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As they should. There are several ebikes that on throttle can hit close to 50 mph, which is enough for commuting on road ways, while having a low power pedelec

As they should. There are several ebikes that on throttle can hit close to 50 mph, which is enough for commuting on road ways, while having a low power pedelec mode for regular bike path commuting. This is the perfect solution to public transportation, compared to any other alternative.

wizofaus 4y ago
You mean "private transportation"? I'm an avid bike rider, and it's not the lack of a motor that holds me back from promoting it as anything like the "perfect solution" for anything - the reality is bikes do expose you to more danger of getting injured, aren't great in wet weather, and unsuitable for longer distances or when carrying bulky loads. But for any journey that those aren't the primary concerns, regular push bikes are pretty close to perfect. I can see e-bikes being handy in hotter/hillier climates or for riders with physical conditions that exclude them from maintaining the leg strength (and/or aerobic capacity) to provide their own pedal power. I can't help thinking a large number of e-bike riders who are young and able-bodied are eschewing a good opportunity to keep themselves fit.
- ActorNightly 4y ago
  > the reality is bikes do expose you to more danger of getting injured, aren't great in wet weather, and unsuitable for longer distances or when carrying bulky loads. No I do in fact mean public, because a properly put together pedelec bike is fairly cheap compared to even the cheapest car, and that is the primary driver for a whole lotta people when it comes to transport, especially in urban environments. Its the reason motorcycles are super popular in Europe, where owning a car is more expensive despite the lower danger. Non-ebikes are slow, and require effort to actually pedal, which is out of reach for a lot of people. Stick a motor on it, and suddenly you can get to work in a reasonable time (sometimes faster due to having the ability to go off-road onto paths), and without putting in effort.
  - witheld 4y ago
    A bus is public transportation. A train is public transportation. A bike-share program is, tentatively, public transportation. Price is not a factor here- motorcycles are not public transportation because they are cheap. Bicycles are not public transportation because they are yet cheaper. Personal conveyance is not public transportation.
  - wizofaus 4y ago
    "Out of reach" how though? For less effort than walking you can still move at 20k/h (assuming flat/paved uncrowded paths). If "a lot of people" aren't capable of that I'm not sure the problem is with the bike...

wizofaus 4y ago

You mean "private transportation"? I'm an avid bike rider, and it's not the lack of a motor that holds me back from promoting it as anything like the "perfect solution" for anything - the reality is bikes do expose you to more danger of getting injured, aren't great in wet weather, and unsuitable for longer distances or when carrying bulky loads. But for any journey that those aren't the primary concerns, regular push bikes are pretty close to perfect. I can see e-bikes being handy in hotter/hillier climates or for riders with physical conditions that exclude them from maintaining the leg strength (and/or aerobic capacity) to provide their own pedal power. I can't help thinking a large number of e-bike riders who are young and able-bodied are eschewing a good opportunity to keep themselves fit.

ActorNightly 4y ago
> the reality is bikes do expose you to more danger of getting injured, aren't great in wet weather, and unsuitable for longer distances or when carrying bulky loads. No I do in fact mean public, because a properly put together pedelec bike is fairly cheap compared to even the cheapest car, and that is the primary driver for a whole lotta people when it comes to transport, especially in urban environments. Its the reason motorcycles are super popular in Europe, where owning a car is more expensive despite the lower danger. Non-ebikes are slow, and require effort to actually pedal, which is out of reach for a lot of people. Stick a motor on it, and suddenly you can get to work in a reasonable time (sometimes faster due to having the ability to go off-road onto paths), and without putting in effort.
- witheld 4y ago
  A bus is public transportation. A train is public transportation. A bike-share program is, tentatively, public transportation. Price is not a factor here- motorcycles are not public transportation because they are cheap. Bicycles are not public transportation because they are yet cheaper. Personal conveyance is not public transportation.
- wizofaus 4y ago
  "Out of reach" how though? For less effort than walking you can still move at 20k/h (assuming flat/paved uncrowded paths). If "a lot of people" aren't capable of that I'm not sure the problem is with the bike...