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For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

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Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#41

Post by andrepd »

brokenmachine wrote: post #21
tim333 wrote: post #13

In London e-bikes have basically take over delivery of small stuff. A decade or so ago they tended to use motor scooters but there are a lot less restrictions on e-bikes.

In Australia too. They don't follow any road rules and ride on the footpaths at insane speeds. They're not actually legal - I believe the law is that if they can go over 17kph without pedalling then they must be registered, have indicators, etc. But nobody seems to do anything about it. I guess some elderly pedestrians must die before something is done.

That is because there are millions of kms of roads for cars and virtually 0 for bikes.

Plus cars kill thousands of people every day, and we just sort of accept it as a natural fact of life. Why is a bike going 20kph suddenly a problem?

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#42

Post by andrepd »

Fradow wrote: post #15
rererereferred wrote: post #4

Small off-topic, I see those boxed backpacks and think of their shoulders. On motorbike the box rests in the back of the seat but here all the weight is in the shoulders. People who have done some mountain hiking knows that the weight of the backpack should be mostly in the waist, thanks to the waist belt (sorry if I don't use the right term, I've done most my hiking in Spanish ;) ). I don't know how weight distribut…

I can see numerous reasons why you'd want the backpack rather than a box on the bike for food delivery (may not apply for other deliveries): - no need to fuss when you mount/dismount your bike, your backpack is already on your shoulders. Speed is key. - the focus is not on carrying capacity, it's on speedy delivery. There's only so much food in their backpack. - because of the time waiting for orders / going to the r…

Delivery workers should fuck up their backs because otherwise (1) customers would get their shitty fast food and soggy fries 15s or 20s later, and (2) boxes would eat into the profit of the shareholders.

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#43

Post by kibwen »

luma wrote: post #40
kibwen wrote: post #31

For this use case you really care about reducing the lifetime total cost of ownership, which means making the bike as reliable, serviceable, and repairable as possible. I love e-bikes, but IME they have a long way to go to get to same level as normal bikes in this regard. It's good that the bikes in the article are locally-built, but I'd like to know whether or not they emphasize using standardized parts with high av…

Do you deliver packages in a tropical climate? If the answer is no, maybe you have a different use case than the people in the article. Being able to make it through the day might carry more significance for these users than being able to tear the thing down without any electrical knowledge. HN in a nutshell - you see an article full of first-hand reports of the users and their use case and your immediate reaction is…

I ride an e-bike 30 miles a day. It's my main mode of transportation, as I don't own a car. Right now it's in the shop for repairs; I understand well the time cost and wallet cost of regular maintenance and am actively considering building my own bike to find a better solution. Please don't pretend that you know me.

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#45

Post by JKCalhoun »

kibwen wrote: post #31

For this use case you really care about reducing the lifetime total cost of ownership, which means making the bike as reliable, serviceable, and repairable as possible. I love e-bikes, but IME they have a long way to go to get to same level as normal bikes in this regard. It's good that the bikes in the article are locally-built, but I'd like to know whether or not they emphasize using standardized parts with high av…

In my mind there's a "standardized", probably cargo, e-bike that has not yet been invented. A e-bike (or scooter) that is mass-produced and inexpensive like the Volkswagen Bug and popular enough to breed an ecosystem of aftermarket parts, mods, etc.

Let the clones follow using the same parts, connectors and you could have a world-wide phenomena.

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#46

Post by JKCalhoun »

sevensor wrote: post #39
brokenmachine wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Australia too. They don't follow any road rules and ride on the footpaths at insane speeds. They're not actually legal - I believe the law is that if they can go over 17kph without pedalling then they must be registered, have indicators, etc. But nobody seems to do anything about it. I guess some elderly pedestrians must die before something is done.

An elderly pedestrian I know was recently struck by a car. Compound fractures, dislocated joints. He’s looking at a long recovery and a pile of medical bills, because the driver was barely insured and in the US we’re somehow fine with that. So it comes down to momentum transfer, and I’d much rather he’d have been struck by an e bike.

The e-bike rider has more on the line in a collision with a pedestrian as well.

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#47

Post by JKCalhoun »

Scoundreller wrote: post #14
rererereferred wrote: post #4

Small off-topic, I see those boxed backpacks and think of their shoulders. On motorbike the box rests in the back of the seat but here all the weight is in the shoulders. People who have done some mountain hiking knows that the weight of the backpack should be mostly in the waist, thanks to the waist belt (sorry if I don't use the right term, I've done most my hiking in Spanish ;) ). I don't know how weight distribut…

But now you’re cutting out all that biological shock absorption. (Aka: why helmet cams are much smoother than any other bike mount)

Anyone seen the wild carriers on the back of scooters in Tokyo? Apparently for delivering ramen without spilling.

https://blog.btrax.com/en/files/2019/08/Japanese_food_delive...

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#48

Post by JKCalhoun »

rurban wrote: post #26

For USD 1400 you also get a good E-scooter from Taiwan. I got mine here in Germany for that price. It's far better than an E-bike.

I think the scooter is going to be the winner in the U.S. People not used to biking are averse to being unable to sit and have both feet solidly on the ground at a stop.

And it will also be a "cargo" scooter because carrying things.

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#49

Post by davidzweig »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #45
kibwen wrote: post #31

For this use case you really care about reducing the lifetime total cost of ownership, which means making the bike as reliable, serviceable, and repairable as possible. I love e-bikes, but IME they have a long way to go to get to same level as normal bikes in this regard. It's good that the bikes in the article are locally-built, but I'd like to know whether or not they emphasize using standardized parts with high av…

In my mind there's a "standardized", probably cargo, e-bike that has not yet been invented. A e-bike (or scooter) that is mass-produced and inexpensive like the Volkswagen Bug and popular enough to breed an ecosystem of aftermarket parts, mods, etc. Let the clones follow using the same parts, connectors and you could have a world-wide phenomena.

I bought a sit-on electric Chinese cargo scooter from an importer in Bulgaria because I liked how it looked, and it's handy for going around town. They are everywhere in China. They are assembled by hundreds (probably thousands) of small factories. A big center is Wuxi. I visited a few factories there last year. The scooters cost about $350 USD in China.

There seems to be a sort of loose standardization around components, that are also churned out by countless factories. Wheels/motors are generally 10" or 12" size. Brake disks have either a certain 3 or 4 bolt pattern. I'm sure the electrics likewise follow some patterns.

I had the thought that it would be fun to 3d scan parts, measure and document some of these scooters, and make a database of suppliers. Then, who knows, start to make the frames and assemble in Bulgaria.

But you really need to be spending time in China to do that, and it wasn't really the right time for me then.

Another thing to note: branded scooters (niu etc.) are becoming more popular, better quality, extensive plastics, and you can probably order parts from the manufacturer.

Re: For Delivery Workers in Latin America, Affordable E-Bikes Are a Superpower

#50

Post by aitchnyu »

asl2D wrote: post #37
Fradow wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can see numerous reasons why you'd want the backpack rather than a box on the bike for food delivery (may not apply for other deliveries): - no need to fuss when you mount/dismount your bike, your backpack is already on your shoulders. Speed is key. - the focus is not on carrying capacity, it's on speedy delivery. There's only so much food in their backpack. - because of the time waiting for orders / going to the r…

Capacity is still needed, or you will miss out on a lot of deliveries in peak hours, where you load up several orders and then deliver them all in one route and you dont really need to carry whole bag to client/restaurant, just fish up the package. Also boxy bags allow for bigger packages(pizza, water bottles) and usually help to pack orders in a way that damages them less.

Which companies batch food orders now? It was a short lived and unpopular experiment in India years back.
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