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E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

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Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#111

Post by alistairSH »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #109
alistairSH wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. But, there's a risk analysis - if there's good bike infrastructure, and I'm riding townie bike (slow and can put feet down vs a road racing bike), the risk is much lower. There's also evidence that requiring helmets reduces cycling among the general population. Partially because it's an extra thing to buy/maintain, but it also creates more work for commuters - they have to redo their hair at the office. R…

A few things though. 1)Most cities suck at biking infrastructure, including Europe if you exclude the poster childs like Amsterdam or Copenhagen. 2)It's not wearing a helmet that reduces cycling throughout the population it's the lack of infrastructure. Helmet necessity is a direct effect of that not the cause. 3)You can't make helmets a requirement, it's up to you if you can live(pun not intended) with the consequen…

Australia actually did require helmets for all cyclists. And cycling rates went down.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#112

Post by maigret »

Shivetya wrote: post #89
bjourne wrote: post #62

I truly believe e-bikes will be the future of transportation. What's holding them back is dumb legislation. In EU, they are limited to 25 km/h top speed and 250 W motors, which is not enough for everybody. Legislators think that if they are allowed to become more powerful then more people will die in accidents. True, but cars kill even more people so why don't we ban them? For fit people in good weather, 250 W is ple…

you pretty much end your argument with the line For fit people in good weather. The second part is more important than the first. You do leave out convenience and more with regards to carrying goods that these cannot offer.

Many places where people bike a lot like Netherlands and Finland have bad weather. So obviously it’s not correlated. I remember biking a lot while studying despite bad weather (even snow and ice). I think that’s more a fear of newcomers who are not used to outdoor clothes.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#113

Post by bjourne »

imtringued wrote: post #83
bjourne wrote: post #62

I truly believe e-bikes will be the future of transportation. What's holding them back is dumb legislation. In EU, they are limited to 25 km/h top speed and 250 W motors, which is not enough for everybody. Legislators think that if they are allowed to become more powerful then more people will die in accidents. True, but cars kill even more people so why don't we ban them? For fit people in good weather, 250 W is ple…

I don't know what you are talking about. E-bikes that go 45km/h already exist and they are already street legal. They are treated like mopeds. You just need a license like every other vehicle on the street. >I sold it and bought a regular bike because I realized that I got zero exercise from it. I don't know why you are asking for more powerful bikes and then complain about getting less exercise. You can turn on eco…

"Bikes" whose top speed is 45 km/h are classified as electric mopeds and require traffic insurance and driver's license. They are generally not allowed to use bike lanes. They also require registration plates and turn signalling lights. That makes them much heavier than regular e-bikes.

> I don't know why you are asking for more powerful bikes and then complain about getting less exercise.

Powerful e-bikes are nothing for me, but would be very useful for the rest of the population.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#114

Post by Eric_WVGG »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #108
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

here: https://bmcemergmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s1287... analysis: https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/why-dont-americans-wear-hel... A head injury that results from speed or post-strike collisions is still recorded as a "cyclist head injury" so I don't think your points change the numbers.

Granted more suffer from shower injuries but how severe are the shower injuries vs biking?

That's an excellent question. Another is, how many more injuries (head- and non-head-related) are caused by the increased recklessness that drivers engage in around helmeted cyclists? https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2018/11/14/motorist...

Please note, I'm not trying to argue against helmets. The point is that arguments over helmets deflect the conversation away from the people sailing around recklessly in two ton metal boxes. Every time there’s a collision involving a cyclist, the question is "was he wearing a helmet?", not, "was the driver paying attention?"

