E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need • Hacker News Board

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

#201

Post by chinesempire » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 2:31 AM UTC

jdavis703 wrote: post #199

asjw wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically these are the same dangers bike poses to pedestrians And with the boom of food delivery,mostly done by bike, the situation got a lot worse Just two hours ago a guy working for glovo merged on the sidewalk while I was trying to cross on the zebra walks and almost hit me. He was using one hand, wasn't looking, with the other hand was speaking at the phone and didn't stop at the red light No need to specify t…

I regularly call out bikes who don’t give the right of way to pedestrians in the crosswalk. That said, unless someone is already frail being hit by a bike is nothing like being hit by a car. I’ve had two red-light running bicyclists crash in to me (once while biking, once while skateboarding). I’ve also been in three separate cars that got rear-ended (none of those times was I driving). The level of pain is an order…

> being hit by a bike is nothing like being hit by a car

You're completely right!

Cars are engineered to reduce the damages of a direct impact.

Bikes are not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_safety_through_vehi...

Studies agree that the damages are mostly caused by speed

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24435732

E-bikes can go at very high speeds (30km/h is more than enough to be deadly) and can do it effortlessly, which means the even bikers that aren't expert can go at such high speeds, increasing the risk of hurting someone else or themselves.

Add to that the fact that a car can break or avoid obstacles in a much more efficient way than a bike could ever do (think about heavy breaking with a bike at 25 km/h under heavy rain on the pavet and then think about it on a car).

I'm not a supporter of cars, I've been car free for a few years now, but I don't think bikes are less dangerous for pedestrians.

There are simply less of them around.

> The level of pain is an order of magnitude different

The maximum level of pain I suffered was because of my bad teeth

I was in a very bad car accident (a tire detached from my car while driving on the highway and I lost control), the pain was a joke compared to that.

Pain is not a strong indicator of dangerous physical damage.

For example internal bleeding is usually painless.

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

#202

Post by acomjean » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 3:02 AM UTC

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?

For me my fingers and face are the part that suffers most. Beause you are working out you do warm up.

Its only about 35-40 minutes for me so I can be a little lighter on the clothing. A balaclava for my face (Its a a ski mask with an big circular opening for my nose and eyes). Thats usually enough, but I have a thin hat that fits under the helmet. my work shirts are golf shirts and wick sweat away, but wool or polypro long underwear is helpful when its really really cold. You don't want to get wet from sweat, because it will suck the heat out of you. I usually just use normal pants. I have a flease jacket and a windproof shell on top.

I use wool glove liners and good windproof gloves. My hands can still get cold. Especially when its windy along the river. I'm experimenting with usb li-on glove warmers, which seem to help on the two times I've used them. They're kind bulky in my gloves and I don't love that.

(I've seen people with fixed hand warmers on there bikes but I haven't gone that far). Ski googles too (I wear glasses so that helps the wind in my eye problem).

Good socks too. I lower my seat in the winter to make it easier to touch ground if I hit ice.

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

#203

Post by bjourne » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 3:16 AM UTC

blunte wrote: post #141

Whenever I go looking online at e-bikes, I'm always dismayed by what seems like artificially inflated pricing. It's difficult to believe that the engineering and manufacturing of most of these bikes justifies their 100+% premium over standard bikes. 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…

Both the US and EU has put heavy tariffs on Chinese made ebikes. That has caused domestic manufacturers to increase their prices too.

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

#204

Post by sitkack » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 4:35 AM UTC

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?

Having witnessed ebike conversions by a couple folks that I would characterize as skilled, I would recommend buying something premade. Unless you are both a skilled bike mechanic and into electronics, it can be a huge rathole. It won’t be less than getting either a used ebike or a radpower bike new.

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

#205

Post by steelframe » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 4:52 AM UTC

tiew9Vii wrote: post #194

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…

28mph/28kmh? Still pretty slow for full leathers which would be heavy, hot, sweaty, horrible to pedal in and a pain changing in and out of. A full face mounting bike helmet might be a lot lighter and offer very good protection for the speeds you are travelling as designed for fast downhill riding. The thing with motorcycle helmets is they are heavy and not designed for high intensity cardio so hard to breath in doing…

> Still pretty slow for full leathers

When you're hit by a motorist and slide to a stop on asphalt, there's really no such thing as overkill when it comes to road rash protection. Speaking from personal experience.

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

#206

Post by novok » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 5:02 AM UTC

Lio wrote: post #176

novok wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just about death, it's also about brain damage. A broken bone is NBD compared to a TBI with often permanent damage. You can lock helmets with bikes if you want. I used to lock my helmet with my u-lock on my bike, so if they cut off the helmet, then it isn't a very useful helmet. I now bring it with me in my bag mostly for hygenic reasons although.

Personally I would avoid locking a helmet up like that. Expanded foam helmets are fragile by design. They are design to be disposable with even small knocks. So even accidentally banging them against your frame, dlock or solid post is a bad idea even if you can’t visibly see any damage. You’re recommended to replace them at regular intervals also due to sweat damage.

That isn't much of a solution in practice. No helmet manufacturer puts best after dates, other than in fine print nobody reads and practically nobody replaces helmets unless they see visible damage.

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

#207

Post by asdff » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:00 AM UTC

As a former bike commuter, the elephant in the room is safety and security. I put up with the abysmal bike lane network in LA, but my bike, along with everyone else's parked in the rack, was stolen from the gated and surveilled garage in my building. LAPD filed a report and that was that.

Even when I had my bike, I would never lock it out of sight. Cable lock or $200 U lock, they all fail.

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

#208

Post by asdff » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:02 AM UTC

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"

That's true with any transport that runs on the roads. Your car isn't filtering much.

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

#209

Post by asdff » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:05 AM UTC

cmclaughlin wrote: post #51

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…

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.

Been seeing a guy in the neighborhood with an old schwinn mated to a chainsaw motor. Looks like a death trap putting that rotted frame under so much load.

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

#210

Post by Lio » Sat, Jan 04, 2020, 7:09 AM UTC

novok wrote: post #206

Lio wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I would avoid locking a helmet up like that. Expanded foam helmets are fragile by design. They are design to be disposable with even small knocks. So even accidentally banging them against your frame, dlock or solid post is a bad idea even if you can’t visibly see any damage. You’re recommended to replace them at regular intervals also due to sweat damage.

That isn't much of a solution in practice. No helmet manufacturer puts best after dates, other than in fine print nobody reads and practically nobody replaces helmets unless they see visible damage.

Yep totally true.

Then again 3cm of expanded polystyrene foam vs a metal box with a engine in it... probably like a surfer forgetting to replace their “anti-shark bite” medallion anyway.