Electric bikes

[mstone]

@jnva 147714 wrote:

I know exactly who OP is, as he has told me to “get a real bike”.

Wow, really? I’d assumed it was just a Friday troll.

[jnva]

Yep, for real. I’ve been yelled at a lot and I’m used to it.

[pmf]

@jnva 147714 wrote:

I know exactly who OP is, as he has told me to “get a real bike”. This guy is a rude rude a-hole. What kind of person does this? Just shouts at people like this? For your info, buddy, I do have a “real” bike. I’ve been bike commuting to DC longer than you have. It’s funny that you really aren’t in great shape considering all the riding you do, but that’s none of my business.

I only ride on the mup when I have to (mainly to cross 495 and 7) or when it’s raining.

I’m guessing more than just me does this given how sensitive you are about it. I’ve decided to quit being such an a-hole and not saying anything to you guys as you buzz by. I do worry what commuting is going to become when a substantial portion of the bikes on the path are motorized. I ride 4000-5000 miles a year. Maybe I don’t look like I’m in great shape, but I’m in a lot better shape than I’d be if my bike was motorized. Yeah, I’ve got kids and a 17 mile each way commute, so save the excuses.

[dbb]

@bentbike33 147712 wrote:

Cool beans! If we get a few more cars on it, the W&OD will be featured in the radio and TV traffic reports. :rolleyes:

And maybe VDOT will seek to widen it!

[jabberwocky]

Electric bikes/e-assist/e-cars like the elf/etc on MUPs is a whole complicated issue on its own, but painting riders as “lazy” and berating them is just wrong. In the grand scheme of things, much better someone ride an e-bike than drive a car.

Theres probably gonna be a point where the community and managers have to address it and I don’t know how thats gonna shake out. As e-bikes get cheaper and faster and more widespread, we are absolutely going to start seeing serious conflicts on the trail. The fact is that the W&OD is among the best MUPs in the area and even it just isn’t designed to handle high speed traffic.

[Steve O]

@pmf 147717 wrote:

I’ve decided to quit being such an a-hole and not saying anything to you guys as you buzz by.

This is a good strategy. I think you would be hard pressed to find a single example of someone who changed their behavior (or their vehicle) because they were yelled at.

There are thousands of posts on this forum decrying the behavior of others of all types: drivers, cyclists, dog walkers, ELF owners, joggers, ninjas, pathletes, bus drivers, taxi drivers, segway-istas, Pokemon-Go players, etc. (but not unicycle riders, AFAICR )

I generally rely on just two strategies (although I’ll admit to yelling “put down your f&*^$#ing phone” just this morning): 1) If the opportunity arises, a considerate and gentle conversation that does not attempt to assign blame or put the other on the defensive, ala Dirt; and 2) modeling the behavior I would like others to employ.

Outside of that, if I just remember that I am riding a bike, which makes life better in general, that is often enough.

[Subby]

I only specifically hate those e-Bikers that don’t have a good reason. Screw those guys, whoever they are! *shakes fist*

[jnva]

@pmf 147717 wrote:

I’m guessing more than just me does this given how sensitive you are about it. I’ve decided to quit being such an a-hole and not saying anything to you guys as you buzz by. I do worry what commuting is going to become when a substantial portion of the bikes on the path are motorized. I ride 4000-5000 miles a year. Maybe I don’t look like I’m in great shape, but I’m in a lot better shape than I’d be if my bike was motorized. Yeah, I’ve got kids and a 17 mile each way commute, so save the excuses.

The reason I’m offended by your accusation is because it’s not true. I don’t buzz by anybody. As a matter of fact, I’m often buzzed by “you guys”. Thank you for not being an a-hole from now on, I appreciate it.

I usually don’t ride on the path because it’s more convenient to ride with traffic now that I can keep up. It’s all about getting to work for me, exercise is secondary. I also run marathons, so I don’t really need it anyway….

There’s been a lot of posts recently about bad behavior on the bike path. I think it’s indicative of the type of people who live in the DC area. I regret raising my kids in this area and plan to retire somewhere else. I can’t wait to get out of here…

[huskerdont]

@run/bike 147713 wrote:

your beef should be with the type of behavior you see on the roads and paths, not what people are riding.

This is a really good point. It’s similar to those drivers who complain about all cyclists as if they were just one block of people. It isn’t fair or useful to lump all people in one category together as having the same behavior. Although sometimes it can be fun, as in the case of SUV drivers.:rolleyes:

[ShawnoftheDread]

@huskerdont 147723 wrote:

It isn’t fair or useful to lump all people in one category together as having the same behavior. Although sometimes it can be fun, as in the case of SUV drivers.:rolleyes:

And people from Maryland. They make me so mad!

[Subby]

@jnva 147722 wrote:

There’s been a lot of posts recently about bad behavior on the bike path. I think it’s indicative of the type of people who live in the DC area. I regret raising my kids in this area and plan to retire somewhere else. I can’t wait to get out of here…

I do believe that, in the end, all of our problems could be quickly solved by making generalizations about large groups of people.

[ShawnoftheDread]

Don’t get me started about all those rich jerks in McLean. With their fancy schools and landscaped yards.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Vicegrip]

@ShawnoftheDread 147726 wrote:

Don’t get me started about all those rich jerks in McLean. With their fancy schools and landscaped yards.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OK now you are messing with me too. Well except the rich, fancy schools and landscaped yard parts. :rolleyes:

[ursus]

@vern 147711 wrote:

There’s the ELF, which is quite large, but there’s another guy who rides in this little car thing that looks like a 60’s vintage Formula 1 car. I’ve seen it between Vienna and Reston – basically the same portion of the WOD where I see the ELF.

The little car sounds like what I saw and Buckthorn is in that segment of the W&OD.

[Crickey7]

I was annoyed the first few times I saw an E-bike on the CCT, but I’ve concluded I was wrong. E Bikes are going to be a big part of the future of biking for lots of reasons, and in general that’s a good thing for sustainable transportation. What they do works for them and doesn’t take away from me and my riding.

[Author]

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