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Electric Bikes Won Over China. Is the US Next? (bloomberg.com)
Sales of electric-bike is growing in many parts of the world. Asia-Pacific region, for instance, is estimated to see 32.8M of them sell this year, and 1.6m of e-bikes are expected to be sold in Western Europe by the end of this year. In China, in particular, the ban on motorcyle has lead to massive e-bike adoption. Over the years we've seen many companies such as BG and Pedego dish out models after models, offering bikes ranging from elegant folding versions to flat-tire variants. Despite all the growth elsewhere in the world, North America and Latin America are estimated to see less than 250,000 inventories move this year. But going forward, the number is likely to see a major growth. From a Bloomberg article: Electrics "finally have legs to be able to take off in the U.S.," because cyclists are feeling safer on the roads, battery and motor technology is improving, and retail prices are dropping, says Todd Grant, president of the National Bicycle Dealers Association. However, e-bikes have been banned in some U.S. cities because of safety concerns. [...] The U.S. market could develop "way faster" than Europe's did, says Claus Fleischer, who heads Bosch's e-bike division. The German multinational began selling motors and batteries for electric bikes in 2011 and now supplies more than 60 brands, primarily in Europe. It opened a subsidiary in Irvine, Calif., in 2014 and is sponsoring e-bike expos across the U.S., including one in Portland, Ore., that ran for three days in late May.
helped. a lot.
John Forester's cult of Vehicular Cycling. Cycling in the US has been crippled for decades by a delusional group of ideologues who believe bicycles belong in the middle of regular motor vehicle lanes, even on 50mph state highways, and who will actively seek to prevent dedicated bicycle facilities from being built if it means people will ride in ways they disapprove of.
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
... the much better trend for the US would be an increased use of non-electric, traditional bicycles.
"because cyclists are feeling safer on the roads"... they shouldn't or else they're just fooling themselves. In the US in general, people driving cars/trucks don't like cyclists.
the same reason no bikes ever "win over" north america
Some reasons: Americans have a pathological hate for cyclists. They think that roads are built for cars and not transport in general, and all American drivers think they own the road they drive on. To many Americans, burning gas and spewing fumes is a merit, while being efficient or conservative is usually frowned upon and considered un-American or "for poor people". The more miles and gallons you can brag about, the more and the better you are.
The culture also has a more difficult time accepting e-bikes because they are not "cool", and that's a big factor. Which is a bit funny considering how many of them drive in permobils or electric scooters when they do their shopping.
It's not safe for you. I and many people I know ride a couple hundred miles a week on public roads for years and years, and surprise, we're still alive, have all our original body parts, and aren't scared little rabbits while we're doing it. By all means, if you find riding on public roads too scary, then please don't ride on them, but I'd prefer you take some classes or go ride with local cycling clubs or groups and get some experience and the confidence that goes with it.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Professional cycling races.
Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
Ah yes, the Steve Irwin fallacy. You may continue, it's your life. I'll stay in my car, where when the unexpected happens at least the damage has a chance of being mutual.
It's not safe where I live either. You would be biking in well north of 100f, highly polluted air, and traffic that WANTS to kill you.
PS: I don't reply to ACs.
Electric bikes are very risky and many people drive too fast with them. They are killing machines. You don't drive too fast with normal bikes because usually you don't have the power in your legs, but e-bikes give you the ability to drive in more life threatening speeds.
But I don't mind people using e-bikes. As long as its nobody I care about its just fine. e-bike riders only risk their own lives, not the ones of the others. Its something different with cars, where often the people who actually cause an accident go off well, and innocent people get injured or die.
I'm driving a bicycle as well and it always fills me with joy when I ride past a lane of standing cars.
