Joined the e-bike revolution

[robt57]

At 65 I am still 'being the motor. Gunna hold out for as long as possible. Shooting for 75+.

I will do it in a NY Minute. I know of guys 80+ that can hang with the fast 60 young-ins with these they had to not do group rides on there race bikes.

Recommended!

I'll suffer along with my 6 year old lightweight...

 

[Dan German]

It's not just in dorm rooms. I've heard reports of them igniting/exploding in garages. I think one of the stories I read talked about how leaving them charging too long can cause this.

A huge proportion of the problem is, as mentioned, cheap uncertified product. Even so, it’s a no brainer to unplug when not in use.

 

[trapdoor2]

you know, it's crazy- whenever I'm walking on the sidewalk, someone inevitably comes up unexpectedly behind me on their bike. I'm tempted to shove them over.
Sidewalks are not for bicycles.

I do get it, in areas where I'm bicycling where car traffic is bad I will borrow the sidewalk, too. Bikelane or not.
But when I approach pedestrians on the sidewalk as a biker, I will dismount and walk my bike until I am past them.

Every time.

Depends. Some high traffic density areas allow sidewalk use for bikes. I've actually been shouted at to get off the sidewalk by a passing LEO (in his car)...while I was passing the city signage allowing me to ride there. I much prefer to be traffic...but it's dangerous no matter where you ride.

Pedestrians are a whole nuther kettle of worms. I've had a pack of stroller-moms on a MUT growl at me like they were a biker gang. How dare I ride a bicycle (even though they're walking on the painted markings on the trail designating the bike lane) on their trail! I think one of the kids had a knuckle-duster for a binky.

I don't get out of my subdivision here. There's a few trails and a few designated routes...but drivers here are terrible (tourist areas are always a problem).

 

[Alamo]

Now how about a plain Happy New E Bike Day! to the ts? @ce24

 

[sixstringbastard]

The people who are against these machines are rather shrill.

These machines are actually helping some folks who could no longer enjoy riding and getting outside.

Don't like electric bikes, don't buy one.
Can't stop running your yap about it, piss off.

 

[aging_rocker]

...those cursed of all vehicles, the rental electric scooter...

I had to spend some time dodging these in town yesterday.
Don't get me started...

 

[imwjl]

oh man i hate driving in brewtown, i always think of this

and

I've driven semi over the Milwaukee interchanges and also east coast bridges and mountain passes that make it tame. I consider it a contributor getting from v1 to v2 of me.

It's not just in dorm rooms. I've heard reports of them igniting/exploding in garages. I think one of the stories I read talked about how leaving them charging too long can cause this.

It's mostly lower tier products. We have a lot of batteries in our enterprise well beyond the hundreds of phones, tablets and radios. The occasional issues are never first tier well engineered brands.

I had a Trek bike light fry and was really impressed with what they did to learn why. They collected the light, charger and cable. It was a cheap charger that set it off and that was a lesson to me beyond the difference of first tier firm.

 

[Kandinskyesque]

Very happy for you CE, it looks great.
I'm hoping to get one for myself in the next couple of years to get me around here. It would be impossible for me to do it on a push bike without getting stranded somewhere with fatigue.

No sidewalks here, we walk on the road which can be a hairy during the tourist season but there's 100s of miles of forestry tracks, and plenty of fresh air. I'll just need to rehearse some cutting ripostes for the inevitable derisions from the lycra clad dentists and accountants that frequent here at the weekends.

May every bug that hits your teeth be a tasty one!!!

 

[getbent]

I'm envisioning a future where obese overpriveleged little brats make great sport of running seniors off of sidewalks and harassing real bicycle riders ...

Tell us more of these visions...

 

[middy]

Dang it, you’re onto me!

And I agree about sidewalks. Personally, I think if your (not yours personally, the general your) streets aren’t safe places to bike, you need to talk to city hall, pronto. And most places limit sidewalk use to 20” wheels and less.

A lot of e-bikes have small wheels. Better torque.

 

[middy]

Very happy for you CE, it looks great.
I'm hoping to get one for myself in the next couple of years to get me around here. It would be impossible for me to do it on a push bike without getting stranded somewhere with fatigue.

