Are E-Bikes Safe For Young Teenagers?

[PedalUma]

My hilly area with year-round cycling weather is crawling with ebikes, and school-related transportation could well be the #1 reason.

All for that. But some parents made very poor choices regarding the ebikes they bought their kids, and many if not most were ineffective at turning them into safe, courteous riders on public streets and bikeways.

Now that school districts and city governments have stepped in to fill the training void, I believe the school kids have become less dangerous to themselves and others.

Many parents have purchased bikes similar to Macfox that are junk. Then the parents do not safety check them and the kids have no brakes. On these mechanically actuated brakes the inboard side needs to be regularly tightened but that access is blocked by the hub-drive. The head sets fail within a couple of months and kids remove the brake cutouts so they can do wheelies.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

“Back in MY day, we did wheelies WITHOUT an electric motor!”

 

[PedalUma]

On an Eride Pro it is hard not to do a wheelie. The front end just wants to rise of the ground with 12kW of power on tap they accelerate faster than a Tesla. They are not for bicyclists but it would be fun to get kitted out.

 

[Renee]

I bought my daughter a motorcycle when she learned to drive in high school. I sent her to a training program and then for several weeks she followed me on my bike before I would let her drive it without an escort. I insisted on safety and once I saw how she handled it I initially then let her drive it back and forth to school until she had a bit of time and then could take it around town to work and all that. it was very, very clear that if there was any abuse the keys would be in my pocket. My youngest son then also got himself a motorcycle. Same rules applied. In her case because she was so interested in motorcycles that I worried she'd get on the back with some boy who didn't have the experience to take on a rider. (which is what I did in college) I thought it was better she learn how to do it herself. My son as well. I would do the same with an e-bike. Train and train and insist if there is an issue the bike is relinquished and be serious about it. I've seen ebikes that go pretty fast they are technically motorcycle like and need the skills for cornering and stopping although they are lighter. Just my 2 cents.

 

[kevinmccune]

Roundabouts give me the wiilies. Wife almost got struck our first day in Essex trying to cross an exit without looking to the right. Little **** car whizzed around a brick building our way about 60 kph. Figured out the next day Transport London had built an underpass to the underground station in the middle. Indiana built a traffic circle on State 62, tore down a 4 lane overpass to install it. I now have to ride 4 miles out of the way on the bike to avoid it on my way to summer property. Traffic never stops. I walked out state 62 in 2016 when I was stranded.
That jet bike, I avoid gas scooters and gas motor bikes because they are too noisy. Bet the jet bike rider is as deaf as a post.

the disadvantage of an overpass is it makes an excellent roadblock in wartime.some people cannot grok a roundabout the only thing worse then a "traffic light" is a "smart light" and yes get more people out of 4 wheelers!

 

[kevinmccune]

If I am hit by a 70 lb moped riding at 20 mph on more, my survival chances are slim. Especially as it would happen on a MUP, where I should feel safe.


Will you agree that:

• It is America where most cars have a single occupancy
• It is the drivers' issue.

I think you meant carbon dioxide CO2 (carbon monoxide CO is killed by the catalyst). To ride an e-bike, you need electric energy. Unless it is generated in a nuclear powerplant, CO2 will be generated in a powerplant. Taken into account all the losses, more CO2 is generated in a conventional powerplant to generate electricity than produced by a car. Why didn't you mention the environmental pollution generated on the Li-Ion battery manufacturing and disposal?


The teenager wouldn't use the e-bike for their commutes. Besides, I don't think EV cars have ever been a good idea.

evs separate the "fuel lighters" from the conscientious,in in an ev you wont go 50 miles with the low fuel light on.

 

[kevinmccune]

You are trying to argue that a 4000+ lb automobile is not more dangerous, then. That is ridiculous. You could be killed by a 2 year-old riding a little red wagon but nobody is seriously going to believe the danger is the same as a 30 mph automobile.

Maybe. I would think the per capita number is the one that matters and could easily be some other country entirely. But... in what way is this relevant to the discussion at hand? If I get hit by a single occupant or an SUV full of carpooling nuns... I am just as much a stain on the pavement

Not if you are a run'd over cyclist it isn't. the driver gets the blame and increased insurance rates. Maybe has to wear an orange vest and pick up trash for the next 10 weekends. The cyclist's consequences are vastly more severe.

