BOOOOOO E-BIKES
- Thread starter Gary
- Start date
The courts tend to far too lenient on drivers who hit and kill cyclists here too.
But at least our cops (n robbers) don't (often) have fucking guns.
Ive ridden on 60mph Road limit roads most of my life. Of the few times I've been hit by a vehicle all have been while riding on 30mph limit roads in built up areas . And all because a driver changed lane without looking properly.
UK no Europe yes. not biking though. although i much prefer the train systems.
Have you been on roads in China? its like fucking mad max
thats one big difference here, these cases often don't even make it to court
Not everyone in the UK is rolling around in big rig sized pickup trucks either, which is one other difference.
I assume road quality is less here in North America too. Same with vehicle condition - in some states you could get a canoe with wheels licensed for the road. I'm sure these points don't help road safety either.
I assume road quality is less here in North America too. Same with vehicle condition - in some states you could get a canoe with wheels licensed for the road. I'm sure these points don't help road safety either.
Riding motorbikes in China and Thailand was fucking mental. Although right now I'd love to be back in Chiang Mai going to DH races on the CRF and getting loose in the jungle with the locals. That place was amazing.
On subject, drivers all over the world are likely to make a mistake and clobber a cyclist. One difference though is the generally feel bad about it in Europe. Not sure about the US, but in Australia a small proportion of motorists are actively out to intimidate cyclists and until those Neanderthals go extinct from sucking down too much carbon monoxide I'll stick to riding off-road.
That is unfortunately a sad reality here (and US) too.
Murican roads tend to be wider, so people pay less attention and browse on their phones while drinking their big gulp.
The 60mph speed limit roads in the UK can be a one lane farm track.
Riding little roads in the Lake District and Ireland was both sublime and terrifying at the same time...
Driving on the narrow lanes is fun too when you have to back up a 1/4mile to find a wide enough part of the road for the oncoming vehicle to be able to pass.
Just gonna put this out there for you Jon. Pretty much every independent country has slightly different road culture. Even neighbouring countries and their own (differening) law systems.
I loved driving a large Nissan SUV on small roads in Scottish Highlands, those one lane roads and bridges are fun. I cannot imagine riding a road bike on the busier narrow two lane roads with heavy traffic there though, literally being between rock (walls) and a hard place most of the time.
I've been looking into bikes for my nephew this morning and for some reason this link came up. (Was not searching for e-bikes.)
green bike
I have to say, that might be the design that puts me over the top on getting an e-bike. It's a work of art, really.
green bike
I have to say, that might be the design that puts me over the top on getting an e-bike. It's a work of art, really.
She's a beaut Clark.
why is specialized still only selling tiny addon batteries? orbea manages to put way more in in a similar package?
You want Dirty Mike to sell you stuff for cheap? It's better for his pocket to sell you a specific battery carrying specific along with the spare batteries*
*Each sold separately. Images posted for reference only. Contest not valid on California, Oregon and New Jersey.
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Coworker asked how long the battery would last per charge.
Kind of funny when someone who doesn't ride thinks he can now ride trails for longer than the battery would last.
Kind of funny when someone who doesn't ride thinks he can now ride trails for longer than the battery would last.
since i‘m profiting off the lizards ideas now, i‘m cool with that. pays my bonus at the end of the year
The gen 1 Specialized Epic seems an odd choice for the bike silhouette
Does anyone have a WSJ subscription, and could C&P this article?
news.google.com
The Fast and the Furious: Electric Bikers and Cyclists Compete for Trail Space
Scott Sterner and his wife, Donna Rupert, 60-year-old retirees in Dunedin, Fla., bought electric bikes a few months ago as a concession to creaky knees and hips. Now, he says, when they go for a spin on the Pinellas Trail along Florida’s Gulf Coast, other cyclists sometimes yell, “You’re...
news.google.com
google the title and use the google link…Does anyone have a WSJ subscription, and could C&P this article?
