I invite anyone who argues that #EBikes are overkill to come live my life for a week. And I'll go live your life, in your superfit body that never sweats, on your awesome infrastructure that accommodates you and your kids, hauling around your weightless groceries.
You can live in my wonky middle-aged body still inflamed from #COVID19, at the bottom of the hill my city is famous for, in heat and humidity, on roads that will get your kids killed if they're not strapped to you.
@DrTCombs I have debilitating hip pain and my ebike has reopened the world to me.
@DrTCombs
I would never ride a regular bike to work because I would arrive an unbelievable sweaty mess.
From April though October I ride my ebike 3-4 days per week, and it's great.
@DrTCombs They're not my thing, but they don't have to be. I support anything that gets more cars off the road. No one should be judging you for that.
@DrTCombs what jerk thing for someone say! I was once a skeptic but after a family friend bought one and started riding to work for the first time, I started to think differently. Just this weekend, my kid asked for a ride and l loved that I could go 12 miles in a wicked headwind without having to use my asthma meds.
@DrTCombs I got an electric mid-tail to haul kids. It lets us have only one car in the suburbs, is our primary mode of transport, and it's *enjoyable*. I pulled my kids in a trailer with a regular bike before and I hadn't realised just how miserable I was getting. Ebike has made cycling JOYFUL for the whole family!
Anti-ebikers are the new "vehicular cyclists" that spent a decade arguing against protected bike lanes. Same demographic too from what I've seen. (under 40 largely single white dudes)
🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼🇵🇸
@MichaelTBacon @DrTCombs At least the "vehicular cyclists" (who we all now know to have been disastrously wrong) had a theory they were working under! I can't imagine any coherent argument against ebikes.
The main actually sensible argument I've heard against e-bikes are the people who use them to go at dangerously high speeds down greenways (like 40mph and up) and don't make room for slower uses. I know a lot of folks that's really annoyed.
That should be solvable with greenway speed limits and things like that, and it's obviously not the use that Tab is talking about. But I think that's some people's only exposure to them and it's negative.
@MichaelTBacon @DrTCombs Yeah I guess that makes sense, that's even faster than a pelaton of tech bros on ten thousand dollar road bikes so I can see why that would be disruptive!
Yeah, exactly. Much like cars, there's eBikes as mobility facilitator and then there's eBikes as expensive toy for making you feel more elite than everyone around you.
@MichaelTBacon @DrTCombs Rich people ruin everything, as usual!
@AGTMADCAT @MichaelTBacon @DrTCombs Does the US have any regulations for high power e-bike? Here in The Netherlands you have to have a moped licence, a certified helmet.. Max speed is 45 km/h or 28 mph. And that is fast, compared to normal (e)bikes.
@jeroenvanbergen @AGTMADCAT @DrTCombs
1. It depends on the jurisdiction.
2. Make the baseline assumption that nothing in the US regarding bikes is anywhere near as well planned or regulated as the Netherlands and you will be right 99.99% of the time.
@jeroenvanbergen @MichaelTBacon @DrTCombs For many cultural and historical reasons (some legitimate and understandable, some very much not so), the baseline level of respect for the law here is much lower than in most of Europe. Even if there are theoretical regulations around maximum speed or licensing, many people will remove regulators, cops will harass you whether or not you're following any laws, and so on.
That being said, here in California there are three classes of ebike, with a maximum power on all of them of 750W. No license or helmet is required for any class.
@AGTMADCAT @MichaelTBacon @DrTCombs that Class III is what I would call a Speedpedelec. Allowed top speeds are the same. That remark ‘check with city, county or state’ on the evolo site confirms what was already said about differences per jurisdiction.
@MichaelTBacon @AGTMADCAT @DrTCombs speed differences are always dangerous, but people should be civilised enough to share the road or bike path. That might be naive, but basic civil behaviour is better than enforced rules.
Personally I try to be civilised when I am out on my road bike. Lots of elderly couples in The Netherlands are riding their e-bikes next to each other on bike paths. So I ring my bell, pass when they make room and greet.
@jeroenvanbergen @AGTMADCAT @DrTCombs
Of course. The problem here is bad behavior that people are associating with ebikes because the speed differential is that much greater.
@DrTCombs I am a pretty fit dude that’s young enough to have some cartilage left and lucky to not have had COVID.
