Two years ago, I started writing an article titled "Why do they hate us? Ebikes vs Bikers", but I never finished it. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across this article on Singletracks.com entitled "Electric bicycles are the product of Satan, mainly". This article caused great disagreement, and I finally decided it was time to write some responses for all electric bike haters. As an e-bike promoter, I have been subjected to almost never-ending negative effects on the Internet, including insults, harassment and several death threats. This article will use as few words as possible to explain why this attitude is completely nonsense. If you really care about the environment and the future of mankind, then when it comes to electric bicycles, there is really only one standpoint.
This is how I crushed it with a BBS02 mid-drive and backpack battery on a frozen pond 2.5 years ago
Everything is related to climate change
There are still climate deniers, but they are just disillusioned people living in a serious denial of the seriousness of the problem. It doesn’t take a genius to see the weather getting worse every year, I mean how bad the weather is before the public and our beloved cat leader wake up and smell the coffee? Compared to your giant steel car, truck, or SUV, an electric bicycle requires a few thousand times the energy required to transport your fat around town. This energy can be easily obtained from the sun completely free of charge, and will not have an impact on existing greenhouse gases at all. Anyone who opposes electric bike visits is firmly on the side of climate deniers and the ignorant "Merika" crowd.
The whole argument for electric bicycles is based on the following definition: What is a bicycle?
Although it seems a simple idea that a bicycle with a motor should be regarded as an electric bicycle, the federal law HR 727 defines an electric bicycle as a bicycle with an electric motor that has a speed of less than 20 mph and a weight of 170 pounds. The output power is less than 750 watts. Then continue to say that unless the local law clearly stipulates otherwise, any electric bicycle with these specifications can basically have the same passage as any non-motorized bicycle. This confusion about what electric bicycles means is the source of much confusion about the legality of electric bicycles. It's easy to say that anything with an electric motor is a "motor vehicle", but the laws in your area may be different.
I live near a state park, and on any sunny warm day, there will be 50-100 mountain bikers in downtown New York. In the 17 years I have lived there, I have only seen DEC rangers in the woods twice, and I have been in the woods almost every day. This means that the enforcement of the law is basically the responsibility of the public, so you need to let the MTB driver supervise it. The system works well, so everyone should leave it alone. I bet that most of the single-track trail riding spots in the world are self-regulated in the same way as riders. I hope that states can pass common-sense laws on electric bicycles like California did last year. This will make electric bicycles clearer, and there was only chaos before that.
Electric vehicles that are affordable and have a reasonable range have just come on the market. In contrast, electric bicycles are cheap and have a range of nearly ten years
Electric cars are not suitable for urban traffic, electric bicycles make more sense
Electric cars are designed for a market that has little or no interest in them, which is the main reason for their very slow adoption. Historically, they have a limited range of construction (excluding Tesla <75 miles) and are intended to be purchased by urban residents. The problem is that a large proportion of urban residents rent out their apartments or houses, and even those who have houses usually do not have street parking spaces or garages. If you don’t have a place to charge your car, you won’t even consider buying an electric car.
In contrast, electric bicycles are very small, even if their apt is in the basement or on the second floor, most people can bring them into their apt. If you hang it from the ceiling with a wheel, it will take up about 2 square feet of floor space. Compared with electric vehicles, electric bicycles are an excellent solution to urban "traffic problems". Once people living in big cities begin to realize this, the American market will explode like China and European markets.
California desperately managed to pass the country's first reasonable electric bike law
Want to ride in the snow? It has a motor or just find another winter sports
About three years ago, I completed the electric bicycle manufacturing of my first electric fat bicycle. I was very excited and had a great time riding it in deep snow every day, so I decided to take it to the nearest city (Syracuse, New York) to participate in a large Fatbike competition. I contacted the lady who hosted the event and explained that I don’t sell anything, I just made this very cool electric fat bike and I hope to give others a chance to ride it. I decided to stop after the game, but the reception I received was completely beyond my expectations.
The event was held on an unusually warm day, which meant that the track basically turned into a huge muddy. I took out my electric bicycle and showed it to a few drinking people. They were not interested in it, and continued to drink beer with their backs to me. I showed it to some other people who had the same reaction: "Why would you do this while riding a fat motorcycle?" I gave up, just jumped on the bike and started riding around.