The Fast and the Furious: Electric Bikers and Cyclists Compete for Trail Space
Scott Sterner and his wife, Donna Rupert, 60-year-old retirees in Dunedin, Fla., bought electric bikes a few months ago as a concession to creaky knees and hips. Now, he says, when they go for a spin on the Pinellas Trail along Florida’s Gulf Coast, other cyclists sometimes yell, “You’re...
The Fast and the Furious: Electric Bikers and Cyclists Compete for Trail Space
Bicyclists says e-bikers zip by recklessly, motorized bike enthusiasts say pedal crowd is just as bad; “increasing rudeness.”
By
June 1, 2021 4:23 pm ET
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Scott Sterner and his wife, Donna Rupert, 60-year-old retirees in Dunedin, Fla., bought electric bikes a few months ago as a concession to creaky knees and hips. Now, he says, when they go for a spin on the Pinellas Trail along Florida’s Gulf Coast, other cyclists sometimes yell, “You’re cheating.”
Evelyn Rathe, a technical assistant in Dunedin who rides a traditional bike, says some e-bikers have called her a “Lycra cowboy,” as if she were a spandex-clad Tour de France wannabe. “I don’t even own Lycra,” she says.
She says she avoids the Pinellas Trail on weekends because of all the e-bike riders. They often have “a lot of speed and not much control,” she says.
Many traditional cyclists don’t get why anyone would ride a bike if the motor does the work. “I suppose it’s slightly better than watching TV,” Ms. Rathe says.
E-bike enthusiasts say they are the ones being judged by the pedaling crowd, who don’t seem to accept that motorized bikes are liberating for people who don’t have the ability to pedal for miles or ascend hills on their own due to physical limitations—or who want to feel the wind in their hair without necessarily breaking a sweat.
An increase in sales of electric bikes has coincided with busier recreational paths across the U.S., and the combination has sparked a flurry of insults and complaints between those who ride the newer motorized bikes and their pedal-pushing counterparts.
“We’re seeing more conflicts on our trail network,” said Whit Blanton, executive director of Forward Pinellas, a land use and transportation planning agency in Pinellas County. “It’s crazy how angry people are getting about the crowds.”
Multiuse trail visits nationally increased 50% during the pandemic, as people sought fresh air and escape from Covid-19 restrictions, says Torsha Bhattacharya, research director at the nonprofit Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
Bikers and hikers on a portion of the Great Allegheny Passage rail trail .
Photo: Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
Meanwhile, year-over-year e-bike sales jumped 54% in 2020, and were up 162% this year through March compared to the same period last year, the NPD Group says.
Disagreements over e-bike policies have popped up from New York to California. Moves to allow them on municipal trails have met with pushback because of the speeds and concerns about overcrowding, while e-bike advocates press for an end to bans.
In Hermosa Beach, Calif., it is illegal to ride motorized devices with the motor on while on a popular path called the Strand, and police are watching. Officers on motorcycles have chirped their sirens and pulled over offenders to issue tickets or warnings, says Police Chief Paul LeBaron.
Same goes for riders of conventional bikes--and skateboards, scooters and roller skates--who are caught busting the path’s modest 8 mph speed limit. “The Strand is a place to stroll not a speedway,” the city of Hermosa Beach website declares.
E-bikes use an electric motor to reach speeds of up to 28 mph, depending on the type. Some e-bikes require the rider to pedal for the power boost, but with others, a thumb on the throttle is all it takes to achieve top speed.
Last month in Illinois, the Forest Preserves of Cook County imposed a 15 mph speed limit while opening most bicycle trails to e-bikes, hoping to draw new visitors to its 350-plus mile network.
Gasper Tirone, an 81-year-old cyclist, who lives in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Photo: Jon Dandes
“We don’t expect to set up speed traps or to be using radar guns,” says spokesman Carl Vogel.
Adding motorized bikes to the often crowded trails is a bad idea, says Sharon Bowen, who serves as a trail watch volunteer on horseback. “If an e-bike person doesn’t stop and a horse gets into it with them,” she says, “it’s going to be a disaster.”
