Ebikes, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, longboards, eboards, motorcycles, skates, unicycles, heelies, or an office chair: Whatever floats your goat, this is all things micromobility!
"Transportation using lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones that may be borrowed as part of a self-service rental program in which people rent vehicles for short-term use within a town or city.
micromobility is seen as a potential solution to moving people more efficiently around cities"
Recall warnings available here.
Feel free to also check out
It's a little sad that we need to actually say this, but:
Don't be an asshole or you will be permanently banned.
Respectful debate is totally OK, criticizing a product is fine, but being verbally abusive will not be tolerated.
Focus on discussing the idea, not attacking the person.
It doesn’t replace bike trips, as one of my colleagues observed. It replaces car trips.
The most important quote in the article! And also the section about towing a heavy load up steep hills on a normal bike, feeling like you're gonna throw up, and then driving a car everywhere on 5.40/gal gas.
An ebike is a replacement for all of that.
Why would anyone be a hater?
Quoting the article:
At least part of my e-bike hatred came from self-righteousness. A belief that because I was pedaling myself up a hill under my own power, I was more deserving of… well, I’m not quite sure, actually. Recognition? A cookie? It didn’t matter. I was working hard at something, and other people were taking a shortcut. Which is bad, right? You don’t go to the gym because it’s fun. You don’t eat kale because it’s fun. Doing that stuff sucks; the point is to suffer and feel better about yourself afterward.
self-righteousness
Well, at least they’re honest that it was a terrible reason.
Little bit of introspection goes a long way.
I just don't personally want one, because I need the exercise. I have no problem with other people using them safely, and fewer cars is a good thing.
The other nice thing about other people using e-bikes is that it normalizes cycling as a common mode of transportation. So you can benefit from the associated infrastructure even if you personally don’t want or need one. Heck you could even hate the idea of them but still appreciate some benefits from it!
Very much a case where a rising tide lifts all boats.
That said, I think there’s rightfully a big difference between “e-bike = electric motorcycle” and “e-bike = bike with an electric motor and slightly more durable tires”.
I’ve had one for a year, and couldn’t be happier with it.
It’s class 1 so I still need to pedal and get at least some exercise. If anything I am biking much more than I did with an acoustic bike. The reasons:
Basically because it’s drastically lowered the barrier to entry for simply “hopping in the bike and going”, I’m biking much much more than I did before, easily 2-3 times as much. About the only thing that ever stops me is rain, or the need to carry significant amounts of cargo.
I appreciate your perspective! I'll take that into consideration if I ever need to increase my distance. Currently, it's only 5mi at a time and mostly flat/paved, so barely anything.
This is how I felt. Losing out on some exercise took out one of the multiple reasons I liked bike commuting. But I have gotten older and electric bikes are becoming more and more tempting. My brother a few years ago had found a good deal and on hindsite wish I had jumped on it.
IDK about you, but my ebike weighs 60lbs. Turn the motor off, and I get way more of a workout than my 38lb full sus mountain bike.
Though I use an ebike as a car replacement, I find biking everywhere has gotten me into significantly better shape, even though it is electric. It can also tow a lot more gear up hills than my standard bike!
It was more getting exercise while getting to where you were going in a way that is pleasant. That was the trifecta. I would rather lengthen the commute than make the bike less efficient which I did when I had a 3 mile commute. I took a two mile two way detour to a more pleasant route turning it into a decent seven miles which is just about perfect exercise wise especially versus time. Time is a big issue which is why as I get older the electric becomes more tempting because I can't get as far as fast now.
Carbrain? Encounters with bad riders?
E-bikes are great but there are a lot of brands out there and not all of them are trustworthy. The RadRunner they have in their article image for instance isn't very reliable. In a little over a year of lightly using it and following maintenance procedures, its battery and drive board died at the same time. Customer support told me to fuck off as it was just out of warranty and I couldn't find a way to repair either component independently. I couldn't even find a spare drive board in their online shop or through third party vendors. The whole experience has made me realize I spent almost 2 grand for a giant paperweight.
Be careful when selecting your bikes, people.
not the cheapest but grin tech electronic parts have been used to replace rad components with success. I think they even made their own video about it