While I was running on the track at a decent speed, others were trying to move, and a woman galloped down the track and disappeared under my feet. She looks very friendly and has a very expensive carbon fiber fat bike. She seemed to be interested in electric fat bikes, so she gave it a try. She really liked it, so her boyfriend tried it too, and he was very impressed. The two said a lot of good things and left on horseback. I talked to a few other people that day and none of them were interested in trying a bike or actually interacting with me. Later I realized that people just don't want to associate with people who install any type of engine on a fat bike. It's bad to be them, because I live there 80% of the time in winter, riding a fat bike is bad because there is no grooming, and the depth and consistency of the snow severely limits you. Trekking with unpowered fat bikes at speeds of <5 mph is not my pleasure.
If electric bicycles can make money, then the law will change. At this year's Interbike, electric bicycles stole the limelight. Although bicycle sales in the United States have stagnated, sales of electric bicycles in the United States have doubled every year in the past five years.
People just need to believe something. In my time, I have been addicted to many sports, white water kayaking, skiing, skateboarding, snowboarding, kite, parachuting, mountain unicycles and so on. Everyone who engages in this sport believes that everyone who engages in other sports will disrupt their good times. When water kites first became mainstream at the turn of the century, I heard from windsurfers time and time again. Has anything terrible that windsurfers are sure of will happen? Not really. The same is true for mountain bikers. They are convinced that when IMBA's independent research shows that legal (<750 watts) electric bicycles are completely unrelated to trail erosion, the eMTB on their trails will cause serious trail erosion and access problems. I find it ironic that when mountain bikers use exactly the same arguments (safety, erosion, access) that other off-road vehicle users use most often to prevent them from entering, I find it ironic.
Maybe if everyone takes a deep breath and takes a step back, we can see that some eMTB on the track will not become a big problem that people think. When you make a broad and comprehensive statement such as "These Satan-derived devices will destroy the soul of mountain bikes," you end up sounding like a religious fanatic, opposing electric bikes against your own personal holy war. For 15 years, I have been riding an intermediate mountain bike almost every day. I have ridden eMTB every winter in the past 3 years. I can safely say that whether you use a motor or not, MTB and eMTB are basically the same experience. With eMTB, you can decide how much exercise you want to do during training. 9 months of the year I prefer MTB, as if I am too fat and too lazy, and then my wife has promised that she will never have sex with me anymore.
eMTB as an entry drug
My 69-year-old friend Eric (from Shred Till You're Dead), who learned to ride a bike last year, finally crashed and bought his first non-motorized bicycle (transition full suspension with a retail price of $6,000) . Although he was worried that he would not be able to keep up with me on the first ride without an engine, he did a good job. All the training on his KHS 3000 electric fat bike made him have to pedal with me without a motor. I don’t even intend to make the argument that electric bicycles allow people with disabilities to use monorail trails, because I think this argument is overused and inappropriate. I would argue that with age and poor physical condition, eMTB will enable you to ride at the same level as you have been riding, even if you cannot use your original power as before.
There are many people on the Internet who will tell you things they would never say in person. The coward behind the keyboard is extremely dissatisfied with his life. If you are focused and at peace, nothing they say or do will affect you. Anger is like a poisonous poison, but unless you allow it, it will not affect the person it targets. More often, it consumes haters, makes them unhappy staying around, and bears karma for the universe. When someone swears at you on the Internet, the best thing to do is to imagine how miserable their life might be, if they take the time and energy to bash you and try to offer some sympathy instead of just reacting. I have someone on the Internet told me the craziest thing, but I just attribute it to a temporary insanity caused by spending too much time on the computer. This happens to all of us. Stay away from the screen, get off the bike and ride.
