Places that hate bicycle riders.

[sc00ter]

So there was a local show tonight that I wanted to go to. The venue is new and is only around 3 miles away from my home. So I figure "Take the JackRabbit ebike and go, drink some beers and grab a t-shirt!", now note that I've yet to go to a live show since COVID. I head out to this venue and get told I can't lock my bike inside the gated area, even though it's full of cars and has a few hipster road bikes inside the gate. The security guy says that the gate might be locked when I get out and the very full parking lot is "employee parking" and I can go and lock it to the OUTSIDE of the fence (the venue is in a crappy area) OR to a public bench in the park ACROSS THE STREET! F that! I took my ticket money, beer money and t-shirt money and just went back home. This venue has a bike rack INSIDE the gate but I guess they need around 50 cars being driven by 50 employees for a show that will barely pull 200 people max. Oh well, guess its just a sign that I no longer care about local live shows and now could care less if this venue (Annex in Norfolk, VA) survives or folds.

What anti-bicycle businesses do you boy-cot/not give business to?

 

[Roamers]

Never ran into that issue. But we don't leave our ebikes unattended in public; we did our analogs though. Something about $4000 vs. $500. Few restaurants we ride to with outdoor seating don't mind our "table guests."

 

[6zfshdb]

Hotels / motels that don't permit in room charging of e-bike batteries.

 

[sc00ter]

I've locked the Xpedition to random bicycle rack near Waterside Park for a bazzar all day and didn't think twice about it. I'll lock up at the corner bike rack near Pixels Arcade and not think twice about it. Lock outside of Wal Mart and not think twice. Food Lion as well, never a concern. I don't expect every business to take securing a bicycle serious but this venue was just being weird. Both suggested locking options by the venue are not what I would have picked, even in daylight! I'm not concerned about locking the ebike and leaving it IF the conditions are acceptable but this time it wasn't and I moved on.

I've heard others say they couldn't bring their ebike(s) in a motel even if the ebikes were UL Certified, and I guess leaving the ebikes on a rack all night would be stressful.

My job has a bike rack (security is never a issue at my job) and not only is it in a safe location but there are 2 receptacles should you need to charge. I do find this interesting though speaking of charging. We have 2 Tesla charging stations in my area, one at a RoFo and one near a Wal-Mart, and both are located near homeless shelters. I see well to do Tesla owners waiting for their can to charge while sketchy people roam around them asking for money or bothering the ladies. My wife mentioned this scenario when I was thinking of getting a electric car and even though I passed I still check out the various charging stations when out and about and look for weirdos creeping around. Charging stations will make you a sitting duck for panhandlers most of the time! My wife was right.

 

[PCeBiker]

What anti-bicycle businesses do you boy-cot/not give business to?

Was it anti-bicycle or anti-ebike?

Ebikes are being banned in more and more places.
The venue probably doesn't want the liability of an ebike fire near huge crowds of people.

Same with hotels.
They just ban all ebikes to make sure they aren't liable.

 

[6zfshdb]

I've heard others say they couldn't bring their ebike(s) in a motel even if the ebikes were UL Certified, and I guess leaving the ebikes on a rack all night would be stressful.

I use the "don't ask, don't tell" approach. If I ask, more than half the time, they say no. Unless a battery / e-bike ban is specifically posted, I charge in room.

I also don't carry them in plain sight when passing through the hotel lobby. I use a protective case anyway, which is pretty generic, and used to carry a lot of different gear:

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I've heard others say they couldn't bring their ebike(s) in a motel even if the ebikes were UL Certified, and I guess leaving the ebikes on a rack all night would be stressful.

A friend of a friend got their brand new e-bikes stolen from their vehicle rack at a hotel. His wife said “we should bring those in.”. He said “I’m too tired”. He has now bought 2 new e-bikes.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Lodging that prohibits bringing any bike into your room.

Grocery stores (and other businesses) that have bike racks but hide them around a corner so bike thieves can work undisturbed.

MUPs that are considered free vehicle parking.

 

[indianajo]

So there was a local show tonight that I wanted to go to. The venue is new and is only around 3 miles away from my home. So I figure "Take the JackRabbit ebike and go, drink some beers and grab a t-shirt!", now note that I've yet to go to a live show since COVID.

Live shows attract pickpockets, shooters etc. An 18 year old guy was shot at Harvest Homecoming food booth night last year, by a man he did not know. (recent plea bargain). I don't have a car, and the bus back from downtown Louisville stops running in the middle of any show. I keep a $15 used 3 speed bike to chain to lampposts at shows like the Ky Center for the Arts or Brown Theater. That is 6 miles away. I do not need electricity to ride 3 or 7 miles. I have gotten the tire stabbed when the cheap bike was chained up like that. I walk home more stably pushing a bike than on my US Army damaged knees.
I do wear a NIJ Class 3a vest to such events. I was at Harvest Homecoming. Perps, you want me dead, shoot at the head. Don't want to be arrested, don't drive your car past a plate scanner, don't park in front of business camera, and don't carry your cell phone.

 

[Jim1348]

I use the "don't ask, don't tell" approach. If I ask, more than half the time, they say no. Unless a battery / e-bike ban is specifically posted, I charge in room.

I also don't carry them in plain sight when passing through the hotel lobby. I use a protective case anyway, which is pretty generic, and used to carry a lot of different gear:

DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell) is the way.

 

[Chargeride]

Operating theatres.

