e-Bikes – Let’s talk

[83b]

I added a Cycle Analyst and a set of their lights to my kit. I’ve been extremely pleased with both. The 1000 lumen front light (mounted low on the fork to prevent blinding people) is basically the equivalent of a motorcycle headlamp. I never worry about being seen or running into invisible potholes anymore!

[jabberwocky]

As an aside, I’ve been following this company since their kickstarter last year:

http://www.boostedboards.com/

As an old school skater, I’d love a motorized longboard for local Reston stuff. The issue in the past is that they are all using big DC motors and lead-acid batteries, so the boards weighed like 60 pounds (which ain’t very portable). The Boosted folks are doing high quality brushless motors and li-po batteries to get the weight down.

[mstone]

@83(b) 49471 wrote:

For what it’s worth, I’ve found that switching to an e-bike full-time has made me a better behaved cyclist. I fastidiously stop at every red light now and think ebikes might go a long way toward changing the culture surrounding stops.

God, I hope not–the Idaho stop should be enacted locally instead. There’s simply no reason for a bike to stop the same as a car.

[mstone]

@dasgeh 49484 wrote:

If it doesn’t qualify for the federal statute exempting it from registration, etc, it’s not an ebike. It might be a bike with an electric motor…

People keep saying that, like there’s any practical chance of that distinction being enforced/enforceable on the trail. The best we can hope for is that if someone is tearing it up and we can get LE out, that they can get slapped with a “no motor” citation. If LE has to somehow figure out whether it’s an allowable motor, they’re just not going to bother. It doesn’t matter whether that’s right or wrong, or what legislation gets passed downtown, that’s just the reality of how many resources we have dedicated to bikes & pedestrians vs traffic duty.

@GuyContinental 49466 wrote:

Wow. Chill. The quoted statement was a rehash of the typical free-rider reaction to anything– i.e. that it is irrational and visceral.[/quote]

A whole bunch of people have posted completely rational arguments, which you may or may not agree with, but to call those arguments “irrational and visceral” (repeatedly) is to trivialize their concerns and discourage real discussion.

Quote:

There is posolutely an element of the free-rider problem here and you looking for expanded scope of the current problem based on future tech developments is exactly the sort of reaction that drivers have over bike infrastruture development.

It would be exactly the same thing if drivers were really concerned about what would happen to them if they were hit by a bike. Since they aren’t, it isn’t.

As a point of fact, I’m completely in favor of e-bikes on bike infrastructure. e-bikes in bike lanes? Great! The thing is, the MUPs are not bike infrastructure, they’re shared bike/jog/walk/stroller/puppy infrastructure. There are already too many conflicts on that shared infrastructure, and I can’t see that adding motors to the mix can possibly improve the situation. I would love to see separated bike & non-bike MUPs, but that seems extremely unlikely to happen in my lifetime given fiscal realities.

[dasgeh]

@mstone 49728 wrote:

People keep saying that, like there’s any practical chance of that distinction being enforced/enforceable on the trail. The best we can hope for is that if someone is tearing it up and we can get LE out, that they can get slapped with a “no motor” citation. If LE has to somehow figure out whether it’s an allowable motor, they’re just not going to bother. It doesn’t matter whether that’s right or wrong, or what legislation gets passed downtown, that’s just the reality of how many resources we have dedicated to bikes & pedestrians vs traffic duty.

First of all, I was pointing out the distinction for the discussion purposes. In most of the world-of-folks-who-talk-about-this, e-bike is the shorthand term for “bicycle that also has a motor that qualifies for the federal exemption”. There can be other bikes with motors that don’t qualify. And there can be motorcycles (which aren’t bikes at all) that have electric motors, or electric motorcycles. All of those things are different. Let’s be clear about what we’re talking about.

