quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Ebikes are motorcycles.

Yeah, let's let the government regulate the shit out of yet another awesome and fun thing just because of a few idiots.
Don't be a crusty old curmudgeon.

Behavior needs to be controlled, otherwise you have chaos. How else would you solve this problem without legislation?

Agree it is the rider, not the bike ... just like not the gun but the person handling it.

Unfortunately with most fun things there tends to be morons who sadly cannot help but ruin a good thing for everyone else.

Ebikes are rapidly becoming an affordable and accessible method of transportation. I’ve noticed they tend to be especially prevalent in vacation destinations. My uncle lives in the Outer Banks of NC and complained recently about all the tourists renting ebikes and hurting people on sidewalks or getting run over by cars.

There are idiots everywhere, not just on ebikes but I get that an ebike can often look a lot like a normal bike but accelerate and maintain a speed that is MUCH faster than you would expect. In the hands of a person with no respect or awareness of their surroundings it’s definitely can cause problems.

My main issue with the ebikes is that they blow past me with ease on the blue and green trails and their riders don’t even seem to be breaking a sweat to maintain that pace. In all seriousness though, When used responsibly both on and off road ebikes are incredibly fun. They are also excellent for those with mobility or strength issues.

Six months ago I converted a 2016 Marin Pine Mountain adventure/camping mountain bike into a fairly fast home made electric bicycle. At first glance it doesn’t scream 52V 1500-3000W electric bike which was a consideration during the build.



This past weekend I broke 900 trouble free miles on my ebike. The power level, twist throttle set up and 44mph top speed (electronically limited) puts the bike well past class 3 going by the categories listed below:

-Class 1 - pedal assist motor up to 20 mph.
-Class 2- have a throttle and can go up to 20 mph. (motorcycle in opinion).
-Class 3 have a throttle and can go up to 28 mph. (again, motorcycle, some of these are being hacked to get more speed out of them).

Because I am not an idiot and don’t blast past traffic I’ve been riding my ebike all over town with no issues. I wave to the cops and they wave back. Zero issues so far. For trips to my local pet shop, bike store or local mountain bike park it beats the heck out of driving. It’s quite off road capable and has held up great to a substantial amount of trail riding and even a few minor crashes.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Ebikes are motorcycles.

Yeah, let's let the government regulate the shit out of yet another awesome and fun thing just because of a few idiots.
Don't be a crusty old curmudgeon.

Behavior needs to be controlled, otherwise you have chaos. How else would you solve this problem without legislation?

Chaos is just fine with me. Ya know, some of that 'dangerous freedom"?
I believe wanting others to be controlled is a sign of cowardice. And I'd have to ask you, would you be fine with the current political "leaders" deciding what you can or can't do? What permits you need to be in public? When or where you are allowed to exist?
If so just stay inside under your bed where you feel safe and leave the rest of us to our lives.

Spoken like a true libertarian. No rules for anything. Do whatever you want whenever you want.

Me? I prefer to live in a civil society. I guess that makes me a coward.

“Watch out for ebike idiots while driving.”

Fixed

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
I agree E-Bikes and their riders are a problem. Where I work in SLC leaving the main road and turning on to a private drive into our company parking lot is risky. The 6' wide sidewalk has lots of bike activity and you have to look much further up the sidewalk to see if bikes are coming since their speeds are so much higher. To make things worse the sidewalk is obscured by parking strip bushes. I am sure that down the road E-bikes will be banned from the sidewalks but its going to take some fatalities to make that happen.

It isn't the e-bike, it is the rider only.

Sure but these riders aren't going 30+ mph on flat ground on a regular bike.

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
I agree E-Bikes and their riders are a problem. Where I work in SLC leaving the main road and turning on to a private drive into our company parking lot is risky. The 6' wide sidewalk has lots of bike activity and you have to look much further up the sidewalk to see if bikes are coming since their speeds are so much higher. To make things worse the sidewalk is obscured by parking strip bushes. I am sure that down the road E-bikes will be banned from the sidewalks but its going to take some fatalities to make that happen.

It isn't the e-bike, it is the rider only.

Sure but these riders aren't going 30+ mph on flat ground on a regular bike.

Different states have different laws but in most states if the motor will push it 30+ mph then it is legally a motorcycle, not a bicycle, and the existing laws could deal with it if anyone gave a shit about enforcing them.

In most states a pedal-assist bike with assist past 28 mph is a motorcycle.

In most states a bike with a throttle that will go past 20 mph is a motorcycle.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
Ebikes are motorcycles.

Yeah, let's let the government regulate the shit out of yet another awesome and fun thing just because of a few idiots.
Don't be a crusty old curmudgeon.

I didn't say the government should regulate the shit out of anything.

Around here it isn't a few idiots, it is packs of tourists zooming all over the roads, sidewalks, and trails with no awareness of nor regard for anyone else. Every single day of the warm season the hospital ER has at least one casualty brought in by ambulance. Surely there are numerous other injuries that either go to urgent care or don't seek help.

I'd like to see the police clamp down on the egregious offenders under existing laws. I hope car drivers are not being held liable when an ebike blows across the crosswalk at 20+ mph and collide with a car. In accordance with existing traffic laws.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
I believe wanting others to be controlled is a sign of cowardice. And I'd have to ask you, would you be fine with the current political "leaders" deciding what you can or can't do? What permits you need to be in public? When or where you are allowed to exist?

Would you consider yourself brave if you or anyone in your family were leveled by an ebike that was moving at say 20 mph on a sidewalk? I've seen that happen in our downtown area. It aint a pretty site.

In my limited experience, there's almost always an existing law or ordinance on the books to address idiocy on ANY number of wheels, provided there's a will to address it.

I know at least one guy locally who's pushing 85 and has easily 200K+ lifetime miles on conventional road bikes. After a few evolving health issues, pedal-assist is what allows him to stay on the bike and active. He rides the same way he used to, which is to say safely and courteously. If he had something with a throttle and a 30mph top end, nothing would change about his riding habits or safety.

This is entirely about the cyclist, not the cycle.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
I believe wanting others to be controlled is a sign of cowardice. And I'd have to ask you, would you be fine with the current political "leaders" deciding what you can or can't do? What permits you need to be in public? When or where you are allowed to exist?

Would you consider yourself brave if you or anyone in your family were leveled by an ebike that was moving at say 20 mph on a sidewalk? I've seen that happen in our downtown area. It aint a pretty site.

It's a dangerous world out there with a lot of fast moving shit. You are responsible for your safety. Look both ways and all of that.

Years ago I knew a guy who would act like the homeless drunk from a Grateful Dead concert whenever bikes started whizzing past him on the sidewalk.

He'd start staggering around and deliberately stagger in the direction of the bikes. All of the bikes managed to recognize him as the threat and they all got out of his way.

I'd love to see him do his act with the new generation of E-Bikes. It helped that he was 6'4" and about 240 lbs.