Forty-five states, including Florida, have passed laws that treat e-bikes much like conventional bikes, says People for Bikes, a nonprofit group that advocates for all types of bicyclists and developed model legislation for the incorporation of e-bikes. A guiding principle is that riders of electric bikes should have the same rights and responsibilities as those who ride traditional bikes.
Officials in Pinellas County, which is in the process of removing old “no motor vehicles” signs from the 54-mile Pinellas Trail, say e-bikes were a key contributor to last year’s 65% spike in trail use.
“They’re all over the place,” says Gasper Tirone, an 81-year-old retiree in Palm Harbor, Fla., who pedals his carbon-fiber racing bike on the trail several times a week typically at speeds of around 12 mph. He says he has no beef with electric bikes and expects to need a pedal-assist version soon, but complains that e-bike “newbies” imperil people like him. “They go too fast, and they’re inexperienced,” he says.
David Feller, 59, near Oldsmar, Fla. on his bike.
Photo: Linda Feller
Trail regular David Feller, a 59-year-old retiree near Oldsmar, Fla., says some e-bike riders are reckless but that bad manners on all sides are the real issue. Trail users also complain about packs of cyclists tearing by on racing bikes, which can easily top the path’s 20 mph limit.
“I think this is an expression of the increasing rudeness and inconsideration throughout our entire society,” Mr. Feller says.
His wife, Linda, 54, got an e-bike in December due to health issues and says it lets her keep pace with her husband on his conventional bike. But she avoids the trail at certain times for fear of encountering e-bike haters who vent on the Friends of the Pinellas Trail Facebook page. “There is so much hostility,” she says.
Linda Feller, 54, near Oldsmar, Fla.
Photo: David Feller
Chip Haynes, a 70-year-old graphic artist, author and bike collector who lives in Tampa, is no fan of electric bikes—or the term. “That’s like calling airplanes ‘gas gliders,’” he says.
“When you get an e-bike, you’re taking away the honor of the effort. People say, ‘Oh, I can’t ride a regular bike,’” he says. “I understand that. However, that’s like going to the public swimming pool and saying, ‘I can’t swim, but I brought my motor boat.’ ”
Avoiding the cardio workout is exactly why some people prefer e-bikes. “I’m a weightlifter, and I have to take in a lot of calories to gain weight,” says e-biker Derek Queener, 49 of Clearwater, Fla. “Riding 10 miles on a bike is counter-productive.”
Mr. Queener, a country club superintendent, says he hasn’t experienced any negative reactions on the trail. He says he is respectful and believes others return that respect. But, he adds: “I’m 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, and 174 of it’s muscle.”
Chip Haynes with different one-speed bikes in his collection.
Photo: JoAnn Haynes
Mr. Sterner, the Dunedin retiree with an e-bike, says the barbs from some cycling purists baffle him. He also owns conventional bikes and notes that his e-bike’s motor kicks in only when he pedals.
“I don’t understand why they care what you’re riding, as long as you’re out there doing your thing, staying in your lane,” he says.
The various bike factions have found some common ground. On the Facebook group for the Pinellas Trail, they lament amblers who stroll three abreast, dog walkers who let the leash stretch across the 15-foot trail and oblivious earbud-wearers.
Mr. Feller, who rides a regular bike with his e-bike riding wife, has begun carrying a whistle on rides to warn of his approach. He says his diciest moments have come when inattentive walkers suddenly crossed his path. “I had to slam on the brakes,” he says.
Write to Scott Calvert at scott.calvert@wsj.com
Meh... E Bikes
polebicycles.com
"A premium product without the premium price"
Charging port near head tube So easily detachable then ?
Pole Voima E-Bike CNC'd Aluminium superbikes - Pole Bicycles
Voima E-bike is the ultimate enduro, park bike, long-distance trail rig, and DH bike all in one, with a Bosch drive unit and 750wh Powertube.
polebicycles.com
"A premium product without the premium price"
Charging port near head tube So easily detachable then ?
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