Electric bikes are really dangerous
Many people (including myself) find the power of electric bicycles incredibly addictive. The advantage of an electric bicycle is that you can easily make an electric bicycle with a power of 5,000 watts, and then only need to run at 750 watts. When I ride a fat Ludicrous motorcycle with 2500 watts, unless the snow is really deep, I rarely exceed 750 watts. It's great when I need power, but unlike an internal combustion engine, being able to move more watts through your settings does not necessarily mean that your motor or battery must be larger or heavier. Matthew Petzel was recently killed in a car accident (donated here to his family), I will not argue that electric bicycles are not more dangerous than ordinary bicycles, because I think they are definitely.
In the Netherlands, where almost everyone rides a bicycle in the past three years, 79 people died from electric bicycles, 87% of whom were over 60 years old. If you are willing to accept the risks associated with riding an electric bike in traffic, then you should be completely free to do so. Personally, I was hit by a car 3 times while riding a bicycle. I was hit twice and ran. Both times I hit and ran. I ended up being admitted to the hospital. I feel safer in the woods, I just need to worry about other riders and trees. In the past 3 years, I have only had one near-collision in the woods when someone was riding along a trail at a speed of more than 30 mph on an ordinary mountain bike, while I was riding at a speed of about 10 mph. Uphill. Even if I was walking, I would almost have a collision because this guy was riding too fast and completely out of control. If you are riding an electric bike in the woods, then I implore you to ride with some common sense and not to scream when you go up or down the mountain at high speed in the woods.
This is a very exciting time to enter the electric bicycle, the torque-sensing Luna Apollo will be released soon, it looks like an electric bicycle should be...sexy and fast
The electric bike is amazing to ride
In the past few years, I have encountered many enemies. One thing always changes people's minds and minds: let them ride electric bikes. Lend your electric bike to someone who treats you as if they want to string you up and roast you over an open flame. This may be difficult, but I assure you that friendship and politeness are the best against ignorance and hatred. Good weapon. Once haters have a chance to really try something they have always hated, they usually realize that things are not that bad, and sometimes they even *gasp* and have a good time. E-bike is really fun to ride, it allows you to chop in deep sand and snow, otherwise you will never be able to ride. If you can ride safely without hurting anyone else and at the same time help save the planet, what's not to like?
Can't we get along well?
Emile's For and the 58-year-old man, the heart of the legs and sweat hindered me from going to get off work...Working for me Ebike conversion
At 65, my knees started to get better. I almost accept the fact that my cycling days are coming to an end. (We have a lot of hills in Colorado.) Then, I stumbled upon Luna Cycle, and the next thing I knew was that I rode a modified hybrid and fell in love with it. Riding responsibly, I didn't encounter any problems or break-in. I believe that the overall riding etiquette of the electric bicycle community will determine the implementation and implementation of future regulations. I know that electric bicycles are the new kid in this neighborhood; but you better overcome it, they won't disappear anytime soon.
Those who think this is their world and you just live in it, but keep complaining about the lack of infrastructure or bike lanes are loose people with closed minds. In the United States, if you want to have an opportunity in infrastructure, you need to go all out. So let your brain work, or nothing in 10 years from now.
I live in an over-regulated nanny state in Australia. For a country with a reputation as a tough guy, everything here will kill you. We have the strictest European girl (please don’t beat me) laws, which paralyze electric bicycles. A toy. So, like every e-bike rider here, I deregulated and built a truly frightening e-bike speed demon, and used most of your ideas (Karl), such as using steel boxes, etc. Make my electric bicycle durable and lasting for a long time, thank you for your suggestions. The really stupid thing about them is that everyone here who rides an electric bike for the first time wants to deregulate, even Juiced bikes are sold here, but according to our law, they are illegal because they are too powerful. Riding my illegal electric bicycle in a responsible manner is an expression of the petrochemical monopoly.
People don't like change. But we need to change, this is part of our evolution. On July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan appeared on the stage at the Newport Folk Music Festival and plugged in his electric guitar for the first time that many people thought. Electric guitars were considered reckless and flashy at the time, and when Dylan was an electric guitar, many folk fans called him a hit. Electric guitars are now standard equipment for any type of band. The same thing happens on bicycles and electric bicycles.
I own, ride and manufacture traditional bicycles and electric bicycles, which I like to call evolution bicycles. We install electric motors on toothbrushes, garage doors, can openers, and many other things. Mounting the electric motor on the bicycle is simply great. Go ride one and tell me I am wrong.
