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Electric bike, stupid love of my life

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Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#231

Post by chriswarbo »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #209
wyre wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty sure it needs pedals to be legally classified as a bike, otherwise it is an electric scooter and a whole separate list of laws apply, but this could vary by state and country.

That's unfortunate that that is generally the case. Many people go full-assist — twist the throttle and go. If they had to pedal significantly they would be disinclined to even ride an ebike. When the power is out, actually pedaling an ebike is one of the worst riding experiences ever. Pedals generally mean your seating position is higher, feet not touching the gourd when seated — this too will disincline a larger nu…

I agree with what you say, but would still replace the word "bike" with "moped". If it has a throttle, it is not a bike.

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#232

Post by DANmode »

rcpt wrote: post #108
swader999 wrote: post #6

E bikes really are the best form of travel. The only issue is how do you get rid of that ridiculous looking grin on your face. You just had a huge rush, got a bit of exercise, paid nothing for parking, eight pennies for 'gas', and beat all your co-workers who were stuck in traffic. The grin is real and not a good look professionally at the office when commuting. Thanks ebikes.ca, endless sphere forums and Sheldon Bro…

> how do you get rid of that ridiculous looking grin on your face Getting buzzed by an SUV or honked at a stoplight works for me

I've been riding my ebike in public, aggressively, for over 1000 miles.

Where are you located, and what behavior of yours do you suspect these people are taking such issue that they're threatening you with their vehicles? Just being a cyclist?

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#233

Post by raisedbyninjas »

c-cube wrote: post #98
wpietri wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel that one for sure. I live in San Francisco and was a dedicated cyclist. I had 6 bikes stolen in my first years here. But I was stubborn, got cannier, and kept the 7th long enough for it to look scruffy. Which let me keep it for years. But then it got stolen while locked up behind a 12-foot fence and something went out of me. I just gave up. I still make occasional trips on the Lyft bikes, which are fine. And I…

I haven't tried but I'm curious about them: would a foldable (e)bike do it for you? You just don't leave it outside at all! I've been eyeing the Bromptons but without a commute it's harder for me to justify the cost.

Is there a model made where the motor, battery and electronics are all easily detachable?

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#234

Post by atahanacar »

lostlogin wrote: post #219
analog31 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A problem with the ridiculous grin is that people somehow assume riding a bike is purely a source of personal gratification or irrational indulgence at the expense of others. Like being cheerful while you're working. Or working from home.

How does riding a bike come at the expense of others?

Because "This road is blocked because of that one cyclist, definitely not because of thousands of cars each carrying only a single person." or "If that bike lane wasn't there there would be no traffic. Just one more lane bro"

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#235

Post by jeffbee »

dghlsakjg wrote: post #229
gnicholas wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course motor vehicles kill more children — there are orders of magnitude more of them. No one is crying "think of the children". We are just discussing whether it is wise for children to use these vehicles, which types are more/less safe for children, etc. Injury comparisons with motor vehicles they cannot legally drive, and which are in much, much greater supply, are simply not relevant. Show me a stat that looks…

My original comment was in response to a suggestion of banning an entire category of already regulated e-bikes purely for the sake of children, hence the "somebody think of the children" If we are going to ban a category of vehicle for the sake of children based on injuries to children, then the logical vehicle to ban is the one that isn’t already speed and power limited. My position is that it doesn’t matter if the…

> purely for the sake of children.

That's not what I said. I think e-bikes with throttles are too dangerous to be on the market for any buyer. It is a bad, dangerous human-machine interface. There is a reason that the big e-bike brands do not offer them. Yamaha doesn't. Specialized doesn't. Trek doesn't. It is a proper use of consumer safety regulatory powers to set requirements for the controls on a dangerous machine. Without them, you just get a race to the bottom.

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#236

Post by DANmode »

lostNFound wrote: post #66
js2 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> E bikes really are the best form of travel Whether an E bike is the best form of travel is going to depend on a lot of factors. It's certainly less flexible than a car. For one person who doesn't need to carry a lot and who lives somewhere that has dedicated bike lanes or can at least safely share the road with cars and where the weather is neither much too cold nor much too hot and there aren't daily thunderstorms…

Surprised no comment in this thread mentioned speed actually, apart from cargo space of course. In my area traffic is completely quiet. In a car you can go 120km/h in the highways fine, and even almost that in some specific non highway streets. I always want to get one until I remember: 1. I WFH and “university FH”. Both are >100km from my house for when I rarely need to go. 2. My gym is 15km away and I barely get th…

> if using for workout, e-bike doesn’t make much sense.

If you have time,

or don't have time, but still want variety in your route/scenery,

there's no better option.

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#237

Post by rollinDyno »

I am considering buying an e-bike. However, I live in NYC and have access to Citibikes. I am a member so I can ride regular bikes for free and pay pennies for short trips on last-gen bikes.

So if I pay $1000 for a Roadster V2, what exactly am I getting? Sure, Citibike can be inconvenient: sometimes I won't find a good bike and sometimes I won't be able to park. For this, I'm not sure it's worth paying the prize.

Having my own bike also exposes me to risk of theft and having to carry it in and out of my apartment (I don't currently have bike storage in my building). Hence, it seems like I've already found my optimal solution.

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#238

Post by carabiner »

gerbilly wrote: post #83

Unpopular opinion: Ride a regular bike. In terms of theft, just use a beater bike for commuting. By getting rid of the 'E' part of the bike, you'll get more exercise and won't have to worry about theft. For years I rode a beater that I found in the garbage and that I fixed up with some parts I had lying around. Later I upgraded to a singlespeed because derailleurs freeze up in the winter. It's a trek earl. Seriously…

Get a folding e-bike and you can bring it indoors so that you don't have to lock it up outside.

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#239

Post by otabdeveloper4 »

0wis wrote: post #56

Remember that bicycle are the most efficient way to move a human, that’s where the Steve Job’s quote « Computers are bicycles for the mind » comes from [1]. This efficiency never stops to amaze me. And an electric bicycle makes it way more convenient while still being quite efficient. I share the love of electric bikes with the author and I am sure that huge progresses in UX and efficiency are it to come in the field…

I'm pretty sure an EUC is way more efficient than any e-bike.

Re: Electric bike, stupid love of my life

#240

Post by DANmode »

bluescrn wrote: post #15
ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #3

It amazes me how little attention e-bikes are given in terms of reducing traffic, pollution, CO2 etc. The BBC is especially bad at this - they promote lots of articles singing the praises of electric vehicles (i.e. cars) and almost never mention e-bikes as being far better for a lot of use cases. It also grinds my gears that there's tax breaks for getting e-cars and nothing for getting e-bikes. It's almost as if poli…

Unless bike theft is solved, an e-bike will remain a toy for the weekends for most people. An expensive e-bike is a prime target to thieves. They require a secure indoor storage space at both ends of the any journey, and many potential users lack that, either at their workplace or their home (e.g living in an apartment only accessible via stairs)

Many potential users can also take it the three miles to the corner store or grocery store in place of their SUV, and store it in the same garage.

One thing at a time.

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