What’s the point arguing what’s “real” cycling.
Are people out and about on a bike? Are they having fun? Are they avoiding driving heavy vehicles?
Then who cares.
Are they failing to yield? Yes. Are they traveling too fast on pedestrian trails? Yes. Are they unable to properly control their electric motorcycles? Yes
Honestly, even light electric motorcycles are a huge improvement over cars. My ebike-from-a-kit goes about 30mph and runs off a throttle. I generally ride on the road (city streets) and avoid sidewalks when at all possible. It’s fun to ride, doesn’t need gas, and is super-efficent when it comes to electricity (far more efficient than an electric car). I can park it way more easily than I can park a car, and it’s great for short trips where taking the car is unjustified but it’s too far to easily walk. 10/10 would recommend. Would also do whatever training/registering/licensing is required, but right now I live somewhere where regulations either don’t exist or exist but aren’t enforced.
even light electric cars are a huge improvement, a light electric motorcycle is an improvement so tremendous that it’s difficult to comprehend, and actual e-bikes? transcendent.
Only semi-related but: The only people I’ve heard say e-bikes aren’t real bikes are people who don’t own bikes of either kind.
Most of them that say that to me are superhuman athletes.
There’s no ebike with a hundred mile range, and these guys are doing 24 hour races and cross country tours. So after a short while it just becomes a lead weight in the frame.
Nope. I own four real bicycles. Electric motorcycles are not real bicycles.
No one was talking about electric motorcycles so that checks out.
Ebikes are electric motorcycles.
I hope you’ll make it through whatever you’re going through! ❤️
Park your motorcycle inside
I don’t own any motor vehicles :)
A motor is a device that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy. Do you own an ebike with an electric motor in it?
every time i see e-bike discourse it’s some of the most inane nonsense i’ve ever read, without fail the people who complain about e-bikes are doing the exact same thing drivers do to cyclists as a whole and somehow they are incapable of self-reflection to realize this.
small electric vehicles are good, being a dick to others on the streets is bad, it’s not fucking rocket science. I don’t give a singular fuck what you’re riding in the bike path so long as it’s small enough, quiet enough, and you go a reasonable speed.
Here in sweden it’s become quite normal to have small electric moped cars (yes that’s how we define them) use the wider bike paths when convenient and like… it’s a slight annoyance at worst, because they’re work vehicles and the drivers know they’re being a bit cheeky by using the bike path and thus they try very hard to be considerate.
This is the most well balanced ebike comment I’ve ever read. You should join my community Facebook trails page, as it’s the most unhinged nonsense you’ve ever read. Ebikes have done everything from molesting and physically assaulting these poor people, to completely decimating their trails and their mental well being. Won’t somebody think of all their hard work!!? (Which PS none of them would even know what a shovel feels like in a hand)
They’re real and they’re spectacular
Oh my god these comments.
You assholes would gatekeep oxygen if a fat person was breathing it next to you.
Shut. Up. Let people have fun.
Can’t argue with the base premise. But here in Toronto it’s the ebike wild West. Where no law is enforced.
Folks are ripping by in the bike lanes on 100lb electric mopeds with throttles and fold away pedals. I’ve seen bikes where the chain is rusted off but the “bike” happily zips past a grandma on dutch bike at 35kph.
Recently the transit commission finally banned ebikes on the subway because they were lighting trains on fire.
All I ask is that ebikes are limited to pedal assist and have a weight limit. But I think the genie is out of the bottle.
Anyway. I’ve got opinions.
I think no one disputes that we need a clear separation of electric bicycles and electric motorcycles and the presence of pedals ain’t enough.
Presumably once that’s sorted out, e-bikes can and should become the norm. They’re the “all ages and abilities” equalizer.
Not sure if that’s even possible here.
It feels like every Uber Eats delivery person is on one of these things.
They are everywhere.
I imagine we could grandfather in existing vehicles somehow, maybe by distributing stickers for existing owners. I dunno.
But it would kill the gig economy here, I feel like the electric motorcycle problem might be here to stay.
Where are all these ebikes setting the trains in fire. Should be lots of stories about it if it’s always happening.
Pedal assist and max speed that pedal assist works until (I want to say 18kph, but I might be wrong) is how it works in Japan and it seems to work fairly well. Anything bigger or with a throttle must have a plate and be registered as a moped.