Both bicycles have space in the general world, especially in the woods. In the Pacific Northwest, I am an avid hiker, camper, bike packer and my own kayak. For example, in the morning before breakfast, when rowing a boat in the calm coolness of a quiet glass, my coffee is still warm. I hate it, and I mean it hates being buzzed by the noisy and polluted idiots squirting out of the boat, they think it is a sport to kill fish with a hammer. But I would never say that those people cannot enjoy the lake, because it is a public property and I am also a guest there. In the woods with two wheels, experiencing a motorcycle and a pollution-free eMBT running at almost normal MTB speed is a completely different thing. The GD motorcycle starts to ruin your day 1/2 mile before passing you, hundreds of feet after he finishes smoking. I would not say that motorcycles must go.
Electric bicycles belong to any place where you can legally ride a bicycle! Riding eMTB with off-road motorcycles on motorways is dangerous and will be a real trouble for off-road motorcycle riders.
If the electric bicycle is a product of Satan, then Satan must be a very talented electrical/mechanical engineer who has made important contributions to saving the planet. I will only admit that when I pass other rides on a steep slope, I do feel that there must be some kind of criminal behavior. But no one is perfect, are they?
I like my two electric bicycles. I found an old original Ebike given to me by my neighbor and rebuilt it. I found another Ebike frame and built a cross-country bike.
Cube Reacton 500 with Bosch was deregulated by the German "bad ass device" and sold my Specialized Roubaix and Giant Perigee
Agree, they will not disappear anytime soon, and everything will be shaken in the end. I remembered snowboarding "is the end of skiing, ruining the mountain!" I was lucky to be far away from the popular local mountain bike trails on most of the rides in Idaho, but when I did it, I felt similar Ride at a speed (or slower) and no one has encountered a problem. The (few) Autobots I met on other trails were all fine. It seemed that the so-called problems were only on the Internet. So, I banged my head there and tried to convince others that it was a good thing, the best thing I have ever done! The main thing I do is to ride a lot of bikes in the city and other places to make people realize how cool they are.
However, I sometimes cannot explain this because I take it for granted. Calling my rides "solar" does attract people's attention, but I need to do more. Therefore, ride more bikes, pay attention to safety, treat others politely, and let opponents breathe.
The battery of the Luna e-bike doesn’t look right.. can you see it?
Once, I decided not to own a car, but to commute to get off work on an electric bike. With the money I could have spent on the car, I made the electric bicycle I wanted. The result is that there is no parking sadness, a lot of money is saved, and commuting is very fun. How many people are still looking forward to the drive to and from get off work?
In addition to the fun of riding, the repair and maintenance of electric bicycles is also an interesting and challenging hobby.
There are fundamental and misleading arguments on both sides of the electric bicycle problem-including this-which will continue to divide the bicycle community, if anyone notices it, it is not actually a community, but a variety of quarrelsome feudal states . Are there any "Roadies" and "Mountain Bikers"? Too subtle? How does each person compare to the "reliant person", the main argument seems to be how a person sits on a bicycle? Even the people who have the same flag on the surface-racing road people-are full of anger and acrimony when it comes to the topic of disc brakes. It needs to be emphasized that all of us are more than just getting along.
So, if possible, let us agree on this: many different types of bicycles. Many different types of cyclists. Many different agendas often compete with each other.
Next step: Each of our feudal kingdoms will have a series of different questions on the theme of electric bicycles. Some people will abandon their suspension bridges and welcome electric bicycles. Others will heat a cauldron of boiling chain oil and fight against the encroachment of electric bicycles every time the pedal stroke is assisted.
Two examples, one for and one against.
Urban cyclists: commuters. Errand runner. Child porters. grocery store. Change the SUV to an electric bike? Of course. There are various meanings. Cheaper, easier to park, less pollution, less road wear and tear, yada yada. Insert us.
Mountain biker. not that simple. The crux of the problem is the path to public land. As a problem, the problem you pointed out has all the clarity and suction of a quagmire. Who can visit where?
Although HR 727 does not designate an electric bicycle below 750 watts as a motor vehicle, non-electric mountain bikers will point out-logically-if it has a motor, it is a motor vehicle, so it belongs to the state level on trails. Jurisdiction. And law enforcement.
