I have bike, e-bike and EUC (monowheel / electric unicycle). My only car (minivan) is only for far travels or bringing heavy items.
Out of all 3 EUC is the most fun.
280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
91–100 of 756 posts
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#92We don't need a 4000 lb vehicle to move a ~200 lb person. In order of efficiency: (1) Walk (2) Unicycle, roller skate, scooter (no battery, very little material) (2) Bike (3) Electric bike (and all forms of newfangled electric: escooters, segways) (4) Electric motorbike or scooter (5) Mass transit (can be public/private) transportation: Electric trains (6) Mass transit (can be public/private) transportation: Electric…
Is taking an ebike really that efficient if its going to be stolen? I kid.. because I have one. But I take 3 locks with me when I need to leave it unattended...
I do worry about this some, but I also have my bikes insured including an e-cargo bike. Cheaper than most car insurance. Still would be a pain in the ass if my bike got stolen though.
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#93Would anyone here like to recommend (or disrecommend) any e-bike models?
I have a Rad Wagon 4, and I love it. It is my only mode of transportation, other than my two feet. It's big and heavy, but I don't care. I've also picked up a couple of their attachments like the basket on the front, and the rack and insulated pack on the back. Even with that rack, I still have room for an old school 2x milk crate in the back. Parking/securing it can be a bit of a challenge as most places around me don't have a bike rike, and the bike itself is a bit larger than most racks are designed. That just means I have to get creative, and it's not really an issue. The amount of stuff I can carry is amazing, and its large motor makes carrying it all a breeze.
Edit: also, if you do anything at night, I highly recommend the upgraded headlight. Unfortunately, it's not compatible with the front rack, but I have an idea how to hack something together to be able to have both at the same time.
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#94I do almost all the grocery shopping for our family of 4 with a Rad Runner Plus with a large basket and bag. I love that bike. Even as someone pretty comfortable getting around on a 'regular' bike, having that extra power just makes it a really easy choice for more trips compared to the car. If it's hot out, it is so much nicer to hop on the bike and get an instant breeze compared to a hot stuffy car. If it's cold ou…
what kind of pannier bags do you use to haul groceries? All the ones I've used have been too small for my purposes.
The bike in question has a front basket with a bag designed to fit it:
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/large-basket
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/large-basket-roll-top...
So I don't have panniers. I might get some in the future to have a bit of extra capacity.
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#95"In the United States, a staggering 60% of all car trips cover less than 10km." Being lucky enough to live in a walkable city (NYC) this is insane to me. The world is so car-brained.
walking 10km? in most US cities that is neither viable nor safe anymore
Well that's the point I think. In practically all of the US you can't even take a sidewalk where you want to go. It gets even worse if you want things like walk signals or to avoid huge intersections, or even mass transit at all.
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
Riese & Mueller are great if you can afford them. You pay through the nose, but they're not really built like bicycles. You should be comparing to mopeds (or cars!), not muscle-powered two-wheelers. Do make sure to get the high-speed model, though; there's not a lot of use for the strengthened components if you're limited to regular bicycling speeds.
Does one need a motorcycle helmet when exceeding bicycle speeds?
that depends on local laws. depending on where you live, it may be illegal to ride high speed ebikes in the first place.
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#97I've said it before and I'll say it again: building the future around cars of any kind is completely unsustainable. We cannot reproduce the rates of rich world car ownership in the developing world without mass catastrophe (raw materials/labor needed for construction and maintenance, raw materials/labor/space needed for roads and parking lots, literal tons of waste--batteries, tires, steel, plastic, foam--, energy ne…
This has to include some thoughts on how to get vehicles to drastically lower their weights...
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#98"So what’s the best solution? You might think switching to an electric vehicle is the natural step. In fact, for short trips, an electric bike or moped might be better for you – and for the planet." Also in fact, electric bikes and mopeds are electric vehicles.
> electric bikes and mopeds are electric vehicles.
At USA federal level, which applies to federal lands and federal funding like 'rec paths' on municipal lands, ebikes are bicycles. They are not vehicles and not motorcycles.
https://usbr.gov/recreation/publications/ebikes.pdf
A vehicle requires significantly different licensing, and typically registration + insurance policy + driver licensing. What location are you in that classifies an ebike as a vehicle?
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#99Electric motorcycles in developing countries could be huge. So many things are done in them: deliveries, taxis, work transportation, etc. A combination of that and some form of non-oil public transportation would be huge.
Re: 280M e-bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
#100Would anyone here like to recommend (or disrecommend) any e-bike models?
If you're in US, REI has a 40% sale for their gen 1.1 and 1.2 bikes. Great entry level ebikes with proper range.
a 40% REI discount means it's only 20% higher than other places. I love REI, but they are not known for having cheap prices. Just trying to re-align the expectations of 40%