Zaskar

Kids rode MOPEDs in the '80s too. Nothing new here.



... yeah - it's a $*&@ing Moped.

Zaskar

A handful of things bother me about this "new" segment...
1. It's not new.
2. "ebike" means what? Yeah... I know - electric bike. But the "e" refers to the type of motor. And, we've had these - bikes with motors for over 100 years. Based on that rationale, this...



is a cBike. And, this...


is an hBike.

3. The design trend is clearly toward hiding the fact that there's a motor - trying to replicate hBikes. Why? Why emulate the real bikes? One of the moped... sorry, ebike sites actually listed chasing KOMs as a feature.

And, I suppose when the "real" plug-in electric models motorcycles - you know from Tesla, Honda, Yamaha, etc. - hit the market they'll be what? e-mBikes?

seypat

Here we go:

Elvo

There are already people riding 55 mph+ ebikes on the bike paths (LA River Trail @ 2:40)

Siu Blue Wind

Shall I move this to e bikes?

jlaw

Interesting to see the perceived threat that ebikes represent to many BF posters - don't see what people are afraid of but that's just me. Ebikes are allowed on all of our club rides and we had a couple ebike riders on a 50 mile ride a few weeks ago - about 3000' of climbing. The ebikes allowed those two riders to stay with the group.

I looked closely at one of the bikes - a Trek Verve (straight bar/upright). It had a regular 38t chainring and weighed about 45# with a 'small' 400 kWh battery. One of the interesting aspects of this bike is it has the entry-level 250w Bosch motor (no reduction gear) with a smaller battery. The lack of a reduction gear means that it is a bit easier to pedal with/without e-assist because the friction of the reduction gear (used with the 20t chainring 350w motors) is not present - and uses less power as a result.

The rider completed the 50 miles with about 50% battery left and said that she mostly used the lowest level of pedal assist - only bumped it up to higher assist on hills. Said she paid $2400 - pretty impressive for a name brand bike and e-motor - especially for those looking to partially/fully replace a car.

Another club rider told me that he is getting a e-powered Domane - I looked it up - $7000 - wow! But, it's his thing and more power to him. Maybe I'll hang onto his seat when he's not looking!

I think ebikes may be a revolution in the making that gets many more people off the couch and onto bikes - which could be a good thing for us all.

jon c. 

I'm not sure why that's a good thing for me. I usually ride solo, The area I live in is popular with riders, so bikes are not an oddity. But it's not at all crowded either. This is a good thing. I might encounter a large group on Wednesday or Saturday when the clubs come out, but otherwise I can ride for a couple of hours and see half a dozen other riders along the way. I see no benefit in significantly increasing that. Bikes and cars get along very well. I expect the clubs annoy a few drivers as you can get stuck behind them for 3 miles at times, but singles to quartets are easy enough to share the road with and I experience an overwhelming positive response from drivers. Adding a lot more bikes would be likely to upset the balance.

There is a tendency for people to want to increase the popularity of their own passions. Seems to be human nature. But is there really always a benefit in that? Have you ever been standing in a line and thought to yourself "I wish this line were twice as long"?

It's not that I want to discourage anyone from riding. I'm not that much of a curmudgeon. If they want to get off the couch I'm sure it is good for them. But it isn't really a good thing for me. At best, I'm indifferent. At worst, it makes the place more crowded.

ptempel

I could use the "one less car" argument. As weak as it might seem. Either case, more two wheeled "things" on the MUP is more traffic of another type. So users will have to be just as responsible there instead of the road.

I usually only talk about my cyclecommute to some co-workers or fellow riders when they ask me about it. For me, the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks. But I don't expect others to see it the same way. And its ok (to each their own and all). Not sure how the "wish the line was twice as long" comment fits into this?

RShantz

I'm a little late to the party, but I'll probably buy one for my wife. This would enable her to go on mountain trips with me & ride her bike (e-bike). The tour companies have got to love it also.

Aging and overweight folks now have many more opportunities of rides to go on.

I'm hoping it helps me a bit also as I'll be pushed a bit more to keep up with folks on the e-bikes.

jon c. 

I'm not intending to deny the validity of broader social arguments wrt alternatives to automotive transportation being a good thing in the broader picture.

It's really more intended as a light hearted contrarian viewpoint from the other side of the fence. People tend to think it's good if more people embrace their passions. Yet no one really wants to 'stand in a longer line' to do anything. Of course cyclists don't actually queue up for anything, but it's a metaphor to suggest that on the personal level there isn't necessarily a benefit to sharing your passions with a larger crowd. Popular music provides a similar analogy. When you're young, you want everyone to like the same music you do. As you get older you realize club shows are vastly preferable to arena gigs and you're really better off in a smaller crowd of aficionados.

stukmic

The federal law only specifies the maximum speed that the e-bike can travel under MOTOR POWER ALONE. It does not provide a maximum speed when the bicycle is being propelled by a combination of human and motor power, which is how e-bikes are predominantly ridden. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has clarified that the federal law does allow e-bikes to travel faster than 20 mph when using a combination of human and motor power.

This law distinguishes, at the federal level, e-bikes that can travel 20 mph or less under MOTOR POWER ALONE from motorcycles, mopeds and motor vehicles. Devices that meet the federal definition of an electric bicycle are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and must meet bicycle safety standards. Trek has done their research and this is a legal road bike in the United States.