I love my e-bike and would 1,000,000x rather see people on e-bikes than in cars. I’d love to be in a place as a city where souped up e-bikes on our safe bike paths is a real problem to address.
I’ve never sat behind an e-bike and choked on the fumes. E-bikes aren’t calling me an asshole and honking at me. They don’t almost kill me all the time. E-bikes rock. Fuck those haters.
@DrTCombs I can't tell you how excited I am to get my ebike next month!!!! My overweight, rod-in-my-back, achy knee, middle-aged body wouldn't get on a regular bike. The ebike I'm getting is a step through and I can sit upright, something I need for my back. And I'll be able to replace trips to Target & Aldi that would be in my car with an ebike trip!! Uphill both ways!
So people need to embrace the ebikers who are doing it despite their physical ability to ride a bike!
@somcak I'm so excited for you! What did you decide to get?
@DrTCombs The Aveton Soltera 7 Step-through. It's fully covered by the voucher program. the cost was always what was holding me back, so this voucher program was such a blessing!
You'll know when I get it because I expect to spam here with all the pics!
@bikepedantic @DrTCombs I was taking any and all advise! The Aventon brand was recommend by a couple of people, and due to the rod in my back, there were few that could accommodate me sitting up on a bike. The step-through was the perfect option! Plus, we can use the voucher to add a basket on the front and a rack on the back, we think. We'll find out more of what the voucher covers on Thursday. If the basket/rack aren't covered, we can swing them on our own.
@somcak @bikepedantic I would have welcomed the horning because when anyone asks me for ebike recommendations all I can think about is the tern gsd2 I'm drooling over but can neither afford nor justify
@DrTCombs @somcak @bikepedantic I don't like the Gen 2 as well as the Gen 1. It's heavier (e.g. solid running boards vs Gen 1 lower decks, metal fenders vs plastic), the suspension fork is not great (some having to rebuild after 600 mi!), it's more crank forward which doesn't work for me, the locking kickstand & saddle have known issues, and the price!
@bikepedantic @somcak @DrTCombs Any thoughts on the Abound? Particularly, how would those smaller wheels cope with crossing train tracks at level crossings?
@AGTMADCAT @bikepedantic @somcak @DrTCombs In my limited experience with the RadRunner vs. RadCity, I feel like the wider tires (2.1" on the RadCity, 20"x3.0" on the RadRunner, 20"x2.4" on the Abound), the fat tires will make crossing rails feel totally fine; fatter tires obviate a lot of sins of urban environment travel. I don't think you'll have any trouble.
@crschmidt @bikepedantic @somcak @DrTCombs Great to know, thanks! I'm considering an ebike for the school run since that's my stupidest car usage at the moment, but the route would cross the tracks and I don't want to send my kids flying!
@AGTMADCAT @bikepedantic @somcak @DrTCombs I wish that these bikes were easier to try out for exactly this reason (and happy to have things like https://www.ebikelibrarycville.org/ available for folks who it's available for!) I'm working on setting up my own to let people borrow and try out their bikes in their normal usage environment before they spend thousands of dollars!
(On the plus side, the immediate resale value of these is Very High, so there is that, just in case!)
@crschmidt @bikepedantic @somcak @DrTCombs I hadn't even considered looking for a library, I'll have to check to see if we have one somewhere!
@AGTMADCAT @bikepedantic @somcak @DrTCombs the rear wheel on my cargo bike is a 20" like the Abound, and it's got enough width on it that I wouldn't expect train tracks to be a problem - I have a particularly rough one near me that I take at speed on a semi-regular basis.
@somcak @DrTCombs as a generally fit person, I am a huge e-bike evangelist because no matter how fit you are, there are still things that you will do with an e-bike that you wouldn’t with a normal bike. Whether that’s cargo, hills, distance, or speed, e-bikes enable new cycling usage, and I fully support them for anyone who feels they could benefit.
@crschmidt @DrTCombs I'll be happy if I get 200 miles the 1st year. My goal is to replace all Target & Aldi car runs, they're each 2 miles away. Maybe a couple of trips to the beach or town square for music nights.
My main issue with replacing my car commute is that I go on a narrow, windy road where the speed limit is 35 mph & cars regularly go faster than 60 mph. The road is literally 2 lanes wide. Not much room for error in a car. That scares me on a bike. There's no alternate route.
