Grant Petersen Has Lost It
11-30-18, 10:07 AM
#51
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11-30-18, 10:10 AM
#52
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GP is way behind the times, and has actually missed the boat , so to speak.
He is in California, and California has already classified ebikes as bicycles.
Specifically, bicycles with a 20 mph limit are class 1 and 2 ebikes and can go anywhere push bikes can go.
Read it and weep.
https://peopleforbikes.org/wp-conten...02132018v2.pdf
He is in California, and California has already classified ebikes as bicycles.
Specifically, bicycles with a 20 mph limit are class 1 and 2 ebikes and can go anywhere push bikes can go.
Read it and weep.
https://peopleforbikes.org/wp-conten...02132018v2.pdf
And I am with him.
Ebikes are not bicycles. They are mopeds. I don’t care what a state law says. If CA passed a law that said cows are to be treated just like dogs I would still not consider cows to be dogs. Just because ebikes have similar access under state law (and local laws can vary), does not mean they are the same thing.
I’ve got nothing against eBikes (except on non-motorized trails). I am building two for me and my wife. But we are not deluding ourselves that these are bicycles, or that we are “cycling” when we ride them. They are electric mopeds. And I am fine with that. And as far as I can tell, GP is OK with people riding mopeds, he just wants them (and the industry) to be honest about what they are doing.
11-30-18, 10:13 AM
#54
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The last time I rode an unpaved rail-trail I noticed two people riding eBikes. One of the riders looked perfectly fit. In fact, he looked like he lifted weights regularly. This was in PA. The agency which manages state parks allows eBikes (up to 250W, IIRC) on all state park trails that are open to "unassisted" bikes.
11-30-18, 10:15 AM
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11-30-18, 10:18 AM
#56
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GP is way behind the times, and has actually missed the boat , so to speak.
He is in California, and California has already classified ebikes as bicycles.
Specifically, bicycles with a 20 mph limit are class 1 and 2 ebikes and can go anywhere push bikes can go.
Read it and weep.
https://peopleforbikes.org/wp-conten...02132018v2.pdf
He is in California, and California has already classified ebikes as bicycles.
Specifically, bicycles with a 20 mph limit are class 1 and 2 ebikes and can go anywhere push bikes can go.
Read it and weep.
https://peopleforbikes.org/wp-conten...02132018v2.pdf
11-30-18, 10:19 AM
#57
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Our group rides with a 75? year old e-bike user. He's first up our 3 mile torture hill and times the rest of us. I think e-bikes are a great thing to get more folks out to exercise and extend outdoor activy for the less fit among us. At 66 years old myself I might need to go e-bike sometime in my future, however the day I do this is the day I stop calling myself a cyclist.......
11-30-18, 10:28 AM
#58
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GP likes to troll, aka "making people think." I haven't seen anything interesting from him in a while. He didn't invent underbiking and any time I see something from him I tune it out.
I think in the end, ebikes will be a net positive for the cycling community. There are people that would never ride a bike that are now interested in them. And they do give exercise, it just cuts down on the pain somewhat. That's good for society as a whole. The fact that people are modifying them to go fast is a pain though.
I think in the end, ebikes will be a net positive for the cycling community. There are people that would never ride a bike that are now interested in them. And they do give exercise, it just cuts down on the pain somewhat. That's good for society as a whole. The fact that people are modifying them to go fast is a pain though.
11-30-18, 10:36 AM
#59
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Wait, e-bikes aren't really bikes? It's right there in the name! It seems silly that some would get so worked up over this.
11-30-18, 11:39 AM
#60
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And what percentage of ebike riders actually use solar power?
In anycase, both battery production and consumer electricity grow greener by the day.
11-30-18, 12:13 PM
#62
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It takes a long time for a conventional new bike to work off its carbon debt,
considering ; manufacturing , shipping around the globe and trucked to the store,
and all the packing materials used once and thrown away ,
to keep it in the same condition it was when wrapped & boxed
and packed in the seagoing shipping container..
...
considering ; manufacturing , shipping around the globe and trucked to the store,
and all the packing materials used once and thrown away ,
to keep it in the same condition it was when wrapped & boxed
and packed in the seagoing shipping container..
...
11-30-18, 12:19 PM
#64
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all the e-bike butt hurt makes me want one more than ever
11-30-18, 12:45 PM
#66
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Slightly OT: Last Saturday I rode an event in Pittsburgh called the Dirty Dozen;it's a race the incorporates the 13 steepest hills in the city -- and Pittsburgh is a very hilly city. Most participants are merely out there trying to make it up each hill and get a finisher's ribbon.
A couple weeks before the event, a person posted a question on the race's facebook page, asking if it was okay to bring an eBike...And the poster seemed miffed at the answer "no." He argued that they were "excluding" people by not allowing eBikes. And as another poster observed (I'm paraphrasing), the whole object of the event is to exclude people who can't complete it under their own power -- that is what makes it an achievement.
So, I wonder if that is what really irritates me about eBikes: that some of their riders will confuse their actions with actual achievement, and some of the spectators may do the same.
