Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can get decent e-bikes for under $1k. It is still a lot but not ridiculous
Got any recommendations?
RadPower bikes have hit the sweet spot between price and quality.
The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
271–280 of 599 posts
Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#272Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Public transportation and city bike rental systems should be free to ride. This would depend on first fixing the poverty and homelessness that make theft, vandalism and antisocial behaviour so common. These things cost money to protect them from the impact desperate people otherwise have on them. Now, I’d be thrilled to help pay for that to all happen, but the order should be respected; making trains and buses free…
"making trains and buses free isn’t as simple as it sounds." It might be expebsive, but it's definately as simple as it sounds. I do not see how vandalism will be any different than it is today
Simpler, really. There’s a whole bunch of complexity and crime related to public transit billing systems, fare gates, and fare gate accessibility. On busses, people who pay slowly add to the per-stop time.
Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#273Earlier quoted context omitted.
Regarding running stop signs, "Why Bicyclists Hate Stop Signs" is an important read: https://nacto.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Fajans-J.-and-M...
I've ridden a bicycle before, I don't need this explained to me. Unfortunately for cyclists (including me), it being more strenuous to obey the law isn't an excuse to not obey it.
Unfortunately, it being more strenuous to obey the law will reduce the number of people obeying it, whether it's an excuse or not.
When deciding policy, one cannot afford to frame things in terms of personal responsibility.
Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#274Earlier quoted context omitted.
Throw into this confusion a badly implemented public transportation system that you find in most US cities. Public transportation and city bike rental systems should be free to ride. We all pay taxes to keep roads maintained, we should all pay taxes to keep public transportation maintained. Not charging would help busses keep their schedules with less queuing and waiting, tourists would be less likely to rent a car,…
> Public transportation and city bike rental systems should be free to ride. This would depend on first fixing the poverty and homelessness that make theft, vandalism and antisocial behaviour so common. These things cost money to protect them from the impact desperate people otherwise have on them. Now, I’d be thrilled to help pay for that to all happen, but the order should be respected; making trains and buses free…
Ok, how about just busses, and trains?
Most bike thiefs are not homeless, especially high end bikes.
Not to many homeless have a bolt cutter in their worn packs, nor do they have a way to sell, or part out.
In my liberal wealthy enclave, it's middle class guys doing the stealing, or gangs.
(This whole blaming the homeless needs to stop. Most don't have the savy to steal a locked bike. Plus--riding a nice bike is a cop calling card. I know homeless guys who are afraid to carry their own prescriptions in their pack because they frisked so frequently.)
Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#275The 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…
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Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#276Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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. It's true that a bicycle is itself cheaper than a car, but housing within biking distance to job centers sure isn't. In my view this is the primary reason bicycle commuters are stereotypically rich folks. The bicycle itself isn't the expensive part; you need pro…
Housing within bicycle commuting distance (under 5 miles) in many cities is abundant, if you’re willing to forgo a car. Especially if you convert the car savings to rent or mortgage payments. Basically, if you can be all-in on not driving, you save a lot. But once you even want to drive a little bit, the savings to driving only sometimes instead of all the time is not very large (and can in fact be negative, as you p…
The right way to drive a little bit is car share programs, or just eating a car rental fee occasionally. Mean cost of car ownership in the US is over $9000; you can buy a damn fancy e-bike and rent a car a few times in a year and still come out quite far ahead. (and you only need to buy the e-bike approximately once.)
https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles/average-annual-cost-...
Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#277The 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…
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Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#278Earlier quoted context omitted.
5 miles is quite a distance for a bike commute. I've done about this distance for a while and I won't go back to doing it. Interestingly, the average distance the Dutch ride is about 1.2 miles per day: https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/best-kept-secret-dutch-b...
5 miles is a very easy bike commute, not sure what you're talking about. It's about 20 minutes each way.
Google maps estimates it about 35 minutes, so almost twice as long as you're thinking.
Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#279Earlier quoted context omitted.
5 miles is a very easy bike commute, not sure what you're talking about. It's about 20 minutes each way.
Google maps estimates it about 35 minutes, so almost twice as long as you're thinking.
I do it every day. It depends on elevation gain (so it could take much longer depending on the route) but usually I'm closer to 15 minutes than 20. 15mph on average for a daily bike commuter doesn't seem unreasonable at all to me.
Re: The popularity of e-bikes isn’t slowing down
#280Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you think fast cycling "Lance Armstrong wannabes" are bad, wait until the trail is taken over by 30mph eBike riders that not only aren't experienced enough to ride safely at that speed, but they bolted on the eBike drive to a bike that was not intended for that speed.
Unless you’re on a major downhill, there’s no street legal e-bike doing 30 MPH.
I didn't say they were street legal, but it's not hard to find a 30mph capable kit:
https://www.electricbike.com/cheap-electric-bike/ http://myelectricbikemotor.com/category/30mph/ https://www.amazon.com/Folding-Electric-Bike-Adults-Enduranc...