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France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

cyclingweekly.com

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Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#151

Post by my_username_is_ »

SirLuxuryYacht wrote: post #16

Since this isn't just a €50 windfall direct deposited into their bank accounts, as in the IRS stimulus, it seems like the best approach towards getting people on bikes. If you are skeptical about whether or not this is a waste of government money, consider why you have not yet begun commuting by bike. The French just bought €300M worth of new bike highway and they want it to be used. What costs could outweigh better…

>What costs could outweigh better air quality and healthier people?

And given France's public health system, the upfront investment in healthier people will likely pay future dividends through lower healthcare spending.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#152

Post by gautamdivgi »

ViViDboarder wrote: post #135
com2kid wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing confused me about this. In major American cities bike theft is incredibly common, to the point that the police won't help at all. I've had bikes repeatedly stolen out of locked garages at home! I'd never buy a bike that was worth any reasonable amount of money, my commute pre-covid was a good candidate for an electric bike, but no way would I spend more than a 2 or 3 hundred dollars on something that will g…

I’m from America, but I visited Copenhagen a few years ago and was amazed by how many bikes there were. On top of it, most bikes were parked with only a wheel lock and not chained to anything.

You need a bike friendly road network. Where I am at in suburban Illinois, I have a 45 - 55 mph lane with no shoulder and no continuous sidewalk. There is no way I'm risking life and limb to commute on that with my bike.

On the other hand there are multiple trails which I can and will use now that spring/summer is here.

I think the reluctance to use bikes for basic transport is more to do with lack of space on the road rather than theft.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#153

Post by nicof »

ViViDboarder wrote: post #135
com2kid wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing confused me about this. In major American cities bike theft is incredibly common, to the point that the police won't help at all. I've had bikes repeatedly stolen out of locked garages at home! I'd never buy a bike that was worth any reasonable amount of money, my commute pre-covid was a good candidate for an electric bike, but no way would I spend more than a 2 or 3 hundred dollars on something that will g…

I’m from America, but I visited Copenhagen a few years ago and was amazed by how many bikes there were. On top of it, most bikes were parked with only a wheel lock and not chained to anything.

Man visiting Copenhagen truly was a cultural shock, I walked past a street at midnight that may have had like 30 bikes in it without a lock. Those wouldn't last an hour without getting stolen where I'm from

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#154

Post by erkken »

BurningFrog wrote: post #140
com2kid wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing confused me about this. In major American cities bike theft is incredibly common, to the point that the police won't help at all. I've had bikes repeatedly stolen out of locked garages at home! I'd never buy a bike that was worth any reasonable amount of money, my commute pre-covid was a good candidate for an electric bike, but no way would I spend more than a 2 or 3 hundred dollars on something that will g…

When I lived in Sweden, on average one bike would get stolen per year. My experience in California is similar. Once you accept that, it's not that much money. The bad part is that you can never buy that Really Nice bike you'd really want.

I'm from Sweden and biked NY to SF a few years ago. During the two months it took I never locked my bike (didn't brought a lock at all). Just a related a anecdote ;)

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#155

Post by olivermarks »

koheripbal wrote: post #112
koheripbal wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...but how is this controlled? Do they ask for a picture of the bike? ...or maybe it's a voucher for repair work? ...or are they just giving everyone 50EU? Answered my own question by READING THE ARTICLE... > A network of 3,000 registered mechanics will be set up, and €50 of repairs will be redeemable, such as tyre changes or chain replacements. The mechanics will provide the repairs and then be reimbursed by the gov…

nevermind.... > A network of 3,000 registered mechanics will be set up, and €50 of repairs will be redeemable, such as tyre changes or chain replacements. The mechanics will provide the repairs and then be reimbursed by the government, meaning citizens will not actually receive any money

It's basically a job creation scheme. Bicycles are easy to work on, whereas modern cars are highly complex and riddled with DRM issues.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#156

Post by Baeocystin »

abyssin wrote: post #138
Baeocystin wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've ridden my (heavy!) e-bike for a few thousand miles, and although I've replaced tubes and tires, I'm still on the original disc pads. I don't think they're anything special, just middle of the road cable actuated stuff. Do pads usually wear faster? Honest question.

