e-bike story opening in Clarendon

[jnva]

@NicDiesel 62097 wrote:

I don’t really see the point. Either get a bike or get a motorcycle – don’t try to do both.

Ugh. I’m not going to debate it since you have already made up your mind…

[NicDiesel]

@jnva 62100 wrote:

Ugh. I’m not going to debate it since you have already made up your mind…

Again, if they’re prohibited from trails, where most if not all of new riders are going to start riding, what’s the point?

[jnva]

@NicDiesel 62099 wrote:

Maybe. If they’re not allowed on trails is that really going to happen? I mean, they’re half-motorbike, half-bicycle. Do one or the other.

Because you can do both is exactly the point. I get to work on my ebike wearing work clothes, and don’t end up sweaty when I get there.

[NicDiesel]

@jnva 62103 wrote:

Because you can do both is exactly the point. I get to work on my ebike wearing work clothes, and don’t end up sweaty when I get there.

Do you get there on paths where motorized vehicles are prohibited?

[jnva]

@NicDiesel 62102 wrote:

Again, if they’re prohibited from trails, where most if not all of new riders are going to start riding, what’s the point?

Where did you first ride a bike? My first bike ride was on my street in 1977. I remember it because it was the day I got a brand new schwinn scrambler. It was awesome.

[83b]

@Tim Kelley 62070 wrote:

Hide your Strava segments!

I’ve ridden my e-bike along the Anacostia trail and your KOM segment (30+mph on up a slight incline!) and wouldn’t come close to touching you with a 500 Watt/36 Volt motor (even without hauling picnic supplies). For fun I also ran a couple of segments during my commute awhile back. The same bike on a fresh charge and carrying just light work stuff is only good for #10 up Capitol Hill.

Everyone can relax! For anything short of an extended effort up a very steep hill, an e-bike is just too heavy and spins out at too low a speed to be a Strava killer! Though if they start filtering the leaderboards for people wearing suits while hauling groceries and kids, watch out!

@dasgeh 62095 wrote:

I’ll even go one further: ebikes are good for you. All of you.

eBikes will get people on bikes who wouldn’t otherwise be on the bike. More people on bikes makes biking safer for all. Jokes are fine — I even like them — but please don’t hate the ebikers. They really are helping you.

And they’ll let some of us stay on bikes when, for practical reasons, we’d otherwise be pushed into cars. I love my traditional bikes and would take them everywhere if I could get away with it, but employers and life generally don’t allow it.

[jnva]

@NicDiesel 62104 wrote:

Do you get there on paths where motorized vehicles are prohibited?

Depends on the weather. I take the safest route. If its a nice day and I know there will be a lot of joggers and pedestrians, I avoid the trail and stay on the street. When it’s raining, the bike trail is normally deserted.

[jabberwocky]

Haven’t we had this discussion before?

[jnva]

@jabberwocky 62108 wrote:

Haven’t we had this discussion before?

Yep, but isn’t it fun to remenisce?

[Tim Kelley]

@83(b) 62106 wrote:

I’ve ridden my e-bike along the Anacostia trail and your KOM segment (30+mph on up a slight incline!) and wouldn’t come close to touching you with a 500 Watt/36 Volt motor (even without hauling picnic supplies). For fun I also ran a couple of segments during my commute awhile back. The same bike on a fresh charge and carrying just light work stuff is only good for #10 up Capitol Hill.

Everyone can relax! For anything short of an extended effort up a very steep hill, an e-bike is just too heavy and spins out at too low a speed to be a Strava killer! Though if they start filtering the leaderboards for people wearing suits while hauling groceries and kids, watch out!

Fascinating. About putting a 1000 watt rider on top of that 500 watt motor? Do you think that the weight & “non-aeroness” would still be too much to overcome?

[dasgeh]

@Tim Kelley 62110 wrote:

Fascinating. About putting a 1000 watt rider on top of that 500 watt motor? Do you think that the weight & “non-aeroness” would still be too much to overcome?

Yep.

[jabberwocky]

@83(b) 62106 wrote:

Everyone can relax! For anything short of an extended effort up a very steep hill, an e-bike is just too heavy and spins out at too low a speed to be a Strava killer! Though if they start filtering the leaderboards for people wearing suits while hauling groceries and kids, watch out!

It almost certainly depends heavily on the e-bike. Theres a wide variety of them out there, from inexpensive ones with minor electric assist to full-blown motorcycle-esque monstrosities like the previously linked stealth bomber (which is capable of 50mph).

That said, I kinda doubt that there is any e-bike doesn’t give some advantage uphill. I mean, if it didn’t even have the power to overcome its own weight, what would be the point?

[dasgeh]

@NicDiesel 62102 wrote:

Again, if they’re prohibited from trails, where most if not all of new riders are going to start riding, what’s the point?

Why the hate?

But to answer your question, there are a total of 35 miles (? just a guess, based on the fact that the Loop is 17) of trails in Arlington. There’s plenty of non-trail pavement to ride on. There’s even plenty of nice-neighborhood-street pavement to ride on. Plus, if you wanted to be fastidious about the rules, you could just turn off the motor while on the trails. That’s the beauty of the ebike. (Though, seriously, is there a cyclist out there that doesn’t brake one rule/law? Everyone riding in the District have a bell? Proper lighting and reflectors? ALL THE TIME?) Plus, those of you who’ve been with us for a while, or like pursuing archives, can see that I have an argument for why ebikes conforming to the federal law are allowed on the ARL trails.

[jnva]

@dasgeh 62113 wrote:

Why the hate?

But to answer your question, there are a total of 35 miles (? just a guess, based on the fact that the Loop is 17) of trails in Arlington. There’s plenty of non-trail pavement to ride on. There’s even plenty of nice-neighborhood-street pavement to ride on. Plus, if you wanted to be fastidious about the rules, you could just turn off the motor while on the trails. That’s the beauty of the ebike. (Though, seriously, is there a cyclist out there that doesn’t brake one rule/law? Everyone riding in the District have a bell? Proper lighting and reflectors? ALL THE TIME?) Plus, those of you who’ve been with us for a while, or like pursuing archives, can see that I have an argument for why ebikes conforming to the federal law are allowed on the ARL trails.

I actually look forward to the day I get cited for riding a motorized vehicle on the bike path so that I can go to court and prove the legality if what I was doing.

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 62113 wrote:

But to answer your question, there are a total of 35 miles (? just a guess, based on the fact that the Loop is 17) of trails in Arlington. .

Don’t sell us short! From the Arlington county bike map:

“Compact in size and laced with an extensive network of bicycle infrastructure, including 50 miles of shared-use off-street trails, 36 miles of bike lanes and sharrows, and 78 miles of recommended on-street bicycle routes, it’s easy to get around Arlington by bike, and many people do.”

[Author]

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