Is the animus overblown?

[Bobsiii]

I hung around here for several months before I finally got my Metro and read all the threads about negative attitudes toward e-bikers. I even prepared my response to "Cheater!" calls; "Only cheating Father Time".

I've been riding for 1000 miles+ and I've never heard a negative comment. The closest was "there goes another one" from bikers on the MUT around Sloan's Lake.

Monday I was almost to the middle of a 30 mile ride out Cherry Creek when a couple on manual bikes passed me.

As the guy passed he asked "How do you like your e-bike?"

"Love it!" I yelled back. "Arthritic knees and hip; keeps me riding."

He flashed a big thumbs up.

Other than that I've gotten compliments on its looks and curious questions at stops and racks.

Don't know if this is just a Denver condition or if others are seeing it as well?

 

[MechaNut]

The vast majority of the responses I've gotten have been positive. In my opinion the majority of the problem attitudes come from hard-core cycling "purists" and people that just don't like cyclists at all.

 

[J.R.]

I've been ebiking 5 years and I've never had a truly ugly experience. I've never had a road biker give me any grief whatsoever. Most, in fact, are very curious. I've had lycra clad gravel grinders work their butts off to catch me, only to smile when they realize I'm on an ebike. Several have gone on to ride miles with me, either to talk or draft me. Most of the really dedicated cyclists in my age bracket say "one day".

I have had people say things they thought were funny. Usually it is the average cyclist, the one struggling to try to enjoy cycling. If there is malice in their jokes, I haven't taken it that way. I am not a victim! I'm enjoying ebiking. Sticks and stones.... I guess. Strangers words don't hold any power.

 

[indianajo]

About a third of the head down lycra crowd I meet head on will wave at me. The ones that pass me don't say anything. I don't go to club rides so I don't set myself up as a target. I tried a club ride 3 years ago with the pedal MTB but they didn't actually ride, said the wind was too high. I spent a half hour listening to boring stories of hills they've conquered, got criticized by the leader for riding the sidewalk over the Ohio at 1 AM after work, decided this crowd was too boring for words. Most comments I get are "what is that shiny thing?" (front hub motor) or at Home Depot "Is that electric?".

 

[glenmorenee]

<snip

"Cheater!" calls; "Only cheating Father Time".

snip>

I like it!

 

[opimax]

modify it, start something "Only cheating Father Time and YOU!"

 

[Toomanycats]

I hung around here for several months before I finally got my Metro and read all the threads about negative attitudes toward e-bikers. I even prepared my response to "Cheater!" calls; "Only cheating Father Time".

I've been riding for 1000 miles+ and I've never heard a negative comment. The closest was "there goes another one" from bikers on the MUT around Sloan's Lake.

Monday I was almost to the middle of a 30 mile ride out Cherry Creek when a couple on manual bikes passed me.

As the guy passed he asked "How do you like your e-bike?"

"Love it!" I yelled back. "Arthritic knees and hip; keeps me riding."

He flashed a big thumbs up.

Other than that I've gotten compliments on its looks and curious questions at stops and racks.

Don't know if this is just a Denver condition or if others are seeing it as well?

Agree. I’ve been riding 6 months and about 1000 miles so far. It’s all been friendly curiosity. If I’ve gotten any input at all from the Lycra crowd, it’s been attempts to “help”- “You’re saddle is too low!” “You’re saddle is too high!”
No my saddle is just right. I had it checked. I even had it adjusted when I got mtb shoes with thicker soles.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Like a lot of things in life, I think it is really all about what you bring to it in the first place.

There are a lot of people in the world who can't be 'happy' unless they perceive that they are a persecuted minority.

The whole point is to just ride your bike.

 

[ilanarama]

I have never had anything other than envy and admiration directed at my e-bike. But I've only had it for a little over a month.

 

[rich c]

Just another way to open the continuous subject of “those people don’t like me”. Everybody doesn’t get a trophy in real life. Be nice to them, maybe they’ll be nice to you. If they aren’t, ignore them and keep on riding.

 

[Cowlitz]

People have been nice to me. Even when I got tired of talking about how the battery is charged and lapsed into a tale about gathering dilithium crystals in deep space and using those to recharge the battery.

 

[Over50]

...The closest was "there goes another one" from bikers on the MUT around Sloan's Lake...

Reminds me of a humorous remark I heard recently: My suburb is definitely in the middle of middle class burbs. Definitely not at the upper end of the upper crust suburbs in my area. I was riding to my LBS and passed a large moving van parked outside a house. There was a crew of guys moving furniture into the truck. The crew saw me coming and I heard one say to the others "see, they all have power bikes in this neighborhood - there goes another one!". First he called them "power bikes" which was kinda funny but the humorous part (at least to me) is that this was about 2 blocks from my LBS which has a good selection of e-bikes. So entirely possible to see an employee heading out on his lunch break on one of the shop's demos. Or a customer on a test ride. So perhaps he had seen another prior to my arrival and concluded the neighborhood was full of them. To me, an e-biker always on the lookout for other e-bikers, I rarely see one. And e-bike ownership, as I now know, is apparently an indicator of an affluent neighborhood.

 

[Bobsiii]

"see, they all have power bikes in this neighborhood - there goes another one!". First he called them "power bikes" which was kinda funny but the humorous part (at least to me) is that this was about 2 blocks from my LBS which has a good selection of e-bikes. .

I'm in a similar situation, Best E-Bikes is only a few blocks from Sloan's Lake. I was pleased to see 6 e-bikes during one ride south along the Platte, most ever. Not so pleased with the asshole on the gasoline bike riding the Cherry Creek Trail, stinking up the place and making more noise than a Harley in a garage.