Article : America's E-Bike Revolution Is in Trouble
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pmcdonald
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Ongoing discussion here: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/atlantic-magazine-on-ebikes.50419/post-560234
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Stefan Mikes
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Yes. However, the essence of the article quoted by e-boy here is different.
AHicks
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- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
It's assumptions like these that cause me to question the focus of the writer and loose any interest in reading further. He sounds like a frustrated clown suit rider-
"Most urban cyclists ride somewhere between eight and 12 mph; 15 mph is a pretty good clip if you’re riding for exercise, 18 mph is a fast Spandex person road bike pace on flat ground. E-bikes can, as a matter of course, do 18 mph with almost no effort on the part of the rider. Most can go even faster. That may not sound like a big difference, but it means in practice, e-bikes are going twice as fast as bicycles. The whole point of e-bikes is the effortless speed, so it is natural to get impatient when temporarily relegated to the speed of a regular bike."
On the bold, in my experience, this assumption is complete BS. Yes there is the occasional jack ass, just like on analog bikes, but the vast majority of e-bike riders are NOT riding any faster than they would on a regular bike. Not when I see them anyway. Because they can, does not mean that they are or they will.
"Most urban cyclists ride somewhere between eight and 12 mph; 15 mph is a pretty good clip if you’re riding for exercise, 18 mph is a fast Spandex person road bike pace on flat ground. E-bikes can, as a matter of course, do 18 mph with almost no effort on the part of the rider. Most can go even faster. That may not sound like a big difference, but it means in practice, e-bikes are going twice as fast as bicycles. The whole point of e-bikes is the effortless speed, so it is natural to get impatient when temporarily relegated to the speed of a regular bike."
On the bold, in my experience, this assumption is complete BS. Yes there is the occasional jack ass, just like on analog bikes, but the vast majority of e-bike riders are NOT riding any faster than they would on a regular bike. Not when I see them anyway. Because they can, does not mean that they are or they will.
Djangodog
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- Claremont, NH
I don’t have any issue with the speed of others on the road. I think that the place where a conflict arises is on bike paths and lanes, especially going up hill. I can’t honestly say that I completely disagree with the author when it comes to using certain classes of ebikes on bike paths or lanes. On the open road, I think that all three classes are fine.
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m@Robertson
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- USA
The sky is not falling.
Djangodog
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- Claremont, NH
I don’t think that jealousy accurate. I think that how the convention cyclist reacts often depends on the person that is passing.
I am not sure what you think the conventional cyclist is jealous of. The ebike rider has nothing that a conventional cyclist can’t have. If you are talking about speed, I have ridden centuries averaging over 18 mph, (many ride faster). If you are talking range, I have ridden more than 200 kilometers in a day and many riders have ridden much further. Money, I had a Specialized S-Works Roubaix with Dura Ace DI2, (the wheels alone were more than $3,000.00 and cost more than most e-bikes). Accomplishment, the conventional bike wins there as well.
E-bikes are a pleasure and I love riding mine, but if I pass someone that is riding without assistance, I sure don’t feel superior and I suspect that they don’t feel jealousy, or inferior.
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I was referring to pedestrians.
Djangodog
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- Claremont, NH
The line “when someone gets passed by an ebike” didn’t sound to me like it would have been applied to pedestrians, but most of my post would still be the same. I doubt that the majority of pedestrians are jealous either. I think that pedestrians are often irritated and annoyed by people on bikes, but I still doubt that jealousy of ebikes is the primary emotion.
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6zfshdb
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- Northeast Pennsylvania
I've ridden the same trails for decades on both my conventional and e-bikes. Yes, I pass some irritated bikers & pedestrians but it doesn't seem to make any difference which type of bike I'm riding. I find being courteous to those I pass dispels some of this animosity. I never shout, pass at high speed or use a loud horn and always use terms like "excuse me" or "thank you". It's simple common courtesy.
I participate in a weekly group ride; our rides are between 25-35 kilometers, the average pace is 20-25 kph, depending on the terrain. I am the only ebike rider, a 2015 Haibike Trekking Pro, and have had no problem fitting in with the group; the pack tends to leave me on the flats, and I catch up on the hills.
We're just a group of between 10-15 people who enjoy cycling, and the camaraderie that goes with it.
We're just a group of between 10-15 people who enjoy cycling, and the camaraderie that goes with it.
BEC111
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The tyranny of the able bodied?
I don't seem to have any problems while driving my Kia Soul on the same highway as a Corvette. That would be because there is this thing called a speed limit on the highway that we share. Seems to me then that the solution to the problem they talk about would be to have a speed limit on bike lanes of say 10 to 15 mph and enforce it.
Djangodog
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- Claremont, NH
I agree with your post in theory, but I think that the sticking point is the enforcement. E-bikes aren’t registered and an e-bike license does not exist. Having enforcement hasn’t really stopped speeding of motor vehicles either. Law enforcement chasing someone down on a bike lane or path would endanger others as well.
I wish that I had the perfect solution, but I don’t think that it exists. Many will disagree, but I think that the current regulations are a good start and seem reasonable.
I ride a class 1, and on the rare occasion that I use a rail trail or bicycle infrastructure I follow the rules. On the road, (gravel, dirt or tarmac), I obey the posted speed limit, but no one should think of a class 1 as slow. I often reach speeds over 40 mph and tend to ride the flats in the low 20s.
Written by an idiot. I ride at 18 mph with my regular road bike and at 18 mph with my e-bike. The difference is that I can do this with the e-bike when I have a 15 mph headwind. I bought a Class III bike so as to not have the pedal assist cut out at 18 mph when pushing up a hill but my average speed is not greater than on my regular road bike. Even my Class III bike requires serious effort to cruise along at speeds greater than 20 mph and the motor only provides power when I am pushing down on the pedals. If I don't pedal there is zero assist.
In my younger days I would go out at night and ride the downtown streets in Pasadena CA when traffic was very light. The traffic lights were timed to allow a car to travel at 25 mph and have them green and I could use this to my advantage. Motorists would speed ahead and then have to stop at the next light that would be red and I would catch up and pass them. They are seldom bright enough to catch on.
Pedestrians are primarily at risk of being struck by motorists. The city of New York keeps comprehensive records of accident whether they involve a car or pedestrian or cyclist or a combination of the three. Easy to find the stats and see that the problem is largely the result of inattentive motorists or "distracted" is a term that often appears in the cause of accidents.
The auto and real estate industries created the post war American cities with suburban sprawl and absence of light rail as they bought up and then shut down the trolley car lines. Cities go so far as to use streets for public parking of motor vehicles and this makes the streets and bike lanes very hazardous for bicyclists. Sidewalks are an afterthought and in Las Vegas they removed the sidewalks to force pedestrians to walk through the casinos. Very different in Europe or Asia where the government does the planning instead of the car companies.
Nobody want to do what needs to be done and reclaim the millions of miles of asphalt and turn it into bike paths and parks for people. Articles about e-bikes being a problem are just a diversion from the real problems being faced by future generations with the mess we have created and refuse to acknowledge.
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