2019 the year of the ebike? And how will you react, being a C&V'er?
01-13-19, 11:33 AM
#101
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All I ever see are people riding on the local bike path. Instead of pedaling, they are sitting stationary on the seat as the motor hums along. Yes, they are out in the sunshine (generating vitamin D) and fresh air but they are getting zero exercise.
01-13-19, 11:44 AM
#102
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I'm certainly nonadvocate of ebikes as i dislike the idea of potential misuse(speed), and even I find your comment to be laughable.
ebikes contribute to the obesity problem? Haha, I can't imagine you typed that withput laughing at the same time.
many things contribute to obesity, but a pedal assisted bike isn't one of them. If the person is using muscles to move, even if its limited resistance, that activity isnt adding to obesity.
ebikes contribute to the obesity problem? Haha, I can't imagine you typed that withput laughing at the same time.
many things contribute to obesity, but a pedal assisted bike isn't one of them. If the person is using muscles to move, even if its limited resistance, that activity isnt adding to obesity.
Obesity has become a huge medical problem in this country. Do you not recognize the truth in that? Ebikes do not create/contribute to obesity but they enable/facilitate it by reducing the amount of exercise a person gets when they get on a bike. My point is, the people I see riding these bikes are not pedaling much or at all.
At first, I didn't understand your choice of the phrase "pedal assisted bike". In a bicycle, the pedal are the primary motive force. It is/should be "motor-assisted bike" or some such. Then again, your phrase makes my point for me - people are using the motor as the primary motive force and pedaling, if any, is secondary.
This is what I see around me. Your mileage may vary.
01-13-19, 12:10 PM
#103
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Where did you get that from - it is not laughable at all, it is quite sad, actually.
Obesity has become a huge medical problem in this country. Do you not recognize the truth in that? Ebikes do not create/contribute to obesity but they enable/facilitate it by reducing the amount of exercise a person gets when they get on a bike. My point is, the people I see riding these bikes are not pedaling much or at all.
At first, I didn't understand your choice of the phrase "pedal assisted bike". In a bicycle, the pedal are the primary motive force. It is/should be "motor-assisted bike" or some such. Then again, your phrase makes my point for me - people are using the motor as the primary motive force and pedaling, if any, is secondary.
This is what I see around me. Your mileage may vary.
Obesity has become a huge medical problem in this country. Do you not recognize the truth in that? Ebikes do not create/contribute to obesity but they enable/facilitate it by reducing the amount of exercise a person gets when they get on a bike. My point is, the people I see riding these bikes are not pedaling much or at all.
At first, I didn't understand your choice of the phrase "pedal assisted bike". In a bicycle, the pedal are the primary motive force. It is/should be "motor-assisted bike" or some such. Then again, your phrase makes my point for me - people are using the motor as the primary motive force and pedaling, if any, is secondary.
This is what I see around me. Your mileage may vary.
2- yesterday you declared Electric bikes will...contribute to the obesity problem. and just now stated Ebikes do not create/contribute to obesity...
so those sure seems to conflict.
3- it isnt your job to make sure others get exercise. It isnt your job to decide how people spend their time. If They want to see a movie, fine. If they want to watch baseball, fine. If they wany to fish, fine.
all 3 of those activities definitely don't reduce obesity in any way, but I doubt you take issue with movie watching, baseball, and fishing.
seriously- on the list of things to take issue with for obesity, a pedal assisted bike is about 4832nd down on the list. Rant about fast food. Rant about agribusiness. Rant about government subsidies for sugar and corn. Rant about how treadmills allow speeds less than 5mph.
but ranting about pedal assist bikes causing obesity(or now not causing obesity but also bot reducing obesity) should be so far down the list that it doesn't even register.
Rant at the movie industry for charging people to sit and not be active. Rant at Little League for allowing parents to sit and watch their kids. Heck, rant at Little League for not changing the rules and making players stay more active on the field.
all those werent serious, but they all make as much sense or more sense than complaining thst pedal assist bikes cause obesity.
as for your comment that nobody around you pedals at all- well ok then. Its like they are on a moped going from somewhere to somewhere. Oh hey there is another one- you should complain about mopeds and cars causing obesity before claiming pedal assist bikes cause obesity.
I can't believe I am effectively taking the position of ebikes supporter here, but your comments are so beyond the pale that it makes me look like a supporter. Funny.
01-13-19, 05:13 PM
#104
Senior Member
I do not agree with almost anything mstateglfr posted but I am not going to continue that discussion with him. I do not come to this site to argue or debate.
