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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

#81

Post by 2-718-281-828 »

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…

you can also look at it from another angle - those e bikers are now a threat to regular bikers as they are driving much faster.

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

#82

Post by TulliusCicero »

FridayoLeary wrote: post #78
TulliusCicero wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 pa…

I'd love to believe in this, but the issue is really government policy, at least in the US. Most areas have road design and zoning that's hostile to anything that's not a car, especially bikes.

We recently moved from Munich, and there we didn't even have a car, just public transport and biking for us. Now we're living in Kirkland, we have no car and will probably get another one, and biking will probably be minimal, honestly. We can bike okay to the closest grocery store/shopping center, but going further seems sketchy.

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

#83

Post by rnotaro »

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 bought a 80$ used bike at my local community bike repair shop earlier this year and I'm keeping it outside every day without getting it stolen.

I just bought a Kryptonite + a Kryptoflex and nobody tried to steal it yet. My locks were more expensive than my bike but it seems to work for now.

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

#84

Post by TulliusCicero »

notacoward wrote: post #75
parineum wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It does reduce the total danger. Cyclists are killed by cars all the time, whereas pedestrians dying to bikes is extraordinarily rare.

In Germany, protected bike lanes are mostly extensions of the sidewalk, and while it's not ideal, it still works pretty well.

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

#85

Post by notacoward »

TulliusCicero wrote: post #84
notacoward wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

It does reduce the total danger. Cyclists are killed by cars all the time, whereas pedestrians dying to bikes is extraordinarily rare. In Germany, protected bike lanes are mostly extensions of the sidewalk, and while it's not ideal, it still works pretty well.

> It does reduce the total danger.

I think that's kind of missing the GP's point. AIUI they weren't saying cyclists shouldn't move to the sidewalk when necessary. They were saying cyclists should do so with respect for the sidewalk's primary users especially with regard to safety. A sidewalk is a kind of commons, to be shared. "I need this now so you all get out of my way" isn't good sharing, and in many places (where the law explicitly gives pedestrians right of way) should deserve a ticket.

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

#86

Post by TrevorJ »

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…

It cuts both ways. I am lucky enough to live in an area with an EXTENSIVE system of mixed-use trails for bikes and pedestrians. I worry that e-bikes, which are potentially much less pedestrian-friendly, will lead to a pushback against bikes being used on these trials at all.

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

#87

Post by notatoad »

notacoward wrote: post #70
notatoad wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is exactly the politics around cycling that need to change. cyclists have been asking for better infrastructure for decades, and been told to go play in traffic because we're a weird niche interest group who can be ignored. we need better infrastructure for non-car transportation. the short-term hell is simply more people experiencing what most cyclists are already used to.

> the short-term hell is simply more people experiencing what most cyclists are already used to. Did you miss the part where the cyclists are the ones inflicting that hell on others sometimes? Cyclists haven't been the only ones demanding better non-automotive infrastructure. I've supported the local path with both my dollars and the sweat of my brow, only to have freeloading cyclists tell me that they have priority…

again, this is exactly the sort of politics that hopefully will change as more people ride bikes.

yes, there's some bad cyclists. but because there's few enough cyclists, people who aren't cyclists like to group us all together. when a driver or pedestrian is an asshole, you say the person was an asshole, because you understand that they don't represent all drivers or all pedestrians any more than you do. but when a cyclist is an asshole, you jump to treating that as the behaviour of all cyclists, as if we're all the same, because we're just a group of weirdos that you don't feel a part of.

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

#88

Post by TrevorJ »

multjoy wrote: post #16
paiute wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love mine, I think it opens up some opportunities to work on relations with cars and pedestrians. I feel less in the way when I can maintain a better speed up hill. and on trails it's not a burden to slow down when passing pedestrians on foot. Nothing is worse than a bike whizzing by when you don't expect it. I just wish they'd remove those stupid speed limiters.

If you remove the speed limiter you are riding an electric motorcycle, which needs to be somewhere other than with pedestrians and cyclists.

More specifically, you have and electric motorcycle with no traction, no safety features and an untrained rider.

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

#89

Post by timbit42 »

zwieback wrote: post #26

I'm a year-round non-e-bike commuter in Oregon. I love e-bikes but until you can ride without getting soaked it'll be successful only part of the year in most of the US. We need something between the e-bike and golf-cart style EVs to fill the gap, some kind of sophisticated fairing or a 3 wheel format that isn't super dorky.

Have you looked at the Organic Transit ELF or Better Bikes PEBL?
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