Mine usually last 1000 km. What brand are yours?

The stock pads the came with the Rad Rover. Tektros, I think. https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collections/brake-pads

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#157

Post by lapnitnelav »

MiroF wrote: post #107
Nasrudith wrote: post #19

Really why not just spend the money on community bicycles and docking stations, increased racks or similar efforts instead of maintenance? I don't object to promoting bicycling at all but the means puzzle me a bit.

> community bicycles and docking stations, I have yet to see a place where those have worked very successfully - they seem to very quickly fall apart and into disuse. In China, it is even worse.

We have those in Dublin. Seems to be working mostly ok and pretty cheap to use. A 20€ yearly membership and your rides are free if they last less than 30 minutes. Which means free for most folks.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#158

Post by lostlogin »

egypturnash wrote: post #126
Aeolun wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1 € / bike / 24 hours for 12€ / year) At that price point it becomes hard to justify owning a bike yourself...

If you bike every weekday: (52 weeks/year * 5 days/week * 1€/day) + 12 = 272€. Add in however much you think these bits of hassle are worth: • various amounts of time spent looking for a bike, especially if you go somewhere they don't tend to cluster and someone else took the one you're using • bikeshare bikes are typically kind of heavy and clunky, possibly with solid tires that don't blow out but transmit every bum…

> bikeshare bikes are usually one-size-fits-all, which I guess is fine if you're the perfectly average size.

I think they are tiny. I have wondered how they got this so wrong, but decided that it must be intentional. It prevents long journeys and limits the frequency of curb hopping and other damage causing activity.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#159

Post by _jal »

jamil7 wrote: post #73

People in this thread are getting really hung up on the idea that someone with a bike == cycling enthusiast. In Europe a huge amount of people just own a bike. Often some beaten up thing they probably paid €30-200 for at a flea market or bike shop and use to commute or meet friends. Maybe it's fallen into a state where it's unrideable. The €50 is just a simple nudge for all those people to get it roadworthy so they c…

> the idea that someone with a bike == cycling enthusiast

Very common rhetorical technique. Not everyone who does this is calculating; a lot of people just parrot what they hear. But the goal of the messaging is to make marginalize, to make it sound like some tiny group whining about their hobby, which inconveniences "normal" (car driving) people.

Turn it into a game - start talking about the motorist lobby as just another special interest, compare them to some other lobby your conversationalist will find distasteful - guns, animal rights, mountaintop removal, something will push their buttons. If you do it well, the cognitive dissonance is fun to watch.

I don't ride my bike much anymore; have had repeated bad experiences with shithead motorists (live in SF) and just won't risk it anymore. But when I did, I never spent more than $100 on a bike, because it was just going to be stolen within a year.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#160

Post by bluescrn »

com2kid wrote: post #121
NicoJuicy wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Often some beaten up thing they probably paid €30-200 for at a flea market or bike shop In Belgium, Belgian people buy mostly new ones in the range of 500-1000. People who don't earn much or students, buy the cheap/used bikes you mentioned. Electrical bikes are > 2000 € and pretty popular. In general, a whole family can bike together and it's very popular during the summer. We can bike were-ever we want during Covi…

One thing confused me about this. In major American cities bike theft is incredibly common, to the point that the police won't help at all. I've had bikes repeatedly stolen out of locked garages at home! I'd never buy a bike that was worth any reasonable amount of money, my commute pre-covid was a good candidate for an electric bike, but no way would I spend more than a 2 or 3 hundred dollars on something that will g…

It’s certainly a massive problem in the UK. Stealing bikes is almost decriminalized by the fact that it’s too minor a crime for the police to take seriously. And there’s a complete lack of secure bike ‘parking’ space.
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