As to your point that police can’t see whether a bike is an “ebike” or a “bike with a non qualifying motor”: so? Police can’t tell if an ebike’s motor is off (which would be legal) or not just by looking either. so? Realistically, there are no resources dedicated to enforcing anything on the trail. If resources were to be allocated to MUPs, I would hope they would focus on behavior that is actually unsafe — speeding on trails (with or without a motor), passing too closely, dogs not on leashes, armed robberies. The vast majority of – no, I’ll say every single ebike I’ve ever seen on the MUPs in Arlington are riding about safely (save some uncalled passes). Every single bike I’ve seen that has made me think “that bike is going too fast for conditions” has been a regular bike. Does that mean we should ban all regular bikes and only allow ebieks on MUPs? Of course not. Focus on the behavior.

MUPs are an integral part of the bike infrastructure. Just like sharrows are part of bike infrastructure. Neither are reserved exclusively for bike use, but very little is. And as the post that started this noted, motors are already in the mix. Their presence is increasing rapidly. They aren’t what’s causing conflict — again, it’s specific behaviors (too fast for conditions, non-call passes, passing too close, passing when space is too tight, shoaling other cyclists).

[jnva]

Today was a great day to ride an ebike to work! Man that head wind would have been brutal otherwise

As I was (illegally) riding my ebike on the WOD this morning, I thought what if the majority if bikes on the mup were ebikes? Well, we’d be complaining about those dangerous non motorized bikes right?

I can peddle my ebike faster without the motor. I actually do sometimes, to get a good workout. But guess what it’s safer to ride with the motor. Peddling makes me tired, slightly off balance as my legs are pumping, and I’m less prepared to pull my brakes if needed.

[Mark Blacknell]

I’m just gonna leave this here and walk away.

[IMG]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151545830759526&set=a.10150486563949526.384429.170410129525&type=1&theater[/IMG][IMG]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151545830759526&set=a.10150486563949526.384429.170410129525&type=1&theater[/IMG]

[Subby]

I finally passed an eBike going North on the MVT yesterday morning. Seemed fine to me but I was kind of shocked by the really bad metallic smell it emitted. Maybe it just needed a tune-up?

[ShawnoftheDread]

Hehheh, Blacknell reads Shape.

[GuyContinental]

Gizmodo gets on the ebike thing:

http://gizmodo.com/commuting-is-no-sweat-on-these-swanky-e-bikes-489202445

Lot of cash to buy some of these and the performance is getting up to what I would call inappropriate for MUPs.

On a related note, yesterday I followed a Tesla Model S for about 30 miles deep in Tucker County WV… that’s a lonnnng mountainous way (150 miles+) from where I would expect to see one. Pretty cool to see that people are already comfortable with taking them on long-ish road trips. Range anxiety? Not for this dude:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2805[/ATTACH]

I suppose that he could just pull up to a windmill…

[JimF22003]

Freshbikes in Arlington has one of the new Specialized e-bikes in. That thing is amazing. Riding it is just wild. You barely turn the pedals and it just rockets forward. When you let up the effort the bike just keeps going. I could see it being a bit dangerous until you get used to it.

I almost rear-ended a Mercedes 😮

[CPTJohnC]

I am vehemently opposed to other people riding e-bikes for any reason. My ego is way to fragile to watch people who are barely pedaling cruising up hills.

[83b]

@CPTJohnC 51328 wrote:

I am vehemently opposed to other people riding e-bikes for any reason. My ego is way to fragile to watch people who are barely pedaling cruising up hills.

This brings up an interesting question. How glaringly unethical is it to use Strava while on an ebike? I can pretty easily crack 25mph up Capitol Hill (#1 or #2) while cranking, but without standing.

“My name is [§83b], king of [mountains]:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

–Percy Bysshe Shelley (more or less)

[Tim Kelley]

@83(b) 51348 wrote:

This brings up an interesting question. How glaringly unethical is it to use Strava while on an ebike? I can pretty easily crack 25mph up Capitol Hill (#1 or #2) while cranking, but without standing.

Can you knock out this one? http://app.strava.com/segments/739916

I’d rather someone else have it than it be a tie.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Tim Kelley 51349 wrote:

Can you knock out this one? http://app.strava.com/segments/739916

I’d rather someone else have it than it be a tie.

HR was 246bpm? Are you part rabbit or something?

[Author]

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