The safest places to bicycle are in the nations where there's the lowest rates of cyclists wearing helmets. This is a car problem, not a bicycle problem.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#115

Post by bjourne »

josephorjoe wrote: post #81
bjourne wrote: post #62

I truly believe e-bikes will be the future of transportation. What's holding them back is dumb legislation. In EU, they are limited to 25 km/h top speed and 250 W motors, which is not enough for everybody. Legislators think that if they are allowed to become more powerful then more people will die in accidents. True, but cars kill even more people so why don't we ban them? For fit people in good weather, 250 W is ple…

So, the future of transportation is an e-bike with more power so it can have higher top speeds, carry larger loads, and operate more safely in adverse weather conditions. Of course, with higher top speeds you will probably want a windshield to protect the driver from bugs, debris, or precipitation. Hard to concentrate when you are getting hit in the face with stuff at 45 kph. And really once the windshield is there,…

I know you are trolling, but what you are describing is an electric velomobile. Right now, they are too niche for mass production, but they are coming too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CURGm-BcaaM

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#116

Post by jdavis703 »

tentboy wrote: post #40
jdavis703 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes and there’s an analogy here between car commuters and car racers. We don’t expect “normal” car drivers to wear helmets. But professional racers absolutely wear helmets. Even in the case of commuters, a helmet could save your life in an accident. For any drivers who thinks bike commuters need helmets, I would encourage you to also get car helmets for you and your loved ones: https://www.amazon.com/RaceQuip-253116-…

This is a terrible argument it is not a one to one comparison. If you are shunted in the rear on the way to work in your car you might have a inconvenient morning and an insurance claim. If the same thing happens on your bike you could quite literally die from a head injury. I skated for a long time and didn't wear a helmet because of comfort/looks. I've become a bit more wise since and won't share the road with cars…

In my personal experience the top dangers on a bike come from the side. These are the things that happen to me at least once a week:

- Driver mergers in to me too soon

- Passenger or driver opens door in to my path

- Driver making turn cuts me off and I have to swerve or brake suddenly

- Driver does a right-hand hook across bike lane to make a right turn.

In almost all these cases I’m going to be crushed by a moving vehicle. A helmet won’t save me.

As for being rear ended... I’ve personally never felt like I had a “rear end” close call on a bike.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#117

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

alistairSH wrote: post #111
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A few things though. 1)Most cities suck at biking infrastructure, including Europe if you exclude the poster childs like Amsterdam or Copenhagen. 2)It's not wearing a helmet that reduces cycling throughout the population it's the lack of infrastructure. Helmet necessity is a direct effect of that not the cause. 3)You can't make helmets a requirement, it's up to you if you can live(pun not intended) with the consequen…

Australia actually did require helmets for all cyclists. And cycling rates went down.

Bummer, but at the same time it's hard to argue with a measure designed to save lives. If seatbelts wouldn't have been compulsory for decades I think people would have a hard time accepting them as mandatory.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#118

Post by bjourne »

peatmoss wrote: post #92
ouid wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're commuting with cars, there is no sense in which the air you are breathing is "fresh"

In some sense this is true—I like to believe the benefits of exercise outweigh the increased exposure to air pollution. However, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that bicyclists are often breathing deeply next to traffic that can, in some cases, be putting out a lot of bad stuff. I knew some researchers who were specifically looking at the question of bicyclist exposure to air pollution by pedaling around town wit…

Here's a video about it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySzmo_sScQk The message was that yes, city cyclists are inhaling polluted air. But the benefits from the exercise cycling gives you far outweighs the negatives.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#119

Post by HanayamaTriplet »

retrovm wrote: post #78
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to your source that's 50% share of new bike sales in 2018, not market share of all bikes in Belgium. Not the same thing.

Please go find out the definition of "market share".

To add context to your downvotes, it is clear that the author you cite used "market share" in an unusual way (possibly due to a language barrier), since there are certainly more than ~503,000 bicycles in the whole country of Belgium.

Re: E-bikes could be the electric revolution cities need

#120

Post by gonkhair »

For the past six months I've been driving my car 13 miles on the motorway to the city park-and-ride, then taking my folding e-bike out of the boot and cycling the last couple of miles to work.

I use the building's freight lift and keep the cycle behind my desk. Work visitors INSIST on touching the handlebars whilst talking to me.

I wear hi-viz (ISO 20471 Class III) hardshell jacket/softshell jacket and cycle helmet. I have daylight blinkers at front and back of cycle. Also, Bring-Bring bell.

I get "Nice Bike" on the way in, and on the way out. Car appears to be moping.

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