Having used eBikes for a daily commute in China I think they are a great technology, practical and affordable. The average price for an eBike was about USD $400 when I lived there a couple of years ago. Current eBikes outside of China appear to be grossly over priced. There are a few changes need if they wish to sell outside of China. The build quality needs to improve, quite doable. The speed restrictions need removed, typically 35kph which is too slow in cities outside China, 55kph (35mph) should make them able to mix with cars safely in cites. They currently have 500W motors which would probably need boosted to 750W-1KW for flat cites and 2-3KW for hilly cities.
Actually, I switched from car bicycle because it is faster. My wifes loves it too, it feels better, and I enjoy the city on another level.
I'm skeptical that electric-powered bikes will become very popular in the US. They're fairly similar in riding qualities (lightweight, easy to handle) and licensing requirements (pretty much none) to a 50cc motorscooter, and those have failed to take off, despite being widely available in the same price range for years. I've been a day-to-day scooterist for seven years, but I don't have a lot of company out there. Especially in the north, where they're a three-season vehicle (or one-season, for the less dedicated), they aren't seen as a viable substitute for a car. Even with 100mpg engines that cost almost nothing to fuel, the ability to park them almost anywhere, and a lot of other appealing features, most consumers just don't seem interested (which is too bad for them, because unless the roads are wet or icy, I'd much rather ride than sit in a car).
An e-bike also suffers from being neither fish nor fowl. A 20mph bike is too slow to keep up with traffic in a motor-vehicle lane, but too fast to fit in with any human-powered traffic in a bicycle lane. I've ridden a 50cc scooter (mine was capable of 40mph) in 45mph zones, and believe me: motorists don't like you when you go under the speed limit in a motorized-vehicle lane. They'll eat a 20mph e-bike alive, even in a 25mph zone. But if that e-bike takes the bike lane (which isn't legal in many places), it will quickly overtake regular bicyclists, whom it won't be able to safely pass because bike lanes aren't designed for that. Dedicated lanes for motor-powered two-wheelers might help as an option for e-bikes and scooters (and motorcyclists who aren't in a hurry), but I don't see that happening until they become popular... ye olde Catch 22.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
I went to Shanghai and Hangzhou about 18 months ago, and saw this stuff for myself. The newly-built portions of these Chinese cities (ie the ones that used to be open fields 20 years ago or razed slums) have their nice and shiny new roads layed out as follows:
1. Storefronts
2. A portion of the sidewalk taken up by space for bikes and electric scooters, with power strips provided by shopkeepers for their customers
3. Rest of the (wide) sidewalk
4. Dedicated bike+electric scooter lane, maybe 6-8 feet wide
5. Small median (~1-2 feet, bigger for bus stops)
6. Traffic lanes, 4 or more lanes total, sometimes in groups of two or three, sometimes with a set of reversible lanes, sometimes dedicated bus lanes.
5 downto 1 in reverse order on the other side.
At almost all intersections, the bike lanes have separate traffic signals (usually overlapping with pedestrian walk signals), and sometime the bike lanes have separate left turn signals which coincide with exclusive left turn signals for the car lanes. If I remember right, the car left and right turn lanes can be either on the interior or exterior of the road and there are signs to indicate which set of lanes allow you to turn which way at the upcoming intersection. This is to deconflict turning vehicles from bikes/pedestrians going straight at the outside of the road.
Overall, it was a pretty good system. But (especially in Shanghai) you could tell that half the people on the road didn't have an f'ing clue of how to operate a vehicle in traffic, and one time when I was riding a bus, a woman cut of the bus changing from one set of lanes to another (in a way that just wouldn't happen here) and got her rear tail light knocked out.
The other thing is that this all takes space. You couldn't do it unless you were building from scratch or were willing to knock down large numbers of existing buildings. But the Chinese had to do it this way because maybe only half of their people can afford to own cars, and even fewer back when this was built 20 years ago. So the streets were layed out to accomodate an equal number of people on bicycles and buses/motor vehicles. That's a ready market for electric scooters.
Not a fallacy at all. Your chances of dying from lazy lifestyle, or car-caused polution, is much higher than dying in a bicycle accident. His advice is very accurate. Look at NYC and the bike renewal there.
