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Before you get on one of these, it’s good to check your perspective on safety: https://youtu.be/wM8Xli2KTzI https://youtu.be/wM8Xli2KTzI As a motorcyclist, ele
by IgorPartola 5y ago
Before you get on one of these, it’s good to check your perspective on safety: https://youtu.be/wM8Xli2KTzI https://youtu.be/wM8Xli2KTzI
As a motorcyclist, electric bicycles make me very nervous.
- 1-more 5y agoIt’s kind of a thing for me as a cyclist. Like I had to get good at handling a bike every speed slowly because I didn’t get faster overnight, I didn’t just go walking to 40 overnight.
- IgorPartola 5y agoIt’s not just about how fast you are going. When you drive a car, do you look out for pedestrians running at 40? Would you be surprised if one showed up in front of you? Now imagine the same thing with a bicycle.
- 1-more 5y agoWait you lost me. Is the cyclist the pedestrian or the motorist in this scenario?
- IgorPartola 5y agoThe cyclist. If anyone on the road does something that the soccer mom or SUV dad texting while driving don’t expect, they are going to be in much greater danger than if they didn’t do the unexpected thing.
- ohmaigad 5y agoSomewhat irrelevant in places where motor assist is limited to 25kph (EU for example).
- NietTim 5y agoIf the builder of a DIY bike choses to adhere to that....
- ohmaigad 5y agoBut that is not an issue with e-bikes as a whole (it is also illegal and fineable in places where restrictions apply).
- nsxwolf 5y agoI wouldn’t want to go faster. 15 mph is probably faster than I’ve ever gone.
- wikidani 5y agoI wouldn't worry too much, I have routinely done about 50-60 km/h on a motorized bike and had 0 issues. Always had the best disk brakes I could buy though.
- IgorPartola 5y agoAnekdata doesn’t prove much here. Some things you might not be considering: 1. At 60 km/h you are going the speed of a car but car drivers don’t expect you to be going that fast and as a result aren’t wired to look for you. Doesn’t matter how fast you were going when a car going 60-90 km/h didn’t see you and ran you over. 2. Brakes are only half the equation. If your tires start slipping your brakes will lock up and then you go splat. 3. If you do happen to get off at 60 km/h you will have road rash that will take off large chunks of skin even if you wear an armored jacket and armored gloves. In spandex you’ll be looking like Deadpool pretty quickly. 4. Your tires will heat up pretty quickly at these speeds. That will affect how they handle quite a bit.
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- 5y ago
- dharmab 5y agoThe same channel proposed using a similar kit with a donor motorcycle. You get the advantage of a stronger frame, better brakes and better tires: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2zlYpy6QCM&t=300s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2zlYpy6QCM&t=300s
- corney91 5y agoThis guy is wrong when he says the UK "has a culture of commuting on two wheels." We have a huge problem with cycle infrastructure, as evidenced by the stats he presents. Ok, London's probably decent but transport everywhere else in the country is built around cars.
- dharmab 5y agoCompared to Canada (where Fortnine mostly films), anywhere in the UK is cycling heaven.
- corney91 5y agoPicking a country like the UK who have stats available would be fine then, but suggesting it's a better case scenario with that comment about culture is just trying to skew the conclusion. It doesn't help that the stats show a massive difference in injuries/deaths as well. By all means, everyone should choose your favoured transport, but the video really seems like FUD.
- c6401 5y agoI kind of think that the difference between electric bike and motorcycle is that electric bike ideally should be used on bike lanes within speed limit. So if the intention behind making an e-bike is to use it like a motorcycle then yes, motorcycle will be safer. But if the intention is to use it as a bicycle, using bicycle infrastructure (which arguably is very limited in America unlike how things are in Europe) at bicycle speeds but just without coming to your job covered with sweat then bicycles are safe.
- loeg 5y ago> As a motorcyclist, electric bicycles make me very nervous. Riding one yourself, or others riding them? And if you could elaborate, why do they make you nervous?
- yonaguska 5y agoThey make me nervous, bc, as other commenters have pointed out- brakes, suspension, and traction matter a lot. The difference between the cheap version of a motorcycle and the sport version isn't the engine, it's the brakes and suspension ( and now electronics). But the main thing is the lack of helmets. One motorcycles, the center of gravity is low. You are more likely to fall and slide than go head over handlebars. At motorcycle speed, you should be wearing a full face helmet. I very rarely see the guys on e-bikes wearing full face helmets. Then you look at the wheels and tires, higher speeds means more acceleration and faster stops, means more wear- which means much more maintenance. That most people aren't really paying attention to. Maintenance on two wheels is more than just a reliability issue, it's a safety issue. Finally, people give no respect to bikes on the road. Especially in the US. You could be cruising along at 30 mph at the speed limit and someone will feel the need to pass you because you're on a bicycle.
- vghjfhg 5y agoPeople feel the need to pass you when you go the speed limit because they are used to driving much faster than the speed limit, not because you're on a bicycle.
- tshaddox 5y agoI assume the commenter was talking about situations where it wouldn’t be possible for a car to pass another 30mph car (or the overtaking car driver wouldn’t be bold enough to try).
- Dylan16807 5y agoFeeling the need to pass because of speed plus the ability to pass because it's a bike, is pretty different from feeling the need to pass because it's a bike. At the speed limit both of those things will happen. At 5 over the former will be much less common.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]