Originally Posted by
Robert C
The real comparison is in how people use their bicycles. I think we can safely say most bicycles sit in garages, essentially unused. ...
However, if the question were, which of the two of us gets more riding exercise, I think the answer is pretty obvious. This is the comparison, not a hypothetical of an e-bike and a push-bike being used on an identical course at identical speeds.
...I think we can safely say that you just made a number of statements that are based on your own impressions and an anecdotal sampling of one. I think we can also safely say that the manner of propulsion of a two wheeled vehicle has no direct relationship to how often it gets used by its owner.
Again, I am happy for you that you have discovered something you enjoy doing. Please be more considerate of the feelings of those of us who do, indeed, regularly ride bicycles some distance (30 miles is a regular ride for me, maybe two or three times weekly,) that have no auxiliary motors. The only reason my bicycles sit in the garage is because I can only ride one at a time...and I know plenty of people similar in habits and circumstances.
I realize this is the e-bike forum, so you expect a certain amount of rah rah camaraderie. But you guys are entertaining as hell in your fandom.
I'm gonna go way out on a limb here and say that all bicycles, regardless of propulsion, get ridden more in the first few years of ownership. That's just human nature. E-bikes are a relatively recent phenomenon, are being marketed aggressively, and it remains to be seen how many of the ones bought this year will still be on the road in five or six years, once people get tired of paying to repair them. But there ought to be some bargains in five or ten years.... on e-bikes that are no longer ridden
/ cost more to repair than it was worth to the owner / wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be riding in the rain.
EDIT: BTW, I commuted daily for many years by bicycle. Plenty of people do, maybe just not your friend.