I've priced various electric bikes. They allow you to go slightly faster than you could on a good bike if you were in good shape, for slightly longer, and (most importantly reduce the annoyance of having to ride uphill or to a stop every few dozen feet).
HOWEVER: Until the electric bike gets to be cheaper than a decent, used motorcycle, there's no way in fucking hell I'm buying one. Three thousand to six thousand bucks for a fucking bicycle? Are you goddmaned fucking shitting me?
An '06 Kawasaki Ninja 250 costs what? And you want how much for that fucking bicycle?
Ah hahahahhahahahahh FUCK YOU.
Lower that price a WAYS, and we'll talk. More than a grand is fucking ridiculous. (I know the bike part is going to cost several hundred bucks unless it's a cheap department store piece of unridable fucking garbage, but the reality is I can ride a motorcycle for less than that bike costs, unless we're talking a Goldwing, or some shit like that.
That reminds me... Are there any good Goldwings or other cruising bikes for sale near me on eBay?
I use my e-bike for daily commuting. It is a low powered unit with a 350W geared hub motor. No wind cruse, under power is about 17mph, pedaling lightly gets me to about 20mph (after all, I am on my way to work, I have no intention of working hard to get there). Where the motor comes in handy is in shopping runs. When I have the bike and trailer loaded down heavy.
The other place the motor makes a real difference is in a headwind. I am in South West Kansas, we have both wind and winter.
Overall, this lifestyle saves me quite a bit of money. If I need to go a long distance I fly; even if I had a car, it is still cheaper to fly for long distances. If I need to go an intermediate distance I just rent a car.
I now a lot of people will try to sputter some reason that it can't work; but for me it does.
Bike theft is one of the fastest growing crimes here in Europe. It will definitely get worse still a few years from now when the average bike is a $1500 e-bike instead of a $150 regular bike. There is an inherent problem with a vehicle that is both expensive enough to be worth stealing and lightweight enough that a person can just pick it up and walk away with it.
And not cars.
The day that E-bikes take over in the US is the day *after* the bicycle infrastructure get so good, the distances so short, and the attitudes so much improved that everyone would be riding bicycles. This is unlikely. And if, somehow it did happen, it would actually be kind of sad. All that work to overhaul transportation, and Americans would still rather sit on their ass and coast rather than pedal.
I have experimented with cycling to work (usually use a motorcycle). At no place I have ever worked have there been showers usable for the transition from cyclist to acceptable office occupant, and I really must have those facilities.
Indeed.
The day I can go up to 30 miles one way daily on a bike in a timely manner, is the day I start getting in shape.
Otherwise, I'll have to keep using my car.
I think you got that backwards -- "The day you can go up to 30 miles one way daily on a bike in a timely manner is when you'll be in shape". Driving your car is not likely to get you into shape. But I think you mean 30 miles *each* way, or you have a very unusual commute.
Seen it twice in the last month. No earpiece.
Combine that with traffic that isn't going to worry about you and it can be quite scary riding a bicycle.
Actual conversation between my wife and I one night:
Her: "Geeze! Did you pass that bicycle close enough?"
Me: "What bicycle???"
At least there's no excuse for these electric varieties to not have lights.
Making it electrical won't change things on a practical level in the least. Americans love their gas guzzlers
Americans don't give a crap about gas but we loathe wasting time and money. Make a cheap electric vehicle that can reach the speed limit in short order and Americans will jump on board. Tesla has roughly right idea, if they could just get the price of the vehicle lower than the price of a cheap ICE ($17,000) + its entire lifetime of gasoline cost ($3 gal * 125,000 miles / 25 mpg = $15,000). They're on the right track with the Model X. Given the pollution aspect government subsidies could be extremely helpful here, but politically that'll only happen when ...
