Re: [TheThinkTank] 'The bike has been infected forever'… with the electrification virus ( ? ! )

4 Jan 2013 · *won't*

      I was in China last year. E-bikes and scooters everywhere. As utilitarian
transportation in a city like Beijing, it made a lot more sense than
bicycles. It made the long urban distances, heavy cargo, and reasonable
speed in inclement weather possible for normal humans. There's about 1% of
us in North America that are willing to haul ourselves long distances, over
hill and under hill, with or without cargo, on a regular bicycle. E-bikes
make things more accessible for those that can't or, significantly, *won't*.
The ones I usually see are pieces of garbage, and I hate working on them
(and I have a degree in computer engineering!), but that's because they are
often also used by people with physical disabilities on some form of
financial assistance. It sounds like there are a lot of differences between
regions in how e-bikes are used and catching on.
But, regardless: one more e-bike means one less car, right? There are
certainly issues with sharing infrastructure, etc. (in China, there are
basically separate adjacent roadways--think access or service roads--for
all 2- or 3- wheeled vehicles instead of just thin bike lanes), but those
issues can be dealt with.
If I were picking and choosing bikes that most closely meet the Platonic
Ideal of the Utilitarian Bicycle Promoting Transportation Mode Shift in the
General Population, I'd kick out fashionable hipster fixies before the
e-bikes.
(But I'm not!)
Christopher Chan
*Executive Director*
Edmonton Bicycle Commuters' Society
10047 80 Ave (entrance in rear lane)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6E 1T4
edmontonbikes.ca
*w:* (780) 433-2453  ||  *c:* (780) 700-5564
On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 9:50 AM, Ryan Kragerud rjkragerud@gmail.com wrote:
...
A bike with a motor is a motorbike.
Having said that, I think we need to keep an open mind regarding e-bikes.
In Longmont, and I'd expect in other areas of the Southwest and Florida
we're all seeing an uptick (albeit small) in people over 60 purchasing
e-bikes to get around town. In fact, we have a couple examples of seniors
selling their cars and riding e-bikes as an alternative. These folks use
our Bike Valet at our local farmer's market. Seniors using our Bike Valet
say they prefer the e-bike to pedal bikes because they are easier to get
around on. They also prefer e-bikes to their own cars for safety reasons.
The seniors we spoke with said they often find themselves driving far
slower than the posted speed limits and feel they are becoming less skilled
drivers. The e-bike fills the gap for them. The e-bike allows them to still
be mobile do small errands and allows them to get some exercise.
In fact once our Bike Garage is up and running I'd like to work with a few
active adult facilities to pilot an e-bike program. As for now, we have no
policies in place that would allow or discourage e-bike maintenance.
In general though - prior to hearing from these elders I had only
approached the e-bike thing from the point of view of a capable cyclist,
forgetting that there are those older than myself who could benefit from a
little electric assist.
IMO.
Ryan
Bicycle Longmont
Longmont Colorado - www.bicyclelongmont.org
On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 8:49 AM, Geoffrey Bercarich <
geoff.bercarich@gmail.com> wrote:
...
My community bike space does not allow the fixing or repairing of
electric assist vehicles.
Make signage.
On Jan 4, 2013 2:36 AM, "Wendy Monroe" wendy.monroe@usermail.com wrote:
...
Hello think tankers,
I'm seeing a lot of this sort of talk in the Netherlands…
Is there a broad trend in the States moving this direction, as well?
This Extra Energy organization is not thinking in terms of Cheap chinese
made imports but rather of very pricey ( typically ) German products.
Or perhaps German *branded* products, manufactured in China….
But I see e-bikes in general as somewhat of a threat to those of us who
love non electrified bicycles.
Any thoughts on this, fellow Americans?

http://extraenergy.org/main.php?language=en&category=information&sub...

Wendy

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