 

[6zfshdb]

A friend of a friend got their brand new e-bikes stolen from their vehicle rack at a hotel. His wife said “we should bring those in.”. He said “I’m too tired”. He has now bought 2 new e-bikes.

It's tough to use the don't ask, don't tell policy when you wheel your bike through the hotel lobby.
I suppose I would boycott hotels with in room bike bans as well, but I'm not too concerned about theft. I keep the bikes in the bed of my pickup:

They are locked to the rack in 3 places and the rack is chained to the truck. It's impossible to remove the rack & bike without opening the tailgate, which is also locked. A thief climbing into the bed, or attempting to open the tailgate, would set off the alarm. There isn't much room in there to work anyway, especially with two bikes on the rack. It would probably be easier to steal the whole vehicle but that's alarmed as well. I've used this scheme in 3 different trucks for the last 15 years and have never had anything stolen.

As an added precaution, I always park under lights in plain view of the main hotel entrance. The hotels I regularly use also have security cameras.

Sure, a determined thief might ignore the alarm and manage to take parts off the bike, but there are usually easier pickings around. Your security measures don't have to be perfect, just better than the other guys.

 

[Chargeride]

This is my main issue with ebikes that require extensive dismantling to remove the battery.
Battery removal should be a major part of the safety considerations

 

[sc00ter]

Was it anti-bicycle or anti-ebike?

Ebikes are being banned in more and more places.
The venue probably doesn't want the liability of an ebike fire near huge crowds of people.

Same with hotels.
They just ban all ebikes to make sure they aren't liable.

Not sure on this question. The guy didn't seem to care that I had a ebike (or sit down scooter with the JackRabbit) just the fact that he "Didn't know" about bicycle parking nor took the time to ask if I could park at the bicycle rack I was pointing to OR inside the fence next to the 2 hipster road bikes. I just took it as a sign and left. I guess I'm getting old and no longer care about the hassles involved with going to live shows now.

Another funny but unrelated show interaction for anyone following. We had Voivod come thru awhile back. The venue hosting the show usually has tables for a few dollars more should you want to sit down. But this show had STO (Standing Room Only) and I called the venue and asked why. The lady on the phone said that they are expecting a strong turn out and the tables would loose floor space. I was like "Voivod? How do you think you'll have a strong turn put?" and she said the FaceBook page has 500+ people "going". I told her to remove the last digit and that will be the real turn out. She said I was crazy and didn't know what I was talking about. I passed on this show because I'm not standing for a whole Voivod show. Guess how many people showed up? Sixty seven! It's Voivod, not Metallica or even Megadeth. Not a knock against Voivod but they would have done better at a smaller venue, like my beloved RiffHouse venue (that hasn't has any great shows in awhile).

 

[indianajo]

This is my main issue with ebikes that require extensive dismantling to remove the battery.
Battery removal should be a major part of the safety considerations

Since I cable up my bike at groceries, stores, meetings, concerts and my volunteer job, I designed the battery mount to take 25 minutes to take off. Also an 8" shaft phillips screwdriver, 3/8" wrench, 2 7/16" wrenches, and a stanley nail puller. The battery is mounted out on top of the front wheel, not between my legs. Not over the rear tire. There are reasons. Flame not between my legs and the front is less likely to be hit by a car than the rear. I don't charge indoors.

 

[mschwett]

local businesses here often vigorously oppose bike infrastructure when/if it means losing on-street parking. they claim that while people on foot and bikes do shop in their stores, they don’t buy as much as people who drive. this is a stupid point of course, the amount of cheese or coffee beans you need isn’t determined by your mode of transportation, and people on foot or bike are simply going to stop in more often if they consume things fast enough to make bringing a week‘s worth home at once impractical.

whenever a business makes a big public point of opposing bike lanes, starts petitions, etc, my family and I stop shopping or eating there and I also let them know why.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Me hating today on the MUPS.
First 80° day and the spandex road weenies were out in full force and as arrogant and discourteous as ever.
I fantasized about a clothesline at the bottom of the hill

 

[6zfshdb]

A Specialized LBS opened up near here last year. I stopped in and noticed they had no e-bikes on the floor. I asked a salesman and was rather rudely told they don't have any and never will. He went back to talking to his buddy's, who all looked at me like I was a freak.

Guess I won't be going back.

 

[Gionnirocket]

A Specialized LBS opened up near here last year. I stopped in and noticed they had no e-bikes on the floor. I asked a salesman and was rather rudely told they don't have any and never will. He went back to talking to his buddy's, who all looked at me like I was a freak.

Guess I won't be going back.

They really are a SPECIALized breed of d_bag.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

A Specialized LBS opened up near here last year. I stopped in and noticed they had no e-bikes on the floor. I asked a salesman and was rather rudely told they don't have any and never will. He went back to talking to his buddy's, who all looked at me like I was a freak.

Guess I won't be going back.

I was at one bike shop. We looked at the Electra Townie D7 (or some other battleship coordinate). We rode the bike. It was ok. When I asked if they had anything with a throttle, to take off from a stop at a hill. They said “no, we only carry class one bikes. We believe you gotta earn it if you want motor assist.” I thought “why, though.”, but didn’t want to waste my breath asking. Walked around a bit longer to see helmet offerings, then left.

That was really the only other time I’ve been in a bike shop. The other was to get a bike stand for my kids bike. I dunno, I think my bike shop visiting days are over. The prices are much bigger in a shop. I think you pay, mostly, for their attention.