1. Detroit starts pushing for it and
2. conservative politicians stop "being skeptical" that pollution is even a thing and that the free market is sacred, never to be touched by unclean government hands.
A halfway decent bike is already grossly overpriced, often costing well over $1000. Electric bikes are even worse.
You don't have to spend $1000+ for a halfway decent bike. I paid $600 for my commute bike -- 5 years and about 10,000 miles later, I've put new wheels, new tires, a couple chains, brake pads, and front chainring and rear gear cluster into it, so maintenance cost around $500.
So, the bike cost me less than $20/month so far, but I don't see why it won't last me another 5+ years without any major maintenance, so monthly cost will continue to decrease.
You can, of course, spend much more, my "fun" road bike cost me $2500. It's much lighter than the commute bike and more "fun", but not something that I'd put a rack/panniers on or put fenders on to ride in the rain.
If the e-bike riders were not so frakken dangerous, I'd support parent post's pov.
But the truth is that e-bikes enable Momma and Poppa Chubbs to get out on the bike paths at the same speeds that bikers with years of adult experience attain, and these super fast idiots who haven't been on a bike since their middle school years are a danger to everyone. They are all over the road. They don't know how to stop. They don't know how to assess potential risks before it is too late to avoid them. They go sliding on leaves and other loose stuff. They bash themselves up, and cause crashes that involve other bicyclists.
Just because you once were proud of being able to ride your first bike faster than your other grade school buddies could run at maybe 5 or 6 mph, does not mean you can control your 200+ pounds of person, bike, motor, and battery at 15 or 20 mph on a busy bike path. You've got a lot more inertia now, but the contact surface between tires and road is no bigger than when you and your bike weighed half as much, and more than likely you are not even as strong as you were back then.
We do need more people biking, walking, and using buses and trolleys. But the word has to be spread widely and loudly: If you have not learned to handle a conventional multigear bike as an adult, you would be a total danger to yourself and others in taking an e-bike out on a public path or road.
Huh? With every driver now staring at their phone instead of watching the road, I find it hard to agree with this. Distracted drivers are deadly for cyclists. I wish e-bikes made some noise. Navigating streets in Shenzhen last summer, you had to constantly watch out for e-bikes whizzing by from every direction.
E-bikes that can exceed 20 mph need to be limited to cyclists who can pass a motorcycle license exam. At 35 mph an e-bike with its smaller tire-to-road surface area and poorer braking behavior is more dangerous than a motorcycle and requires more skill in the instantaneous risk assessment that is critical to safe driving of any vehicle. E-bikes in traffic lanes at faster than pedaling speeds are not only a threat to their riders, they are a hazard to all other drivers on the road.
...do Americans make such a big deal over something as simple, easy, and routine as riding a bike? Go anywhere else in the developed world (and a lot of developing countries too) and you'll see that a lot of people use bikes to get around. Really, it's not a big deal.
You posted as AC, so that only narrows the search to Earth and near-Earth orbit. Probably not too many in orbit, since they're incredibly heavy, and Antarctica doesn't have much infrastructure, but that still leaves at least 20% of the planet.
The one I saw was an high-end BMW http://www.bmwmotorcycle.com/c...
At 15000€ it's out of reach and it's also too big but if someone manage to do something smaller with lesser top speed it could be great.
Scooters are for inner city so autonomy shouldn't be an issue also it could resolve the two main problems with scooters nowadays: noise and air pollution.
Well the 20mph limit is a regional thing but yes it is relevant. We use a 300W limit so most existing Chinese eBike would be treated as motorcycles here anyway but at 20mph they have all the same risks that bicycle suffer from with not being able to join the other faster traffic. In many countries you could ride them with a car licence. The eBikes I rode had fat scooter tires and disk brakes were becoming common. Basically my argument is they should be up spec'd to match a typical 50cc scooter which is an ideal transport option in a city. The eBike can have all the advantages of a 50cc scooter without the high cost and all the hassles of gas stations and complicated maintenance etc.