A couple weeks before the event, a person posted a question on the race's facebook page, asking if it was okay to bring an eBike...And the poster seemed miffed at the answer "no." He argued that they were "excluding" people by not allowing eBikes. And as another poster observed (I'm paraphrasing), the whole object of the event is to exclude people who can't complete it under their own power -- that is what makes it an achievement.
So, I wonder if that is what really irritates me about eBikes: that some of their riders will confuse their actions with actual achievement, and some of the spectators may do the same.
11-30-18, 12:46 PM
#67
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11-30-18, 12:57 PM
#69
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As one who has ridden (but does not own) ebikes, and who owns a motorcycle, no, no they are not motorcycles. Anyone who honestly thinks ebikes are closer to motorcycles than bikes is pushing an agenda
The day I can take an ebike down a limited access interstate (and no, not one of those special bits out west where most traffic is allowed), maybe my stance will change.
The day I can take an ebike down a limited access interstate (and no, not one of those special bits out west where most traffic is allowed), maybe my stance will change.
11-30-18, 12:59 PM
#70
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bicycle
bicycle
nounbi·cy·cle | \ˈbī-si-kəl,-ˌsi- also -ˌsī-\
: a vehicle with two wheels tandem, handlebars for steering, a saddle seat, and pedals by which it is propelled
WHATEVA
Definition of bicycle
(Entry 1 of 2): a vehicle with two wheels tandem, handlebars for steering, a saddle seat, and pedals by which it is propelled
WHATEVA
11-30-18, 01:04 PM
#71
Senior Member
God I'm sick of hearing about E-bikes! If you want one or need one, for heaven's sake just buy it and ride it where it's allowed. QUIT trying to convince us that it's just like a bicycle. Bicycles are human powered--IT'S IN THEIR VERY DEFINITION! Quit insulting us because we don't accept that they are bicycles, quit assuming we're elitists or have an agenda (lol-like ebike advocates don't have one?) or that we're purists or whatever. They're one thing, bicycles are another thing. FACT!
I've been a fan of Grant's for over 20 years. I've been a fan of ebikes never. I don't give a crap about ebikes, and I'm so sick of hearing about them!
I've been a fan of Grant's for over 20 years. I've been a fan of ebikes never. I don't give a crap about ebikes, and I'm so sick of hearing about them!
Last edited by 5teve; 11-30-18 at 01:24 PM.
11-30-18, 01:36 PM
#72
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One thing you may have overlooked. My wife and I are in our sixties and have been riding together for all of our 46 years together. My wife developed a severe case of arthritis and fibromyalgia about a dozen years ago and could no longer join me on my regular rides. We both ride road bikes of the vintage variety. She is not overweight and keeps herself in great shape for her disabilities. She can now join me as she has an ebike. She never uses it as a motor bike , she always pedals with the assistance of the motor. The bike allows her to ride( not fast) with just enough assistance to keep her from over exerting herself. I hope I never have to ride one , but if I were in her position I would get one and be proud to ride it. Just a thought , Joe
11-30-18, 02:19 PM
#73
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So .... an E-bike is pedal-powered .... just not exclusively so. So by the definition in post #71 it qualifies.
This thread makes less sense than most Monty Python sketches.
Y'all are some sick and twisted individuals ... bless your hearts.
This thread makes less sense than most Monty Python sketches.
Y'all are some sick and twisted individuals ... bless your hearts.
11-30-18, 02:33 PM
#74
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GP is a man of strong opinions. He's not advocating violence against anyone for their choices, just stating his thoughts. No one else has to support nor agree with GP's thoughts if they think differently.
I'm beginning to think e-bikes were invented to give cyclists something to argue about :-) I own an e-bike but don't ride it much and it's just an expensive toy that I don't ride because it makes me lazy. However, if e-bikes allow less-able people to get out on bikes and, as long as they actually have to pedal to make them go, then they aren't completely evil.
I'm beginning to think e-bikes were invented to give cyclists something to argue about :-) I own an e-bike but don't ride it much and it's just an expensive toy that I don't ride because it makes me lazy. However, if e-bikes allow less-able people to get out on bikes and, as long as they actually have to pedal to make them go, then they aren't completely evil.
11-30-18, 02:46 PM
#75
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GP is way behind the times, and has actually missed the boat , so to speak.
He is in California, and California has already classified ebikes as bicycles.
Specifically, bicycles with a 20 mph limit are class 1 and 2 ebikes and can go anywhere push bikes can go.
Read it and weep.
https://peopleforbikes.org/wp-conten...02132018v2.pdf
He is in California, and California has already classified ebikes as bicycles.
Specifically, bicycles with a 20 mph limit are class 1 and 2 ebikes and can go anywhere push bikes can go.
Read it and weep.
https://peopleforbikes.org/wp-conten...02132018v2.pdf
That's simply not true.
Class 1 and 2 ebikes are banned on many trails in California, including many trails right around GP's home base. All of those same trails are legal on real bikes.
So no, bicycles with a 20 mph limit are class 1 and 2 ebikes and can't go anywhere push bikes can go.