I am anti-ebike because of what I see around me. I am also anti-gas engine powered bikes for the same reason.
I am anti-ebike because of what I see around me. I am also anti-gas engine powered bikes for the same reason.
Last edited by Bad Lag; 01-13-19 at 09:05 PM.
01-13-19, 05:30 PM
#105
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It seems the Title and OP hit a nerve for some. I contributed to the topic as its another thing of interest and something I've followed, actually for a good decade (scary thought).
I'm building up my own little e bike VINTAGE frame because I want to and can. I don't care what others feel but do wish all good health and longevity.
Now let it rip-
I'm building up my own little e bike VINTAGE frame because I want to and can. I don't care what others feel but do wish all good health and longevity.
Now let it rip-
01-13-19, 07:14 PM
#106
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It seems the Title and OP hit a nerve for some. I contributed to the topic as its another thing of interest and something I've followed, actually for a good decade (scary thought).I'm building up my own little e bike VINTAGE frame because I want to and can. I don't care what others feel but do wish all good health and longevity.
Now let it rip-
Now let it rip-
01-14-19, 07:27 AM
#107
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If someone thinks they will loose weight by motoring along a bike path, you could say motorbikes contribute to obesity.
01-14-19, 07:46 AM
#108
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I just like bikes and therefore have at least some affinity for pedal assist e-bikes. I rode a pedal assist one for a minute on the Katy trail, and it was still great fun and a decent workout. They also allowed the older couple that let me ride it ride the whole Katy trail, which would have been impossible otherwise. I love that they allow people that are older, injured, out of shape, or otherwise unable to experience the joy of cycling.
01-14-19, 08:52 AM
#109
-
i'm an ebike hater, mostly. i live in nyc, and vast majority of ebike users are food delivery guys who ride dangerously, and give no ****s. before someone says that i need to blame the rider, and not the bike, you're right - but i blame both. the ebike enables more of this dangerous behavior. i'm more than okay with ebikes for people with various disabilities, as long as they can control the bike at speed, and hauling/cargo applications. citibike (bike share) has recently rolled out pedal assist bikes into the fleet. i dislike this, because we've now got tourists/normies going faster and behaving even worse on bikes than ever before.
01-14-19, 09:05 AM
#110
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I suspect it's only a short amount of time before the higher powered e-bikes are deemed motorized vehicles and will have to follow traffic laws. Then maybe we can get most of our bike paths back
01-14-19, 11:38 AM
#111
Senior Member
Cars don't want to share the road while cyclist don't want to share the MUP, bike paths and trails.
Personally I don't mind the pedal assist ebikes as long the rider is not being aggressive or dangerous. They do make me to try to keep up when I see them.
Personally I don't mind the pedal assist ebikes as long the rider is not being aggressive or dangerous. They do make me to try to keep up when I see them.
01-14-19, 11:59 AM
#112
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They're yet another silly fad intended to separate fools from their money just like 29ers, fat bikes, 650c conversions, and, more recently, 650b conversions. E-bikes are nothing more than electric mopeds and will fall out of favor, as did their ancestors, when people realize that they're an expensive and mediocre way to solve a problem which already has several more practical solutions. I've been rolling my eyes and ignoring them, just as I will when bell-bottoms and 650a/700d wheels come around again.
01-14-19, 12:11 PM
#113
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Electric Road Bike Explodes On Adelaide Hill-Climb Causing Bushfire
The bike exploded on an ascent of Corkscrew Road, 20 kilometers from Adelaide. The climb is one of the most noted in South Australia and has previously featured in the Tour Down Under professional bicycle race. Soon after the battery on Ryan’s bike caught fire some CO2 canisters in his saddlebag exploded.
01-14-19, 07:45 PM
#115
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But i am a little worried that folks won't be able to "experience the joys of cycling" if they have to ride their motorbikes on a road with other motorized vehicles.
01-14-19, 08:27 PM
#116
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exactly
01-18-19, 10:42 AM
#117
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Having followed this thread for awhile now, I'm catching myself looking at catalogs of parts to build an e-bike. I figure, that's the best way to understand them, build one and ride it.
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01-18-19, 10:56 AM
#118
No one cares
So to be clear, we want to have a conversation about electric bikes and/or pedal assist with a bunch of people who aren't quite sold on the idea of indexed shifting?
Sounds like a good idea.
Sounds like a good idea.