Why would someone in a car be more prone to die of car-caused pollution than a cyclist? I've been blasted in the face with black smoke countless times when riding a bike, but never on the bus.
I don't know about now, but when I was a kid, golf carts were allowed on the road in Sun City, AZ and many people used them instead of cars.
You can buy conversion kits on ebay for under $200 and stick one on a $50 craigslist bike.
"Electric bikes are very risky and many people drive too fast with them.'
This is also true of any car. The proper place for e-bikes is as a hybrid: you crank at a constant rate, storing battery power on the flat that can be given back to you on hills. You can arrive at work without needing a shower before you can sit at your desk.
Throw yourself off of a bike at 35mph and tell me how safe it is.
I and many people I know ride a couple hundred miles a week on public roads for years and years, and surprise, we're still alive, have all our original body parts, and aren't scared little rabbits while we're doing it.
You haven't met your "driver looking at their cell phone at facebook of fate" coming directly behind you yet. Like you, I have been riding along with traffic for 40 years. I've done it in bicycle hostile territory such as western Pennsylvania. 6 months ago I very narrowly missed getting rear ended by some ahole in a BMW and wound up with a broken rib / punctured lung. Don't ride during the work week anymore, just the weekend and in low traffic density areas.
I've talked to a person who trained for RAAM and he's not riding as much on the street anymore either. Mostly mountain biking now.
Have you paid attention to the number of people talking on their cell phones while driving lately? TONS of them in Southern California. This should scare the shit out of any sane cyclist. Just today I had to slam on my brakes when some cell phone ahole almost ran into me as he erratically cut in front of and into me to turn off a freeway. Just because you have not encountered one of these people yet, does not mean the problem does not exist.
When you put an electric motor on a two wheeled vehicle and start inserting yourself into this stream of traffic, things get worse, a LOT worse. I also ride a motorcycle and have seen what can happen already.
You don't have to spend $1000+ for a halfway decent bike. I paid $600 for my commute bike -- 5 years and about 10,000 miles later
Have you gone into a bicycle shop lately? A LOT LOT harder today to spend less than $1000 and not come out with the cheapest of cheap components or crappy frame.
The fundamental problem isn't bikes, it's that in our society it's a basic human right to drive poorly and dangerously. If you see someone doing something stupid on a bike, consider that the alternative is not that they stay doing stupid things in the privacy of their own home. Putting someone who can't assess risks in a car instead is NOT an advantage.
Not just car-caused pollution, it's also reduced fitness due to less exercise than if you cycled. I haven't checked for recent studies, but the slight increased risk from traffic on a bicycle is more than compensated by improved health and fitness.
About as safe as falling off at 20mph and landing under a car doing 35mph? I watched a good friend of mine be killed by a car, she was riding at less than 5kph when the car drove over her. What's your point? I have been riding motorcycles since 1974 and all those years I have never felt the desire or need to throw my self off. My normal commute is on a VTR1000, 100KW, top speed 280kph. When commuting I do so at the same speed as the traffic when it is moving, and about 20kph when passing stationary traffic. In China they have physically separate lanes for the eBikes so the 35kph is fine as there is no cars to deal with. With most western cities there are a few token bike lanes but much of the time you share with cars so matching their speed helps. I would not recommend 100KW for commuting, but I would recommend enough power to say safe in the realities of typical cites.
If you are really worried about a safe commute I think telecommuting might be your best option.
