eBikes and electric powered vehicles (including the Elf)

[Steve O]

@cvcalhoun 129578 wrote:

Also, remember that there is nothing to prevent you from joining the Bunch ‘O Slackers,

Only veterans may be slackers. That decision has already been made.

[cvcalhoun]

Sorry, I was assuming 83(b) was a veteran. @Steve O 129617 wrote:

Only veterans may be slackers. That decision has already been made.

[Steve O]

I was going to suggest that e-bikes would count for #kidical and actual cargo miles, when carrying a load that is more than just commuting stuff + return miles if it’s a 1-way trip, but then I read 83(b)’s long discourse and am not so sure.

I do find the idea of an enclosed vehicle to go against the whole spirit of Freezing Saddles, however. If one is going to be hit by the snowplow detritus, it should be full force.

[video=youtube_share;mJKzW2JRGos]http://youtu.be/mJKzW2JRGos[/video]

[Steve O]

@cvcalhoun 129618 wrote:

Sorry, I was assuming 83(b) was a veteran.

Right. I took your comment to be more general in nature, but obviously misinterpreted. Oops.

[consularrider]

@Steve O 129619 wrote:

I was going to suggest that e-bikes would count for #kidical and actual cargo miles, when carrying a load that is more than just commuting stuff + return miles if it’s a 1-way trip, but then I read 83(b)’s long discourse and am not so sure.

I do find the idea of an enclosed vehicle to go against the whole spirit of Freezing Saddles, however. If one is going to be hit by the snowplow detritus, it should be full force.

[video=youtube_share;mJKzW2JRGos]http://youtu.be/mJKzW2JRGos[/video]

I think the ELF should be required to be fitted out with a snow removal attachment to balance out it’s power benefits and provide clearer trails for the rest of the BAFS riders.

[ian74]

@SolarBikeCar 129613 wrote:

The survey, the discussion…. Just too funny. Hilarious. I can’t stop laughing and take this vote seriously.

It’s one thing if you legitimately want to participate, but if you’re just trolling or doing this for the LOLs it’s kind of sad and disappointing.

[sjclaeys]

@peterw_diy 129608 wrote:

I take it you didn’t like my attempt at a joke.

Am I only allowed to “respond” to your suggestion with humorless prose?

Ok, I’ll try. From what I can tell, over half the points scored are scored on road bikes weighing less than 25 pounds. And most with ebikes here are not only riding fewer miles, but doing it with a lot of sometimes squiggly cargo. With the current demographics there’s no need to banish ebikes to the slacker pit. This isn’t boxing or wrestling with pre-match weigh-ins. Even if we cared about fairness (shouldn’t Rod outscore Eric considering his trailer weight?), there’s no need to treat ebike riders here as if they’re using EPO.

The combined weight of my steel commuter bike and panniers is about 50 lbs. When I am effortlessly passed by an ebike while pushing against the wind on the MVT or going up a hill on the Custis, then, yeah, I think that there is a fairness issue, and don’t think that there’s such an issue when I’m passed by someone on a light road bike because they are at least doing it under their own power.

[DismalScientist]

At some point deep down Freezing Saddles is an athletic competition and therefore motor assist should not be allowed. This positition has nothing to do with whether an e-bike is a good transportation alternative.

Is it fair that people ride different weight bikes? Well, who said the world is fair? Some people have more time to devote to this stupidity than others. (Maybe if your bike is too heavy, you are–Rod excepted–carrying too much crap.)

Personally, I think crabon bikes should eliminated since they shatter too easily in the cold. And BarMitts? They’re just for pansies.:rolleyes:

[Raymo853]

I say let the ELF rider in, will give us the opportunity to save all his tracks as to hold as evidence against him.

[Vicegrip]

@SolarBikeCar 129613 wrote:

The survey, the discussion…. Just too funny. Hilarious. I can’t stop laughing and take this vote seriously.

That is ok. We are all having a good laugh too! Having a good laugh is one of the key goals of F.S.
I can understand that you would find this odd or confusing and therefore think it is funny. We are all having a fun time here and you are welcome to read along even if you are likely totally clueless to the community commuting cycling competition content and characters involved. Trust me, plenty of people are laughing and shaking their heads at your online and on trail activity so we now have something in common.

Being in on a good joke and being the butt of one is not the same thing.

[vvill]

I think we should just allow all e-bike entries and then we can discriminate later on based on the stats that come up. I don’t think anyone has issues with riders such as 83(b) and dasgeh. Pretty sure there are others who have e-assist bikes as well (Rob O, for example).

That said, I think I would either put ELF guy in his own team or just exclude ELFs from the game. It’s a stretch to say that it’s even in the same class of vehicle and I think a perfectly reasonable and enforceable distinction. After all, the general consensus was that it shouldn’t even be on the trails.

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

It seems like the people who ride electric have a lot more time to write lots of long posts. Kinda jealous now.

[Sunyata]

Not that my opinion matters much, but I am going to state it anyway.

With regards to e-assist bikes: allow them. They have been allowed in the past, and I seriously doubt anyone in the top 20% of riders was on an e-bike, so did it really make that much difference? Besides, the spirit of the game is to go out and ride your bicycle in the freezing cold with friends. If someone on an e-bike wants to join in on the fun, let them. The more, the merrier. This is supposed to be fun (in a very cold and silly way).

With regards to the ELF: it is not an e-assist bicycle. It is a fully enclosed electric vehicle with pedal assist. It should not be allowed to participate on those merits alone. In addition, I honestly doubt that the ELF driver will be a constructive addition to our game. His forum antics have only caused dissension and could be construed as trolling. Will he come out for group rides (is that even safe)? Will he come to happy hours? Or is he just in it to drum up some publicity and controversy? Again, this is supposed to be fun. If the addition of this person to our game will reduce the fun, then…

That is my two cents.

[Anonymous]

I think the determination should be the ride, not the bike. If I understand correctly, throttle bikes like 83(b)’s can be ridden basically as a bike under pedal power, or basically as a scooter, under motor power. If he rides it like a bike, pedaling all the time that a person on a non-e-assist bike would pedal (unless we require everyone to get a fixie, we all stop pedaling to brake and maybe coast downhill), then the ride counts. If he’s tired or lazy one day and rides to work mostly under throttle power w/o really bothering to pedal then he #nobafs that ride and it doesn’t count. We trust people not to cheat, just like we trust people not to cheat on manual entries and trainer rides and not putting their bikes on top of their cars and driving around the neighborhood with the heater at full blast. I haven’t answered the poll, because the poll is based on the capability of the bike, not the characteristics of the ride, so I’m not sure how to answer it.

[hozn]

@DismalScientist 129624 wrote:

At some point deep down Freezing Saddles is an athletic competition and therefore motor assist should not be allowed. This positition has nothing to do with whether an e-bike is a good transportation alternative.

I think this sentiment hits the nail on the head. As rcannon100 has pointed out in the past, FS was never intended to be a cycling advocacy tool. It is a competition, and one that is fundamentally athletic.

[Author]

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