Thoughts Of An Experienced E-Biker

[tomjasz]

Actually proving how smart and practical women are!

Or inept because often their ability is overlooked. In my experience giving women a chance at a traditionally male job will give you an employee better than some ego centric male rooster.

I trained a woman as an irrigation lead tech. The boys were worried about getting wet and took more time keeping their clothes clean than it took for the woman to get the job done.

My female arborists got more done and made better choices all the while greatly reducing job injuries. Once again not a rooster constantly fluffing his feathers.

That said your lack of experience wrenching prevents you and blinds you from blinds you from seeing the quality of eBike that can be built in a home shop.

All those dingle bells can be had on high end kit builds.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Perhaps it is all eye of the beholder, because I'm a woman and I see lots of women riding ebikes. Perhaps it is in the nature of males to be hyper aware of other males out there, because they are competitors/threats, whereas women are aware of women out there as sisters in endeavoring to do anything in the world, which men feel is "theirs", presumably because they pee standing up and therefore the universe is their territory.

Ebikes do indeed "level the road" between the genders. I couldn't keep up with my husband on acoustics, and he couldn't keep up with me when I was on my ebike and he was riding acoustic. When we are both on electric, we keep up with each other, and going on a bike ride becomes something we actually do together.

I still don't see any actual data to back up the claim that more men buy ebikes. I'm not saying it may not be true, just nobody is showing any statistics to support this claim. And, frankly, anyone who is married and does not think of themselves as being a single economic unit with their spouse is deluded or doomed to divorce eventually.

Moreover, for decades it was assumed that it was the husband who bought the car, therefore it was the man who made the buying decision, but studies found that in fact, it was the woman in the households who made the decisions on which car to buy. Therefore, carmakers realized they needed to aim their manufacturing and marketing decisions with women in mind.

All this makes me wonder about gender bias, male and femaile. I like to think I don't have much of that but I know at some level I do, as do just about all of us. I pretty much agree with all of your points and observations, but I agree with Tom too, that it probably doesn't matter much, at least regarding e-bikes. Then I wonder if my male baises make me think that.

TT

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Well, it's been great fun and even a bit disturbing at the same time. 21 pages and counting and absolutely no consensus reached. Well done!

Amen. It reminds me of the threads last summer with that Solarcabin guy.

TT

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have so much experience that I got pulled over o the tandem on the bike path by a cop top that.

 

[mschwett]

...

I still don't see any actual data to back up the claim that more men buy ebikes. I'm not saying it may not be true, just nobody is showing any statistics to support this claim. And, frankly, anyone who is married and does not think of themselves as being a single economic unit with their spouse is deluded or doomed to divorce eventually.

...

the stats are out there; it's not as skewed as some things (like motorcyles lol) but definitely more men than women.

59% of Americans who own an e-bike are male while 41% are female but monthly riders are even more likely men (10% of US men and 4% of US women ride monthly). A plurality of those are between the ages of 18 to 44 (86%).

the last sentence indicates how much the perspective you may get from this site is out of touch with the broader reality of cycling and e-bike use. the average e-bike rider is a male between the ages of 18-44 living in a major metro area*. this site skews much older, and much less urban, resulting in a particular emphasis on what is "important" in an e-bike. and yes - it is important - to THEM.

*there are ten times as many bike commuters in the san francisco bay area than the entire states of oklahoma and arkansas combined - despite a similar total population (7-8 million).

 

[mschwett]

All this makes me wonder about gender bias, male and femaile. I like to think I don't have much of that but I know at some level I do, as do just about all of us. I pretty much agree with all of your points and observations, but I agree with Tom too, that it probably doesn't matter much, at least regarding e-bikes. Then I wonder if my male baises make me think that.

TT

alas, biases are at work here but probably *causing* less women to ride rather than making you think that.

for recreational riding, i think it evens out quite a bit. but the above aligns with my experience, at least twice as many (proportionally) of my male colleagues are regular riders.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Well, it's been great fun and even a bit disturbing at the same time. 21 pages and counting and absolutely no consensus reached. Well done!

Let's all bring this home and admit The Pythons had these types of arguments nailed to a tee a good many years ago before ebikes were even a daydream of some manufacturer....