In the warmer states an e-bike could be used all year round. In colder states it will take a very hardy and young person to use an e-bike in cold weather. Just as you see very few motorcycles when it's really cold you will see very few e-bikes. In the south we see people demonstrating enclosed bikes that go quite fast without so much effort but in our hot climates an enclosed bicycle is a torture chamber worse than a sauna, most of the year. this has to seriously effect what people are willing to pay for e-bikes as those bikes will be sitting several months of a year, unused and will need a car or pickup truck for a backup. Theft of bicycles has always been a problem and is largely ignored by police departments. for that to end we will need strong punishments frequently applied for those that steal bicycles or expensive parts from bicycles. in my state a car thief will almost never go to prison unless he has several prior convictions. i wonder how many $1,400 dollar e-bikes he would have to get caught stealing to actually be put in prison at all under our current system. We just might see the same type of conflict that is brewing with private drones. If far more people want to fly drones than commercial aviation then wouldn't commercial aviation have to shut down or move to remote, drone free areas? As e-bikes become the dominant road vehicles won't cars take the second class position and be regulated in such a way that they do not offend e-bike riders? E-bikes just might have the potential to end auto production in the US. things are quickly changing.
The Germans are ahead in the curve. They have e-bikes and pedelecs. Pedelecs do have a battery which is only engaged and helpful if you push yourself on the pedals. Pedelecs wastly outnumber e-bikes. Max. speed 25 kmph is rarely attained.
Did that, 10 miles a day, 100 days. No real issues.
Learn to love Alaska
How much longer do you have on your sentence for assault?
Learn to love Alaska
I actually first noticed this yeas ago when I was in Shenzhen: electric scooters/"bicycles" were everywhere. So much for thinking that China is unwilling to limit its pollution.
Further reading about the power charging infrastructure (or, lack thereof): http://designmind.frogdesign.com/2014/01/chinas-electric-bike-charging-cultures
I spent 100 pounds on my bike, then rode it heavily in all weathers for over a decade. I think I spent far more on it in maintainance than it cost. Original parts are the frame, gear levers (though someone stole a screw from one ---weirdest theft ever), handlebars (slightly bent), front chainrings (worn asymmetric teeth now), pedal cranks and the seat post. The gear changes over the years actually wore a hole through the front derailleur.
Still, the overall price was low and it did many miles. It also looks like utter crap which means it never got stolen.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Those kinds of speeds overlap with low end mopeds and motorcycles, which require compulsory basic training and a provisional driver's license, and motor insurance.
Yeah bicycles are such great value. I've been riding a 1987 Trek that I bought in 1997 second hand for $125 from a guy who used to ride it up in to the mountains from Denver. It picked up some rust from all the winter road salt from almost 10 years in Toronto, and it's been carrying me 15-20km eachway in out of central London everyday for the last six years. Same wheels for 20 years, although straightened a few times, same bottom bracket, etc. Had to change the everything the chain touches once because I wore them out... I've clearly been ignoring the maintenance schedule proposed by most serious bike people! My health and bank balance are very happy with this arrangement.
"However, e-bikes have been banned in some U.S. cities because of safety concerns."
I guess they prefer Harleys, where one of them accelerating at night wakes up 2500 people up.
The ones they use in China look more like light motorcycles than what Americans might think of as an e-Bike. It isn't a regular street bicycle with a motor strapped on the frame, it's a motorcycle frame with an electric engine.
This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
Listen friend, I've been riding motorcycles as well for decades (for 10 years all I had was a motorcycle; have at least half a million miles I can account for on all 7 of them I've owned, including the current one) and know damned well how dumb some drivers can be, have grown eyes in the back of my head, and naturally expect people in vehicles to damned near try to kill me on purpose -- and it doesn't stop me from riding a motorcycle, or training for road racing on my bike, out on public roads all over the place, or taking it into traffic, etc. I'm just aware of what's going on. Some people here on Slashdot think that people need to not be allowed to drive at all and have a machine do it. I think that's bullshit, I think we need to train drivers better and test them more rigorously and frequently, and I think that average cyclists need to be educated and trained better, too, because I see them all the time also doing dumb things, or assuming that since they're on a bike they don't need to maintain a high level of awareness of their situation at all times.Of course the bike haters and the 'self-driving car' people would have bicycles completely banned from all public roads everywhere, and you'd better believe it's true.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
E-bikes that can exceed 20 mph need to be limited to cyclists who can pass a motorcycle license exam.