Didn't you mention that it is easy to make a 5,000 watt electric bicycle? Didn't you also mention that electricity is-shocking-addictive? Now, how many DEC Rangers have you seen in the woods in the past 17 years? Two is it? Therefore, communities that think that our budget is tight will equip thousands of rangers with eticket books (such as cross-country road patrolmen) to stop electric bicycles on trails to check whether their output power meets the federally regulated 750 watts. Reality? Option B: Assuming they just ban anything with motors, how realistic is this? Or worse, replace all bicycles?
I know which way I am betting.
So electric bicycles can make all the statements they want, but unless you can unify the feudal system, bicycle enthusiasts unite behind a common goal, or the government pave the way on the legislative quagmire, in this country, electric bicycles may not Go far, far, fast. At least not off-road.
@chilican-You have some interesting points, I don't necessarily disagree. However, there are many reasons why each cycling subgroup needs to overcome its own personal agenda and accept all other subtypes.
Example 1: I live in an area separated by a river. There are only a few bridges within a few miles. These bridges are controlled by a "nonprofit organization", which determines tolls and bridge tolls. All bridges have sidewalks/bicycle lanes. But they closed these sidewalks very early—for example, at sunset, and then didn't open them until commute time the next morning. Riding on the road is illegal-electric bicycles or other methods. Legislation stipulating that everyone can access at all times requires tremendous effort. This requires everyone to cooperate for a common goal. Including pedestrians.
Example 2: As an avid hiker, I don’t particularly like sharing trails with bicycles or horses. However, when acquiring additional land use rights, I hope that the mountain bike and equestrian communities will be on my side. Or close roads that are rarely or unused.
I really don't understand the hostility of some people in the MTB community towards eMTB. It looks silly. eMTB is not an ATV or off-road vehicle, does not make noise, and uses trails in the same way as traditional mountain bikes. Some purists say "this is cheating" or "too easy" on eMTB. So go one step further; then why should there be gears? Or the brakes? Suck it up, the fixture on the mountain bike. Or walk.
Personally, I don't want to be any member of any group or club. Maybe this is how many cyclists feel. This is why it is so easy to belittle another group of cyclists. But in terms of legislation, we do need to unite.
“Therefore, communities that think that our budget is tight will equip thousands of rangers with eticket books (such as cross-country road patrolmen) to stop electric bikes on trails to check whether their output is linked to the federally regulated 750. What is this? Reality tile?"
It's not realistic, and it doesn't need to be. The assumption of this question is that we need laws and we need law enforcement. None of these things makes sense.
For reference only, electric bicycles are not "federal regulations" of 750 watts.
"Non-electric mountain bikers will point out-logically-if it has a motor, it is a motor vehicle"
It may be logical, but it is wrong. The term "motor vehicle" has a specific definition that electric bicycles don't usually meet. These "non-electric mountain bikers" solve this problem by using the term "motor vehicles", which shows that they are deliberately dishonest in this matter.
"So electric bike enthusiasts can make all the statements they want, but until you can unify the feudal system of bike enthusiasts and unite after a common goal..."
The hypothesis embedded in this statement is that electric bikers should get along with existing groups that mistakenly wage war with them, and these groups often dominate local political discussions to prevent others from gaining their privileges. They quickly forgot their wrong aspect of this problem not long ago.
Public land is for public use. The problem is that once certain interest groups obtain privileges, they will actively seek to prevent others from obtaining the same privileges. There is no reason why bicycles should not be ridden, but cyclists should be banned for exclusive use, and non-assisted bicycles should be banned. It also makes sense. The problem is simple. People are selfish in their thoughts and actions, including bikers. People need to overcome themselves.
global warming. You might stop there.
This country has real problems. The income of the middle class is increasingly unable to afford what we think is related to the American way of life. Rent a bedroom in a complex in Los Angeles for $2,200 per month. Target wants to increase the base salary to $15 per hour, but how many jobs do you need to pay the rent?