Laughed and laughed! The Python parodies were spot on about so many things.

Guess we should be thankful that the arguments here don't cost money — just stress hormones (which in the long run cost more).

 

[DaveMatthews]

Laughed and laughed!

No you didn't!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There was some discussion about guitars here...

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

No you didn't!

I told you once, I did!

 

[ChezCheese:)]

the stats are out there; it's not as skewed as some things (like motorcyles lol) but definitely more men than women.



the last sentence indicates how much the perspective you may get from this site is out of touch with the broader reality of cycling and e-bike use. the average e-bike rider is a male between the ages of 18-44 living in a major metro area*. this site skews much older, and much less urban, resulting in a particular emphasis on what is "important" in an e-bike. and yes - it is important - to THEM.

*there are ten times as many bike commuters in the san francisco bay area than the entire states of oklahoma and arkansas combined - despite a similar total population (7-8 million).

Source, pls? They didn't ask me, whoever was doing said study. Or any of the women riders I know...

 

[mschwett]

Source, pls? They didn't ask me, whoever was doing said study. Or any of the women riders I know...

lots of sources for stats on cycling, this one seems pretty comprehensive

The State of Bike Commuting in the US - The Bike Adviser

Biking has run smack into a bit of renaissance during the Covid-19 outbreak as people try to avoid the perils of public transport. Nobody takes joy from a

thebikeadviser.com

most of the underlying data comes from the US Census American Community Survey. so in fact they might have asked you

 

[Robspace1]

Perhaps it is all eye of the beholder, because I'm a woman and I see lots of women riding ebikes. Perhaps it is in the nature of males to be hyper aware of other males out there, because they are competitors/threats, whereas women are aware of women out there as sisters in endeavoring to do anything in the world, which men feel is "theirs", presumably because they pee standing up and therefore the universe is their territory.

Ebikes do indeed "level the road" between the genders. I couldn't keep up with my husband on acoustics, and he couldn't keep up with me when I was on my ebike and he was riding acoustic. When we are both on electric, we keep up with each other, and going on a bike ride becomes something we actually do together.

I still don't see any actual data to back up the claim that more men buy ebikes. I'm not saying it may not be true, just nobody is showing any statistics to support this claim. And, frankly, anyone who is married and does not think of themselves as being a single economic unit with their spouse is deluded or doomed to divorce eventually.

Moreover, for decades it was assumed that it was the husband who bought the car, therefore it was the man who made the buying decision, but studies found that in fact, it was the woman in the households who made the decisions on which car to buy. Therefore, carmakers realized they needed to aim their manufacturing and marketing decisions with women in mind.

I didn't make up the stat on who rides ebikes. It's a fact, most ebike riders are men that are 40+. This not a man vs woman issue at all. The reasoning is that younger people don't yet have the extra money to spend on such a luxury item. I know I couldn't afford one while taking care of kids and a house. Retired people are more able to buy one and the advantage of a motorized bike is real attractive as we age and the joints don't work the way they used to. Women and families are buying more ebikes as they become more affordable. Me and my girlfriend ride together alot. It's great. As for the data on this, just Google, "who' riding ebikes" There is a Gov. site with the info.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

lots of sources for stats on cycling, this one seems pretty comprehensive

The State of Bike Commuting in the US - The Bike Adviser

Biking has run smack into a bit of renaissance during the Covid-19 outbreak as people try to avoid the perils of public transport. Nobody takes joy from a

thebikeadviser.com

most of the underlying data comes from the US Census American Community Survey. so in fact they might have asked you

No, I'm not on that census list. That a separate census from the decennial census. I worked the 2020 census. It was a very interesting experience. I wrote a series of blogposts on it here: http://alia.link/2020/09/01/i-count-because-we-all-count-introduction/ They tried to recruit me for the one you're talking about, but I felt it was too invasive and I wouldn't feel right asking all those questions.

How many people on this forum have been asked by the US Census about bicycle ownership? I'll wager hardly any.