@somcak @DrTCombs Yup. I ended up having a lot of recreational trips mixed in, but found that it replaced a lot of errands I didn't expect it to in the 2-7 mile range. But I'm lucky to be in a place that has some of the best bike infra in the US.
A key thing that I didn't expect before getting it was how much nicer it was on 30mph roads to be able to not feel like the cars were constantly threatening me, because I could move much closer to their speed.
@somcak @DrTCombs But I've also developed a standard that any speed limit over 30mph is "avoid if possible"; and I definitely spent a couple miles yesterday riding on a "40mph but everyone is driving 60mph" road and it was more mentally draining than the entire rest of the trip combined. Totally see how it limits where you can go!
@crschmidt @DrTCombs I'm hoping once I get it, Ill see the utility for more errands around town.
On that road, it's 2 miles long, I get honked at for going 40 mph in a car. With no way to be to the side of traffic, I fear what would happen to me on a bike, even an ebike!
I could see going to to the deli or diner which are about 3 miles away. Or going to Taco Bell. lol I'm very food motivated, so I could probably be enticed to ride my ebike to get dinner! lol
@somcak @crschmidt @DrTCombs Things that might help:
- lights on in the daytime
- a shock/spring seatpost; I use a kinekt, but at near-max spring so it only springs on hard bumps (it's a knees-vs-back tradeoff)
@somcak @crschmidt @DrTCombs That kind of road sounds like a challenge. Not an American so not sure how initiating development of bike infrastructure would work, but is this something you could address to the local council?
My main exposure to local American government is ‘Parks and recreation’, pretty sure that is not reality 😀
@jeroenvanbergen @crschmidt @DrTCombs That's actually pretty damn close to how my town is run! lol
It's a road that connects 2 towns, with the town line being on that road, so the jurisdiction is 2 different towns. My town has been taken over by the state for improper management, so the funding has been cut for all but essential services. For the other town, they haven't repaved or repaired their section of the road in the 6 years I've been here. So I feel like it's a lost cause.
@somcak @jeroenvanbergen @crschmidt yeah, I was going to say Parks & Rec is pretty damn accurate.
@somcak @crschmidt @DrTCombs Hmm, doesn’t sound like these towns will do anything about it. But any mile biking instead of driving is good. Do what you feel comfortable with, stay safe and enjoy!
@somcak @jeroenvanbergen @crschmidt @DrTCombs
was going to ask "can you ask for enforcement, radar sign, something", but, looks like not. How is the bike for off-road use? (meaning, unpaved shoulder) I'm not sure that's really an option for your body, but that road sounds bad.
@dr2chase @jeroenvanbergen @crschmidt @DrTCombs there's no berm, sidewalk, not even a gutter! The road is cut into a hillside that slopes down/up in the direction of travel, so when it rains, it's like driving in a river. I've never seen it flooded out, though we don't get a downpour type of rain. When hubby drives me to work tomorrow, because he needs the car, I'll see if I can grab a pic.
@somcak @crschmidt @DrTCombs My sympathies, that is a rough piece of road. The only thing I could think of to mitigate is to position yourself such that passing you means going into opposing traffic. Yes, this is vehicular cycling, but as a reactive tactic to unacceptable infrastructure rather than as a philosophy to be supported
@szeis4cookie @somcak @DrTCombs I think that approach can be really dangerous on such roads. Even riding as far into the shoulder as practical, I have had people throw things at me from moving vehicles while on roads like this, as well as the normal close-passing, yelling, blaring a horn, etc. Carbrain is difficult to combat when you're in situations like this!
In some cases, I have just had to accept that there isn't a safe route where I want to be: "You can't get there from here."
@DrTCombs@transportation.social As someone who once did 30+ miles a day and 50+ on the weekend who then got out of shape I agree with you 100%. My ebike has been a godsend.
@DrTCombs - Groceries are my acoustic bike challenge, especially beverages. Seeing people attending to chores via bike, acoustic or electric, gives me joy.
actually you know what? I don't care. I know exactly what my #EBike has done for me. It's helped me live an almost car-free life. It's helped my child learn to navigate her community while bringing us closer together. It's helped me make friends. It's brought me joy and freedom.
You ride your regular bike if you want to. But stop trying to convince the rest of us that we don't need our ebikes. It's ableist, elitist, snooty, and none of your business.
#BikeTooter #Ebikes #EbikesChangeLives