No. CO is reduced. Not eliminated. Go to any metro area - especially one in a valley - and look down into it.

do cars still emit carbon monoxide? - Google Search

View attachment 187513


Because this analysis is horse$hit. It has long since been debunked.
But you can find plenty of crackpot Youtubers and oil-industry-funded shills shrieking the opposite. Just like you can find flat earthers.

How much CO2 is emitted by manufacturing batteries?

It depends exactly where and how the battery is made—but when it comes to clean technologies like electric cars and solar power, even the dirtiest batteries emit less CO2 than using no battery at all.

climate.mit.edu

This spells out the comparison simply and one hell of a lot better via concrete terms and stats.

oh and also we have solar panels here in the USA. My bikes are powered by backyard solar and a 12kwh battery storage system. More and more solar power installations are coming online here and they tend to be colossal in size. Probably not on your part of the world given the difference in climate and terrain.

A huge $2 billion solar + storage project in California powers up

Eland 1, a 384-megawatt (MW) solar farm with a 150-MW/600 MWh battery storage system, is now online in Mojave, California.

electrek.co

Nonsense. It happens all the time.

Thats fine, but completely irrelevant to what I said.

sorry co2 nutters a little extra co2 in the atmosphere isn't going to hurt anything,if the "nutters" have their way plant life will start dying off,the best times in human history have been when there is a slight warming in the environment and consider this co2 can be plucked from the atmosphere and used as a feedstock for various process, the "Navy actually produced jet fuel from co2. I will warn you folks right now the "one percenters" have no love for you,remember what happened to the "useless feeders" before WW2?

 

[PedalUma]

I am well informed and that is what makes me a 'nutter' who goes first. I lead by choosing to ride bikes and lessening my impacts. We are already screwed but must start to behave responsibly.

 

[gromike]

.... the "Navy actually produced jet fuel from co2.

Bullsh*t!

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Bullsh*t!

Actually...

• US Navy Announces $3/Gallon Jet Fuel from CO2
• From Navy.mil - How it Works: CO2 + H2 = Jet Fuel
• From AF.mil - The Air Force proves it’s possible to make jet fuel out of thin air

 

[gromike]

As they say it's possible, but it is not realistic. It's going to take more energy in than you get out, and nobody is doing it to actually make usable amounts of jet fuel.

 

[kevinmccune]

Bullsh*t!

sorry its true,there are so many things the average person is not cognizant of these days(bet you you think you cant liquify air.

 

[kevinmccune]

As they say it's possible, but it is not realistic. It's going to take more energy in than you get out, and nobody is doing it to actually make usable amounts of jet fuel.

the only place it makes sense is on a ship with excess electric power(viz-aircraft carrier) one day we will be moving through space without burning anything(AG is been around for years the aircraft have been spotted around here more than once.

 

[kevinmccune]

I am well informed and that is what makes me a 'nutter' who goes first. I lead by choosing to ride bikes and lessening my impacts. We are already screwed but must start to behave responsibly.

I respect that,but please do the science,I do not like tailpipe emissions either,we need CO2 for our survival,CO2 below a certain threshold,no plants,no food. the plant starving threshold is 185 ppm, the "nutter goal is 220 ppm its easy to preach when you are rich and hate the achievers who with their hard work actually earned a good living
let me give you one example of "nutterty"ala Gore( who flies the skies in a CO2 belching jet,oh the ozone hole opened in the south pole the sheep in Patagonia are getting cataracts( actually pinkeye was causing this) the ozone hole was largely responsible by the SO4 emissions from mt-Erebus(Antarctica) humans thrive when its warmer,people die when it gets colder.
Not to put words in your mouth or anything,did you like the ideas espoused by the "Georgia Guidestones"? my goal is to be total electric one day when I can afford it,oth the worlds production presently will not support a US standard of living for the worlds 8 billion people, my wish is everyone can have adequate food and clean water. Selah,amen.

 

[gromike]

The true nutters are those who think our global civilization has no effect on the planet earth.

 

[kevinmccune]

The true nutters are those who think our global civilization has no effect on the planet earth.

Agreed,but do not follow the lead of a one percenter hypocrite.