They already are, in California. Although, frankly, 20 MPH is not that fast. A decent cyclist can exceed that already, especially on a downhill obviously but a fairly fit person can hit 25 MPH on flat ground and they're pedaling which affects balance. That's why California law no longer requires moped registration for motorized bicycles, like it used to.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Over 30,000 people lose their lives every year in cars. To reach that number would take half a fucking century for cyclists.
That's only because there are so few of you, and you get so little done.
If you managed to put in as many miles on your bikes as people manage to put in on their cars, you (as a group) would die three times as much from it as you do now, because you already die vastly more per mile traveled than do motorists.
The notion that you are somehow safer without a crash cell is hilarious, but wrong.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
They aren't really designed as motorcycle replacements, they are just ordinary bikes with electric assist. Speed is controlled by pedalling, which is made almost effortless by the electric motor.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Three thousand to six thousand bucks for a fucking bicycle?
I know that these bikes exist and you are not exaggerating, but that's not the price they are paying on these bikes.
Taobao is a Chinese eBay, here is a search for electric bycicles. Have a look on what they have for less than 300USD (~2000CNY).
More than a grand really is fucking ridiculous, common Chinese people would not afford it. The problem in the US is that these bikes are being targeted at smugs. Sell bikes for $150 and decent scooters for $300 like in China and you'll see a lot of people buying just to give it a try.
Telecommuting is far and away the safest option, and best for the environment (unless, like me, you telecommute to a city 1000 miles away, then you end up on an airplane every month or so - not so great for the environment, but still safer than a daily 20 mile drive.)
If you're going to take your e-bike up to 35mph, just call it what it is: an underpowered motorcycle, and wear a real helmet and some protective clothes, or not, it's your brain to risk splattering on the pavement if you wish.
It's happening... Yes, the laws are a bit funky, but reasonable for little motor vehicles that you can't ride on non-motorized bike trails (though people do anyway and I haven't seen anyone complain) but aren't quite full motorcycles (but can almost be used that way).
I'm starting to see a fair number of these tooling around: http://www.radpowerbikes.com/p... (granted, I live near Seattle where they're based) and they're pretty much the sweet spot. I'd get one if I didn't live near at the confluence of so many non-motorized bike trails (all of the old rail and trolley trails are being converted to bike trails in all of the major metro areas I've ever lived).
In other areas and downtown Seattle, these things are popping up more often, though. Lots of couriers use them to make deliveries on downtown bike lanes, weaving comfortably through the gridlocked traffic and purring up and down the hills. It's also big enough to take an adult passenger, and I've seen a woman take a bike like this to the library with 3 toddlers in childseats.
750W (1HP) is the limit for these electric assist motors in most states, (WA actually allows 1kW before classifying it as a motorcycle). There's also a grey area where the motor assist should be limited to 20mph, but it's fine if you push it faster by pedaling/going downhill. These kind of motor systems can be bought direct from China for under $300 ... and then another $300 for a pack of Li-Po batteries, so you could convert any sturdy bike into your own pedelec. The best hack I've seen involved building a bike battery pack out of ~$100 of surplus laptop battery packs from ebay.
I'm glad this is taking off, I've always dreamed of building a little 3-wheel velomobile as a kid, and all this stuff is going to make it much more affordable. We already use our cheap normal utility bikes as a second car, and it would be neat to have some electric options in the fleet for certain errands or to entertain visitors.
While AC's point is valid, it misses the truth that the skills a bicyclist needs in assessing road risks are very different, and much more critical, than the skills a motorist needs. The parent post implies that a skilled motorist would be just as safe on a bicycle as he is in a car, and that is so very wrong. A skilled motorist has a vast amount of more learning to do before he is safe on bike (and not a threat to others on the road).
It is true that e-bikes are not designed as motorcycle replacements.