 

[mschwett]

…
How many people on this forum have been asked by the US Census about bicycle ownership? I'll wager hardly any.

so, you “feel” like the true condition is different than those with experience in the industry AND the widely available data says? you are entitled to your opinion, but that doesn’t make it fact.

the census questions on transit mode share are answered by tens if not hundreds of millions of americans. i’ve answered them multiple times. the data is relied on for everything from transportation planning to zoning and funding. i’m sorry if you feel it’s invasive for the government to want to know how people get around so they can appropriately build public infrastructure. and people wonder why “we can’t have nice things…”

 

[Robspace1]

so, you “feel” like the true condition is different than those with experience in the industry AND the widely available data says? you are entitled to your opinion, but that doesn’t make it fact.

the census questions on transit mode share are answered by tens if not hundreds of millions of americans. i’ve answered them multiple times. the data is relied on for everything from transportation planning to zoning and funding. i’m sorry if you feel it’s invasive for the government to want to know how people get around so they can appropriately built public infrastructure. and people wonder why “we can’t have nice things…”

so, you “feel” like the true condition is different than those with experience in the industry AND the widely available data says? you are entitled to your opinion, but that doesn’t make it fact.

the census questions on transit mode share are answered by tens if not hundreds of millions of americans. i’ve answered them multiple times. the data is relied on for everything from transportation planning to zoning and funding. i’m sorry if you feel it’s invasive for the government to want to know how people get around so they can appropriately built public infrastructure. and people wonder why “we can’t have nice things…”

Well said. The gender and age of ebikers is changing fast as more and more people grab one of these wonderful pieces of technology. We do need the Feds to know we DO need more bike trails and bike lanes on every major street in the country. I'd also like to lighted bike trails with occasional cops on bikes patrolling the miles of isolated trails. More people would enjoy bike trails at night if they felt safer. And more bike commuters means less cars.

 

[mschwett]

Well said. The gender and age of ebikers is changing fast as more and more people grab one of these wonderful pieces of technology. We do need the Feds to know we DO need more bike trails and bike lanes on every major street in the country. I'd also like to lighted bike trails with occasional cops on bikes patrolling the miles of isolated trails. More people would enjoy bike trails at night if they felt safer. And more bike commuters means less cars.

preach. most of this comes down to state and county level projects and planning, but there has started to be a trickle of federal dollars, which is appropriate given that a fair amount of vehicle infrastructure (24% pre-2021) is funded by the feds. the data is hard to find but i see at least one reference to around $7B spent over 20 years, or $350M a year, compared to around $50b in federal funding per year for road projects. i think the situation will improve significantly since the passage of the last infra bill.

 

[Robspace1]

preach. most of this comes down to state and county level projects and planning, but there has started to be a trickle of federal dollars, which is appropriate given that a fair amount of vehicle infrastructure (24% pre-2021) is funded by the feds. the data is hard to find but i see at least one reference to around $7B spent over 20 years, or $350M a year, compared to around $50b in federal funding per year for road projects. i think the situation will improve significantly since the passage of the last infra bill.

You would think there would be fed money to states to improve on making biking more popular with commuters. Creating more bike lanes on all city streets as well as bike trails going in and out of cities would really help with not only traffic from hell, but to keep the air cleaner. As the ebike rider population grows, I expect we will see more trails and bike lanes.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

so, you “feel” like the true condition is different than those with experience in the industry AND the widely available data says? you are entitled to your opinion, but that doesn’t make it fact.

the census questions on transit mode share are answered by tens if not hundreds of millions of americans. i’ve answered them multiple times. the data is relied on for everything from transportation planning to zoning and funding. i’m sorry if you feel it’s invasive for the government to want to know how people get around so they can appropriately build public infrastructure. and people wonder why “we can’t have nice things…”

What I said was that I would not feel comfortable going out and working that kind of survey. I actually worked the decennial census, during the pandemic, so I have a good idea of how invasive even the simple questions on that survey seem to individuals.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

You would think there would be fed money to states to improve on making biking more popular with commuters. Creating more bike lanes on all city streets as well as bike trails going in and out of cities would really help with not only traffic from hell, but to keep the air cleaner. As the ebike rider population grows, I expect we will see more trails and bike lanes.

Crews will place girders for a new walk-bike bridge over Highway 520 in Seattle.

Highway 520 to close all weekend

Crews will place girders for a new walk-bike bridge over Highway 520 in Seattle.

www.seattletimes.com