No sidewalks here, we walk on the road which can be a hairy during the tourist season but there's 100s of miles of forestry tracks, and plenty of fresh air. I'll just need to rehearse some cutting ripostes for the inevitable derisions from the lycra clad dentists and accountants that frequent here at the weekends.

May every bug that hits your teeth be a tasty one!!!

Remind those idiots that they could have just lost 2 stone of blubber for free rather than paying $5000 extra for a bike that’s 1 stone lighter.

There are three kinds of cyclists. Racers, casuals, and wannabe racers who don’t have the physique or self discipline to ever be competitive, but insist on the best gear so they can obsessively shop and look down their nose at the owners of lesser gear.

Be a casual.

 

[Kandinskyesque]

I had to spend some time dodging these in town yesterday.
Don't get me started...
View attachment 1077237

I hear ya!!!
Folks wearing deep colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel are the bane of my life. Sensory hooligans, boomboxers for the eyes.
Deep royal blue and fuchsia !!!
It ain't 1986 anymore.

Admittedly though, the tutu and leg warmers want me to break out a Haircut 100 album.

 

[middy]

 

[mally]

Love mine !

 

[CharlieO]

And I agree about sidewalks. Personally, I think if your (not yours personally, the general your) streets aren’t safe places to bike, you need to talk to city hall, pronto. And most places limit sidewalk use to 20” wheels and less.

Cities, counties, and the state government here acknowledge that many, if not most streets around here are not safe for biking. The reality is that in many areas around the country, a lot of the streets and highways will never be safe. You can't add bike lanes to every street, and even if you do, the bike lanes are still far too risky for riders. In most urban and suburban areas around here, governments have invested hundreds of millions of dollars on bike trails that get plenty of use, but the trails can't possibly go everywhere. You can't count on having a bike lane or a trail for commuting, or for your trip to the grocery store.

So what is the obvious solution? Use the sidewalks! Sidewalks in most areas are underused by pedestrians, and there is no reason why they can't be safely used by bikes. Of course, this isn't true in densely populated urban areas, but in many cities it is. Florida law permits bike riding on sidewalks, but some communities have laws prohibiting it. I have never heard of a law that limits sidewalk riding to bikes with 20 inch wheels or smaller, but I can imagine that they exist in some places. In my opinion, some of those local laws should be eliminated. Bicyclists on sidewalks should follow common sense rules when approaching pedestrians, of course.

I live in a master planned community that has a beautiful bike trail running along an abandoned railroad right of way, right through the center of the community. We have several two lane roads with a single bike lane, 45 mph speed limit, and a curb along the right side of the bike lane that prevents a cyclist from having an escape route when a car is bearing down on them. We also have six memorial markers within two miles of my house for bicyclists who were killed by cars. I ride on the sidewalk, and occasionally I am cursed out by a headphone-wearing pedestrian who didn't hear my bell and my "Passing on your left" yell as I approach from behind. That's their problem, not mine. It's legal and safe for me to ride on the sidewalk, and I will continue to do it.

By the way, in the morning I ride three miles on the sidewalk next to US Highway 41 and about 50 feet away from a totally unused bike lane. In five years I have never seen a bicyclist using that bike lane, and I have only run across pedestrians on that sidewalk three or four times at most.

 

[GeneB]

Yesterday in Queens, NYC an e-bike exploded while charging and took out an illegal daycare center with 18 kids. Seems the lithium ion batteries aren't perfected yet or something.

Read all about it - Daily News

 

[ChicknPickn]

I have a cousin who, during family zoom meetings is always bragging about how he put in 20 30 miles on his ebike last Saturday. And I generally think "ok sure but that thing's essentially a moped, so?"

I went on a Trek bike tour in the San Juan Islands a couple of years ago, age 57. There were eBikers along with the people pumping it up the hills. I was like, WTF??? Stay away from me!

 

[CharlieO]

oh man i hate driving in brewtown, i always think of this

and

You forgot about the craziest Milwaukee overpass incident

 

[blowtorch]

You forgot about the craziest Milwaukee overpass incident

That's chicago, and I don't even

 

[CharlieO]

That's chicago, and I don't even

No, it is not Chicago. The overpass scene was filmed in Milwaukee. The street scenes were filmed in Chicago. You live in Wisconsin, and you didn't know that?

When The Blues Brothers Crashed Milwaukee