So electric bicycles can serve people, but people may end up living in vans. I think Court Rye lives in the Prius, which is his credit, but it's also a bit scary. I bought a Promaster City van, which is not a lot of money. (It is made by Fiat in Turkey, so what will go wrong?) I can see how you set it as "home", but my goal will not be more than a few weeks. Some people in the city will eventually become people like #vanlife. People who do this will say "yes, it's not great, but the extra $1,500 per month will come in handy." Or maybe they won't work to death by themselves. Can people afford the current housing and transportation? The answer is no". More extreme weather will not help.
My complaint to the electric bicycle industry is that it is too high-end. Sell your $4,000 electric bike, but don't be shocked when Yamaha or some Chinese company makes a $3,000 motorcycle, city speed, blows your electric bike out of the water as a means of transportation. It is difficult to predict the ultimate development direction of electric bicycles. They are better rec bikes, but this is usually a "toy" feature. They are very suitable for real rehabilitation. I recovered from a serious illness because I have an electric bicycle. For transportation, you need bicycle infrastructure or street vehicles. I don’t think the current political situation is helpful to bicycle infrastructure. In the end, you will sell a lot of things to people with very small incomes.
Maybe America’s 2025 vision is a van with Sondors hanging behind it.
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Just to supplement what you said about global warming, the terrible reality is that, contrary to the IPCC spreading memes owned by oil and automobile companies, we still have a large carbon budget to keep warming below 2 degrees, we What I actually have is a zero-carbon budget that guarantees a 3 degree increase in temperature! This is due to three known but usually overlooked factors; 30-year system lag, global dimming masking, and multiple positive feedback accelerators. The IPCC is forced to exclude these powerful, game-changing factors because they are politically inconvenient and not conducive to business, but they can easily exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius or more in total. Because we already have 1.5c, that is 3c. With the best wishes in the world, it is unlikely to reduce carbon dioxide production in the next 10 years. With all the dirty coal being burned, forest fires, etc., it may even double. So what guarantee will we get by the middle of this century? A warming below 4c is definitely very unlikely. The IPCC's suggestion that we have any shape or form of a carbon budget is at best a delusion, and at worst it is criminal negligence. We actually have a negative budget, that is, considering the factors they ignore, we have exceeded the 2 degree budget. In any case, 2c is now considered extremely dangerous. Many scientists now say that 1.5c is likely to prove to be fatal because it is mixed with the peak of the oil economy’s collapse and overpopulation.
Therefore, in light of the above, anyone who complains about electric bicycles needs to treat their priorities correctly. Trivial doubts about speeding or bicycle lane damage are overwhelmed by the practicality of preventing global warming. Since the energy requirements of electric bicycles and mopeds are relatively minimal, they are clearly a scalable and sustainable alternative to automobiles that electric vehicles can never replace.
Another benefit of an electric bike is that if you spend a day on a long trip, you can bear as much weight as you need. I often leave the highway in remote places and can bring tools, plenty of food and drink, my camera and anything I need. This can't be done easily with ordinary bicycles. Sometimes you walk along a path and find that the local farmers have ploughed it. Happened to me the other day. Suddenly, I had to walk through a field of knee-high grass. I just stood on the pedal, rode over with the accelerator, and picked up the trail on the other side. It is really difficult for you to ride an unassisted bicycle.
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I was reading another article of yours. You said that you don't know how to ride a motorcycle because it is dangerous. In another article you said that a three-wheeled car is also dangerous. I understand your frustration. If people like you can't ride a 2/3 wheeler on the street, what hope is there to make it a common phenomenon in the United States?
I hope that bicycles and packaged tricycles will become rich in the future. I think cars like Solo Electra Mechanica and Fiat 500e are a step in the right direction.
2/3 wheeled vehicles are dangerous. But do you know what is more dangerous? A 3500+ pound vehicle is designed to not care if it is hit.
Our entire fleet needs a diet. If the street is full of Mini Coopers, Miatas, Fortwos and Fiat 500s, more people will consider riding motorcycles on the street. This will be a self-feeding cycle.
How does the government make such a change in culture? Establishing a special sales tax or registration fee based on the weight of the car is the best option. Use this tax to build special bicycle lanes or use it to build green spaces that promote pedestrian walking.
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