The rest of parent post is so wrong it is evident that the poster has no experience with e-bikes and has done no serious reading about their design, capabilities, and uses.
Yes, a good cyclist in training can easily pedal faster than 20 mph under many conditions, and racing cyclists often exceed 35 mph especially when working in a peloton.
But by the time a cyclist has reached the ability to pedal faster than 19 mph on the flat, he has gained enough experience, and probably enough judgment, to not be a threat to himself or others. E-bike riders, though, take a shortcut to speed and can get up to very risky speeds before they have the experience or judgment to know how to handle themselves. E-bikes are okay, but new e-bike riders need to be told that they are a danger to themselves and others until they have acquired bicycling experience.
16,000 kilometres over 5 years? Well done, I commute to work a few days a week over the summer and I struggle to put on 1,200km/year. Props!
No, none of that is required here, just a car license. The actual requirements will vary from country to country. If you want to be pedantic you could argue that all those requirements should apply to bicycles.
Firstly the laws around bicycles and ebike are not the same in every country, state and city. Just because the law where you are restricts you in some way that does not make it true for people living elsewhere. The legal/practical viability of ebikes is going to vary from place to place.
Secondly many posters are thinking of ebikes as only bicycles with a small motor added, which is the most common type in Western cities but most ebikes in China, which the original article refers to, do not have peddles, they are scooter styled. If you saw one in a western city you would likely assume that it was a gas power Vespa or similar, not an ebike. The reason the scooter format is more common that the bicycle style is the load carrying capacity, you can put you shopping on the deck in front of the seat and more in the compartment under the seat. Of course the load carrying capabilities do get a abused in China. Often saw four people on one and loads that were oversized. Watched one girl transporting a wardrobe fall off when the wardrobe, laid horizontally over the desk, dug into the ground on a corner.
"e-bike riders only risk their own lives"
I'd like to apply this to the driver's seat in all automobiles. Namely, remove all the driver seat air bags, and replace them with a gun that automatically shoots the driver in the event of an accident. I think we would see much safer driving.
Yes, I am a grumpy old cyclist. And by the way, I do pull over and let cars and trucks pass when I need to, did it three or four times today.
Same wheels for 20 years, although straightened a few times, same bottom bracket, etc.
Interesting. Mine was cheap and had an unsealed bottom bracket. That lasted about 5 years, got replaced with a sealed unit. The wheels... I've been through several rear wheels. Most recently the nut siezed so badly, I had to cut the axle off to change the tire. Not worth replacing the axle on that wheel. The rear ones get a lot more punishment (extra weight), chain thrown into the spokes (after someone bashed up the deraillier when parked in a bike rack) and other misc. abuse. With cheap wheels it's not worth doing a complete rebuid. I can't recall now why the front one had to go.
Had to change the everything the chain touches once because I wore them out... I've clearly been ignoring the maintenance schedule proposed by most serious bike people!
Ehhh I never bothered with the whole "oh you must replace everything at once" thing the fanatics seem to espouse. The teeth on my front chain rings are worn to a funny shape now, and I've been through several rear blocks (on my third). The first one started freewheeling both ways, the second lost its grip on the small sprocket, naturally while I was pushing very hard though amazingly I didn't wipe out. The chain gets replaced regularly since I have no chain guard and in winter, you either have enough oil to keep the salt out (and get a nice grinding paste as a result) or it rusts like hell. Regular all-weather riding makes chains a consumable.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Car drivers are angry, insufferable assholes who think they are better than everyone else and own the road. Doesn't matter if they are in a Mercedes, a Chevy, or a Smart.
There, fixed that for you.
Which is why you don't go close to a line of parked cars...
I spent $200 on my box store bike. It's got 10k miles on it in 18 months, only routine maintenance. Thank god for cheap components and crappy frames!
People in bike shops make hard fun of me, say my bike is a piece of shit. They can spend thousands if it makes them feel better, fine with me!
Man, you really need that seminar!