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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

#81

Post by josephorjoe »

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, you should put a roof on too to provide better protection from the elements.

And a passenger seat or two. Maybe some storage. Maybe another wheel (or two) for better stability.

And then you have an e-car.

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

#82

Post by acomjean »

underbluewaters wrote: post #50

I've been commuting using a class-1 (limited to 20 mph) e-bike around Santa Barbara, CA for the last year and it is a dream. Far better experience than I expected. It won't work in all cities but if you have reasonable bike lanes switching over from a car can have many benefits. 1. Cost. Sure it's a high initial outlay (3k) but I'm not paying for insurance, gas, parking, and auto loan payments. 2. Faster. I can hop o…

I’ve been doing a commute from Cambridge ma to Boston with an ebike this year. I agree it’s big plus is being able to pick up speed rapidly in traffic.

The being able to easily keep up with traffic is what I miss when I switch to my regular bike, which I had been comuting with for years.

Also I ride it more than my traditional bike because it is easier. (I rode to work today) Parking is easier too though I’m still a little nervous leaving it on the street (I have bike cages at home/work)

I’ll second your recommendation of giving it a try.

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

#83

Post by imtringued »

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 mode on most e-bikes and get partial assist.

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

#84

Post by bambax »

agumonkey wrote: post #47
bambax wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I built myself an ebike with a Bafang BBS02 18 months ago, and use it constantly. The main problems are: - No safe parking anywhere. So far so good but it's only a matter of time before my bike gets stolen. - Range. Much too short (less than 40km in my experience). Yet, it's fantastic. It changed my life. It almost totally replaced my motorbike for every trip except the longest ones (I live in Paris so most trips are…

Any clubs of diy ebikes nearby ?

Don't know of any but if you're just looking for instructions to make one, Youtube has plenty of videos and it's not very hard. I started from a Decathlon VTT 540 and it was pretty straightforward. (Or you can use a 520 instead: no hydraulic brakes, which makes it much easier to replace brake levers.)

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

#85

Post by Eric_WVGG »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #35
retrovm wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Helmets are for sports. Ebikes have a ~50% market share in Belgium where approximately nobody wears a helmet ever. It's really not an issue.

Helmets are for any activity that has an impact risk to your head which includes cycling not just sports. I live in Austria where few cyclists wear helmets yet my girlfriend who works in the local hospital sees patients coming in with serious head injuries on a daily basis from biking accidents that could have easily been prevented by wearing a helmet. Since then we both wear our helmets religiously. You don't even h…

Does this logic extend to showering, pedestrians, and automobile passengers and drivers? All suffer as many or more head injuries per year than cyclists.

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

#86

Post by localhost »

Fricken wrote: post #26
nkingsy wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure with a 250w ebike and no cars go nuts. I have a 1500w motor and share a road with semi trucks

And that's why it's disingenuous to frame cycling safety as a binary that's contingent on whether or not a particular cyclist is wearing a helmet. The risk equation for you is vastly different from someone who hops on their cruiser bike to go 10 blocks on a protected bike trail to the grocery store. Once you factor in all the variables, the helmet is only a small part of the equation, and probably not going to do you…

Not to mention that it dehumanizes you in the eyes of drivers.

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

#87

Post by mumblemumble »

underbluewaters wrote: post #50

I've been commuting using a class-1 (limited to 20 mph) e-bike around Santa Barbara, CA for the last year and it is a dream. Far better experience than I expected. It won't work in all cities but if you have reasonable bike lanes switching over from a car can have many benefits. 1. Cost. Sure it's a high initial outlay (3k) but I'm not paying for insurance, gas, parking, and auto loan payments. 2. Faster. I can hop o…

We recently got a class 1 electric cargo bike, and it's also been a dream. With it, we can transport one adult, both kids, and a couple weeks' worth of groceries. Throw in a second (in this case non-e) bike, and that's an additional adult and a decent amount of extra cargo.

If nothing else, it's easily worth the experience of getting the kids to and from school. It takes less time and it's enjoyable instead of aggravating. Win-win.

I'm finding that, in my city, we tend to move faster than traffic if there's any traffic at all. Cars might go faster when they're not stopped, but they're spending most their time queued up at traffic lights and stop signs. Bikes get to go to ride right past those lines.

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

#88

Post by TomVDB »

magicalhippo wrote: post #52
wongarsu wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think ebikes are limited to 25km/h (15mph) across the EU. That's a speed a commuter might reach on a regular bike on flat terrain, the motor just helps making it effortless and terrain-independent. It's still advisable to wear a helmet since cars drive faster than that.

I commute to work with my regular, non-e bicycle, sharing the road with cars. I wouldn't dream of not wearing a helmet, even at "just" 25 km/h, though for most of my commute I keep speeds above that (up to 50km/h).

Same here.

My 18 miles commute is 2 miles of sleepy suburban traffic and 16 miles on the SF Bay Trail (IOW: flat dirt track with no cars allowed.) Even if it were all dirt track, I'd still be wearing my helmet.

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

#89

Post by Shivetya »

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.

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

#90

Post by agumonkey »

bambax wrote: post #84
agumonkey wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any clubs of diy ebikes nearby ?

Don't know of any but if you're just looking for instructions to make one, Youtube has plenty of videos and it's not very hard. I started from a Decathlon VTT 540 and it was pretty straightforward. (Or you can use a 520 instead: no hydraulic brakes, which makes it much easier to replace brake levers.)

Yeah I've sniped these videos for a while but I'm highly demotivated on my own and don't have much space to tinker with bikes. Alas, thanks anyway, I hope to run into you (collisionless-ly) one day. The sight of ebikes (and even lime scooters on river decks) pleases me a lot.
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