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The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

nytimes.com

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Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#71

Post by notacoward »

gnarcoregrizz wrote: post #59
notacoward wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they change the politics around cycling While I agree with e-bikes being a generally good thing, I also think they involve a lot of secondary consequences and we still need to figure out the best solutions. For example, having more e-bikes on the already overcrowded bike path near where I live is becoming a disaster . There had already been enough problems with mismatched speeds, impatience on all sides, etc. There…

Maybe the problem is that bike paths are too small? Cars are granted 12 feet per-lane, often with multiple lanes.

That is very much part of the problem. The solution is going to run into both financial and legal obstacles, so it's imperative that the various stakeholders cooperate instead of one group consistently trying to lord it over the others.

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#72

Post by parineum »

joshlemer wrote: post #54
parineum wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I support the efforts to make cities more friendly to cyclist traffic but the increased popularity of both ebikes and electric scooters in downtown areas has made life as a pedestrian and a motorist stressful, especially around closing time. All the things that annoy me about cyclists (running stop signs when driving in the street and driving on the sidewalk are my two biggest annoyances) have gotten worse. Cycling a…

I thought this video addressed nicely this criticism of cyclists https://youtu.be/HT_KdFCVEdc

It doesn't. The law is that they have to stop. Motorists should stop too.

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#73

Post by dddddaviddddd »

acomjean wrote: post #61
kccqzy wrote: post #3

I really enjoyed my e-bike when I bought it in 2018 or so. The pedal assist really felt seamless: you can get to the top speed of 20mph by pedaling with as much effort as it took to get to maybe 12mph on a regular bike. Unfortunately, the bike being worth thousands of dollars, it was a prime target for theft. My bike was stolen in San Jose and I decided to replace it with a sub-$1000 regular bike.

My cousin tried the really cheap bike route. I think a little over $100. Lamentably it didn't matter, it was still stolen.

I think the goal of that strategy is to reduce the cost of replacement as much as it is to deter theft.

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#74

Post by notacoward »

bch wrote: post #68
paulgb wrote: post #4

The thing that excites me most about e-bikes is that they change the politics around cycling. Proponents of efforts to make roads safer for cyclists have always gotten pushback from people who think that cycling is a niche hobby of rich lycra-clad yuppies. With e-bikes becoming more common, I know a number of people who would not have touched a bike share but are using it as a replacement for Uber/Lyft rides. People…

> people who think that cycling is a niche hobby of rich lycra-clad yuppies I don’t know who “those people” are, or what regional politics are at play, but that doesn’t pass my “smell test”. How about deploying “think about the children” here for something that increases exercise and happiness, mobility, fosters growth… it’s not even contentious with respect to (e.g.) civil liberties. I suspect the answer is people j…

> once they’re behind the wheel

Keep in mind that most cyclists are also drivers, and in the latter role many of them also don't seem to care. These debates often sound like we're talking about two disjoint groups of people, with one having a grievance against the other, but in reality they're just different transport modalities that people switch between.

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#75

Post by notacoward »

parineum wrote: post #67
TulliusCicero wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's generally because of terrible infrastructure. Lanes designed for cars are everywhere. Most cities, sidewalks are just about everywhere. What percentage of streets have physically separated lanes for biking, the way we have them for walking? Bikes don't fit well with pedestrians or cars, and painted bike lanes are a joke -- imagine if you replaced every sidewalk with "painted walk lanes". In places where there…

You're not going to get any push back from me that bike lanes aren't plentiful or especially safe. The push back you get from me is that "the streets are dangerous" isn't an excuse to make sidewalks dangerous.

Well put. Shifting the problem around doesn't solve it.

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#76

Post by The-Bus »

kevincrane wrote: post #18
paulgb wrote: post #4

The thing that excites me most about e-bikes is that they change the politics around cycling. Proponents of efforts to make roads safer for cyclists have always gotten pushback from people who think that cycling is a niche hobby of rich lycra-clad yuppies. With e-bikes becoming more common, I know a number of people who would not have touched a bike share but are using it as a replacement for Uber/Lyft rides. People…

> Proponents of efforts to make roads safer for cyclists have always gotten pushback from people who think that cycling is a niche hobby of rich lycra-clad yuppies. Which I think is misguided pushback btw (which I think you agree with based on the context). I see it as a chicken and egg thing. The roads are unsafe for bikers, so the only people who bike are those who are super dedicated to it. Then when people ask fo…

> Edit: to add on, bikes are like 1-2 orders of magnitude cheaper than cars too, both in upfront and ongoing costs also. It’s super unfortunate that it still gets the stereotype as a “rich white people” activity when it’s really so much more financially accessible than a car.

The thought that biking is only for the rich is especially galling when I hear it said about NYC cyclists. The person saying this is thinking of the lycra'd-up dentist riding a Pinarello Dogma. The Manhattan Bridge had 180,000 bike trips on it this June. Williamsburg had 230,000.[1] Cycling is much more prevalent than non-cyclers think.

1: https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bike-counts.sh...

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#77

Post by truffdog »

missedthecue wrote: post #46
Robotbeat wrote: post #31

They also don’t last as long (miles-wise, possibly time-wise as well?), so you may have the same person buying multiple bikes over time when the first one wears out or breaks or is stolen. Usually for electric cars, the vehicle enters the used market and doesn’t leave (for the junkyard) until 15-20 years and 200,000 miles later.

Are there any 20 year old electric cars?

Probably some EV1s kicking around still- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#78

Post by FridayoLeary »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #57
FridayoLeary wrote: post #40

The politics now are about banning ice. The electric cars being more expensive makes this discriminatory against low earners. I wonder if it would be far more effective to ban large suv's (uk). Of course e bikes and scooters are the way forward in cities.

Electric cars are rapidly approaching the point where they're actually cheaper than ICE cars, due to lower operating costs. As they scale up, they may well become cheaper up front, too.

I try and follow the market closely and the numbers don't seem to make sense yet. Furthermore evs will not solve urban transport problems unless they will be unviable to many. Now, taking pointless, huge and very polluting SUV status symbols of the road (that's where they are made to go after all...) will bring vast benefits to everybody involved and guess what? It doesn't have to be the poorer people who feel the pain. But e bikes? That's a great idea. A government program to trade a car for an e bike and merits would be amazing. E scooters likewise are officially illegal, but i think police here are very wise to turn a blind eye to them.

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#79

Post by joshlemer »

parineum wrote: post #72
joshlemer wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought this video addressed nicely this criticism of cyclists https://youtu.be/HT_KdFCVEdc

It doesn't. The law is that they have to stop. Motorists should stop too.

If basically 100% of people are breaking a law dozens of times per day, the law is wrong.

Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down

#80

Post by TulliusCicero »

parineum wrote: post #67
TulliusCicero wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's generally because of terrible infrastructure. Lanes designed for cars are everywhere. Most cities, sidewalks are just about everywhere. What percentage of streets have physically separated lanes for biking, the way we have them for walking? Bikes don't fit well with pedestrians or cars, and painted bike lanes are a joke -- imagine if you replaced every sidewalk with "painted walk lanes". In places where there…

You're not going to get any push back from me that bike lanes aren't plentiful or especially safe. The push back you get from me is that "the streets are dangerous" isn't an excuse to make sidewalks dangerous.

Being a pedestrian around cyclists is dangerous, but not as dangerous as being a cyclist around cars. So I find it hard to fault cyclists who go onto the sidewalk.
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