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The problem with bikes is the collision safety issues as well as protection from weather. It's not so much that pedalling is hard, but that it's not safe, and r

by rsj_hn 5y ago

The problem with bikes is the collision safety issues as well as protection from weather. It's not so much that pedalling is hard, but that it's not safe, and requires a high trust society. While there are small island of high trust urban socities still around, they are not the norm. Yes, I know of all the bike riders in Holland. I also know that the rest of the world is very different from Holland. This is why ever larger SUVs are popular. That's not to say that they can't be electric, but the future is more with the frigthteningly large cybertruk clad with bulletproof glass that provides someone comfort driving through a dystopia of riots, assaults, and protection from other cybetruck drivers running into them, rather than a version of happy milk-maids bicycling through meadows of flowers. This vision of bike riders, while certainly very pretty, is lost in the Julie Andrews past, and will remain a dream as long as we continue to live distrustful, isolated lives. Unfortunately nothing I've seen has made me believe the west is even capable of turning that around, and whether it turns around or not has nothing to do with urban planning or technological advances.

MivLives 5y ago
My biggest concern when I'm on an ebike is parking it. Bike racks and locks aren't really designed for the thicker tubes. My bike is suddenly worth 5 or 8 times as much as it was without the motor. When I used to ride a One Wheel around, at least I could take it with me. With a car I could at least be sure it likely wouldn't be stolen.
- entropicgravity 5y ago
  Much of this could be remedied by ebike makers including a front wheel lock that keeps the wheel at an angle. Almost all mopeds have this and it's cheap and effective. Because the lock is integrated with the steering breaking it involves breaking the bike. Because the wheel is "turned" a thief has to either carry it or but it in a vehicle both of which attract attention.
  - rsj_hn 5y ago
    As long as you can lift a bike and stick it in the back of a pickup truck or load it into a van, bikes are going to be much easier to steal regardless of physical locking mechanism. But one interesting idea is some kind of electronic kill switch and GPS tracker, particularly on the electric bikes that have juice. I think that would be the direction I'd like to take anti-theft defences for bikes. But as you start adding more valuable components to bikes like batteries and motors, you will start getting bike chop shops like you have with cars.
entropicgravity 5y ago
What I'm talking about here applies to the urban downtown where traffic is usually congested and slow. The situation you're describing is more like stroads and highways where bigger is better. Driving a cybertruck in congested downtown traffic is not something that most drivers would look forward to. A zippy ebike would get them where they're going faster and more conveniently.
- asdff 5y ago
  It's not easy for people to pick up that confidence to be honest. I know people who would be freightened to share the road with such heavy traffic. Even when I lane split I hold my breath, because in gridlocked traffic drivers typically muscle over between lanes without looking and rarely signalling, prime opportunity for you to hit an unexpected broadside. Not to mention the risk of being doored going past streetparked cars, people have like died from that. When I bike in town now I have to navigate around these heavy trafficked sections, favoring roundabout residential roads that usually take me longer than the direct path on stroads (bad in traffic for above, bad when they are clear since people go 60mph if no one is ahead of them). It's just not pleasant riding out on these congested streets or open stroads after you've had a number of close calls. I used to do it a lot but I've lost my appetite for that unfortunately, and my city is not building bike lanes at any decent pace in my neighborhood which is depressing. I support transit and bikes but at this point I'm taking a car out for everything because its three times as fast as the bus, and I'm not worrying about getting my head smashed by someone texting in a G wagon like on my bike.

by rsj_hn 5y ago

MivLives 5y ago

My biggest concern when I'm on an ebike is parking it. Bike racks and locks aren't really designed for the thicker tubes. My bike is suddenly worth 5 or 8 times as much as it was without the motor. When I used to ride a One Wheel around, at least I could take it with me. With a car I could at least be sure it likely wouldn't be stolen.

entropicgravity 5y ago
Much of this could be remedied by ebike makers including a front wheel lock that keeps the wheel at an angle. Almost all mopeds have this and it's cheap and effective. Because the lock is integrated with the steering breaking it involves breaking the bike. Because the wheel is "turned" a thief has to either carry it or but it in a vehicle both of which attract attention.
- rsj_hn 5y ago
  As long as you can lift a bike and stick it in the back of a pickup truck or load it into a van, bikes are going to be much easier to steal regardless of physical locking mechanism. But one interesting idea is some kind of electronic kill switch and GPS tracker, particularly on the electric bikes that have juice. I think that would be the direction I'd like to take anti-theft defences for bikes. But as you start adding more valuable components to bikes like batteries and motors, you will start getting bike chop shops like you have with cars.

entropicgravity 5y ago

What I'm talking about here applies to the urban downtown where traffic is usually congested and slow. The situation you're describing is more like stroads and highways where bigger is better. Driving a cybertruck in congested downtown traffic is not something that most drivers would look forward to. A zippy ebike would get them where they're going faster and more conveniently.

asdff 5y ago
It's not easy for people to pick up that confidence to be honest. I know people who would be freightened to share the road with such heavy traffic. Even when I lane split I hold my breath, because in gridlocked traffic drivers typically muscle over between lanes without looking and rarely signalling, prime opportunity for you to hit an unexpected broadside. Not to mention the risk of being doored going past streetparked cars, people have like died from that. When I bike in town now I have to navigate around these heavy trafficked sections, favoring roundabout residential roads that usually take me longer than the direct path on stroads (bad in traffic for above, bad when they are clear since people go 60mph if no one is ahead of them). It's just not pleasant riding out on these congested streets or open stroads after you've had a number of close calls. I used to do it a lot but I've lost my appetite for that unfortunately, and my city is not building bike lanes at any decent pace in my neighborhood which is depressing. I support transit and bikes but at this point I'm taking a car out for everything because its three times as fast as the bus, and I'm not worrying about getting my head smashed by someone texting in a G wagon like on my bike.