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01-18-19, 11:08 AM
#119
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I take a look at most "new" stuff. I have seen a number of e-bikes and they seem to be a more complicated solution to an existing problem, so I don't think there is one in my future. I realize I am in the minority and the idea of a bike you don't have to pedal is really appealing to the general population. Not too dissimilar to self driving cars.
We just need to make it more certain that folks will opt for PAS only bikes, rather than hotted up eMopeds ... I think making clear that only Class 1 are allowed on all trails and paths would cinch a lot of sales and promote the use of low power PAS.
Rather than what we have now, which is a lot of scoflaws and a wild west marketplace ...
I also think the EU approach is appropriate. Build bike paths everywhere to separate low powered and human powered vehicles from roadway traffic and then regulate who can use them. The USA is deficient on both fronts ...
Last edited by BrocLuno; 01-18-19 at 11:23 AM.
01-18-19, 11:54 AM
#120
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I thought C&V was the place to avoid electric motorized bicycle threads. I always think it is strange that some one who "gets off their sofa" and onto a motorized vehicle would be referred to as a cyclist. Personally, I wish they would stay on their sofa or get back in their car unless they have a legitimate disability. I have no plroblem with motorized chairs on the sidewalk but they have no place on the MUPs or in the bicycle lanes.
I'm a Hater.
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I'm a Hater.
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MUP means you have to share. It ain't "yours" ...
01-18-19, 12:55 PM
#121
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As a cyclist I favor human powered travel over motorized anything. As a city planner working in transportation, I must concede that anything alternative travel mode that results in one less car on the road at peak period is a good thing. I’ve also talked to cyclists in the DC area who are committed to being car free but work 25 miles from home and don’t have access to the metro, so they go looking for an e-bike. Regarding wheelchairs, there are some federal rules that encourage waiver of MUP policies to allow mobility devices (motorized wheelchairs) for disabled people. Personally, I think that’s a good thing.
01-18-19, 12:59 PM
#122
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I ignore them and on a bike path will enter sprint mode to drop one.
01-18-19, 01:54 PM
#124
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I really don’t understand the animosity against ebikes in general, and the desire to ban them on MUPs in particular.
If it moves at the speed of a bike, brakes and steers as a bike, who cares if the motive power is coming from a pair of human legs, a hamster cage integrated into the wheel(s) or an electric motor?
I’ve heard some say, with indignation: ”it’s MOTORIZED”
And so?
It’s an engineering feature, to make riding easier and/or more enjoyable.
The bike industry/hobby/lifestyle has heard the same kind of objections against pretty much every development in bicycles incl the nowadays entirely accepted derailer gears.
For me it was easy.
The commute - particularly with studded tires fitted - was wearing me down.
It took consistently longer day after day.
Once home, I crashed in the couch..
So options were limited, move closer to work, get another job, or give up bike commuting.
Instead I bought an ebike.
On good winter roads, it offsets the influence of the studded tires completely.
On poor winter roads, it means I get home in good enough shape to manage more than eat and sleep.
And according to my HRM, I ride just as hard on my ebike as on my regular bike. The only difference is that I’m done a little sooner. A winter ride becomes a summer ride in terms off effort, time and recovery.
If it moves at the speed of a bike, brakes and steers as a bike, who cares if the motive power is coming from a pair of human legs, a hamster cage integrated into the wheel(s) or an electric motor?
I’ve heard some say, with indignation: ”it’s MOTORIZED”
And so?
It’s an engineering feature, to make riding easier and/or more enjoyable.
The bike industry/hobby/lifestyle has heard the same kind of objections against pretty much every development in bicycles incl the nowadays entirely accepted derailer gears.
For me it was easy.
The commute - particularly with studded tires fitted - was wearing me down.
It took consistently longer day after day.
Once home, I crashed in the couch..
So options were limited, move closer to work, get another job, or give up bike commuting.
Instead I bought an ebike.
On good winter roads, it offsets the influence of the studded tires completely.
On poor winter roads, it means I get home in good enough shape to manage more than eat and sleep.
And according to my HRM, I ride just as hard on my ebike as on my regular bike. The only difference is that I’m done a little sooner. A winter ride becomes a summer ride in terms off effort, time and recovery.
01-18-19, 10:28 PM
#125
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I was referring to motorized bikes as motorized chairs because you can sit on them and go. But you are correct in suggesting that wheelchair accessable ramps on the length of the PCT would be hard for me to accept.