If you're commuting with cars, there is no sense in which the air you are breathing is "fresh"

I’d agree with that but you’re still better off than people sitting in their cars in a line of traffic.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/fuming-air-pollution-and-c...

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

#170

Post by maccam94 »

derekp7 wrote: post #123
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I think the biggest reason people don't see a bicycle helmet as necessary is from personal experience. I grew up on the 70's, long before kids helmets were in vogue. And I had several bicycle accidents. Once I hit a curb, went over the handlebars, and skinned up my hands/knees and my wrists hurt pretty bad for a week or so after. Another time I wiped out at the bottom of a hill, tore a huge gash in the side of my kne…

Your anecdotes of falling without hitting your head aren't very relevant. And if you had such an accident, you might not be capable of posting here.
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