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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

#131

Post by monkmartinez »

jacquesm wrote: post #15
monkmartinez wrote: post #11

I just built one with recycled laptop batteries... super fun to ride. It was a shit ton of work to do the batteries right, but I learned so much. Endless-Sphere is where my build thread is... My bike is 2004 Specialized mountain bike. Bought the motor from ebay and just bolted it on. The battery lives in a home sewn bag I made which I velcro strapped to the frame. I have gone about 35mph on it. Do not recommend super…

How much range do you have at that kind of assist level?

I don't have assist. I went strait throttle and I have about 20 miles before I get voltage sag that is really annoying.

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

#132

Post by UnFleshedOne »

cameldrv wrote: post #126
TrevorJ wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

This is a real problem. IMO, the issue really is that ebikes are too good/too flexible. They are fast enough to get you to work quickly and more comfortably mix with city traffic. The flipside is that they're too fast to mix with pedestrian traffic. If there were some way of limiting speed on mixed use paths, e-bikes would be perfect.

Speed limits is how it is usually done -- cars can all go much faster than most roads allow for and we are mostly fine.

Set speed limits and mercilessly fine serious violations, and the problem goes away as far as it will ever be.

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

#133

Post by akgerber »

asdff wrote: post #122

The biggest hurdles with ebikes are their high cost relative to a cheap used bike (nicer ebikes are in used car territory) and likelyhood of theft in an urban area. It would probably help a lot of commutes if people had a safe place to park their bike or ebike at a train station or business or school where it won't be stripped down for parts. Rental scooters and ebikes also suffer from this problem but it doesn't mat…

Renter's/homeowner's insurance covers one's property at home or away from it. One can get a rider for particularly valuable property.

"Velosurance" is also an option for many with expensive cargo ebikes.

Ebikes are a pretty new technology with very little used market so far, but that will change quickly— I already managed to dig one up for 50% off MSRP last winter.

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

#134

Post by Uehreka »

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…

“Think of the children” usually only works when the idea is that children could be violently harmed by something, and thus only works when deployed in cases where freedom is being restricted. It’s not a good faith argument that can be “use your enemy’s force against them”-ed for other causes.

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

#135

Post by rootusrootus »

The-Bus wrote: post #76
kevincrane wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 o…

> The Manhattan Bridge had 180,000 bike trips on it this June.

That's not bad at all, close to 10% of car traffic, based on old numbers.

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

#136

Post by asdff »

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.

A lot of working poor people rely on being able to do low cost maintenance themselves or bringing it to a family member or close friend with experience or a very trusted repair shop. They would never get their car serviced at the dealer given the costs. If the cost of repair is too large they sell the car for scrap and buy another bottom of market car and repeat the process. What happens for these people in the EV age, when its illegal to work on your own Tesla and everything will be serviced at a first party dealership?

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

#137

Post by analog31 »

Spooky23 wrote: post #120
kevincrane wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

You have a point, but the Lance Armstrong wannabes make everyone miserable. In my area, they “took over” a popular bike trail and now kids and more casual people are pushed aside. It’s like dealing with serious lap swimmers.

Time for a Critical Mass of casual cyclists. ;-)

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

#138

Post by AutumnCurtain »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #123
bink wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're in a weird situation now where I think most people riding e-bikes are doing so illegally on trails and paths. It's not being enforced yet where I live and I fear the push-back when someone inevitably gets hurt.

> I fear the push-back when someone inevitably gets hurt. Which is fascinating and really tells you something about ingroups and outgroups because cyclists are hurt and killed every day by drivers and strangely nobody seems to be that fussed about it.

The Texas "rolling coal" case shows you can attempt to murder a group of cyclists and face no legal repercussions if you are in the right political climate.

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

#139

Post by akgerber »

fh973 wrote: post #6

> ... and have the potential to transform urban transit. Not in Germany. Biking is and will stay irrelevant for daily transport as long as the infrastructure is a joke. Electric propulsion isn't the missing link. Interestingly you'll find holiday areas that have biking infrastructure packed with older people on e-bikes.

Where bike infrastructure is lacking, it is easier to integrate with urban car traffic on an ebike because you can travel at closer to urban car speeds and start/stop more quickly.

Car-oriented areas are also designed with less respect to topography than older areas designed around pedestrians, and electric propulsion makes biking up grades easier.

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

#140

Post by asdff »

akgerber wrote: post #133
asdff wrote: post #122

The biggest hurdles with ebikes are their high cost relative to a cheap used bike (nicer ebikes are in used car territory) and likelyhood of theft in an urban area. It would probably help a lot of commutes if people had a safe place to park their bike or ebike at a train station or business or school where it won't be stripped down for parts. Rental scooters and ebikes also suffer from this problem but it doesn't mat…

Renter's/homeowner's insurance covers one's property at home or away from it. One can get a rider for particularly valuable property. "Velosurance" is also an option for many with expensive cargo ebikes. Ebikes are a pretty new technology with very little used market so far, but that will change quickly— I already managed to dig one up for 50% off MSRP last winter.

I wonder what the batteries are going to be like in the used market. afaik this is the first part to see significant wear and also probably the most expensive part on the bike. Every few years I price out ebike kit builds to see if prices have come down and battery costs have remained pretty high. At least with a regular bike you can buy it in whatever neglected condition short of a compromised frame and pay not much at all at your local bike shop to tune it up into a great bike.
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