Quote:
Originally Posted by 9tubes
What a tragedy.
Not to threadjack, but as an experienced cyclist those e-bikes terrify me. Especially the Rad bikes. A 70 pound bike going 25 mph on a crowded bike trail, designed for diminished control (ape hanger handlebars), designed with poor brakes, and often ridden by someone without sufficient experience. As they say, what could possibly go wrong?
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Is a 140 lb. rider on a 70 lb. bike worse than a 180 lb. rider on a 30 lb. bike (keeping in mind that they may both have the same handlebars and brakes)?
Also, the RadRunner is a class 2 e-bike, with a maximum assist speed of 20 mph (not 25 mph).
That being said, one of the purposes of e-bikes is to allow riders to go faster than they would by pedaling alone (as many e-bike supporters on this forum have admitted). So, while it is true that some fit riders can already go to fast on the bike path on a pedal only bike, e-bikes allow more people to go too fast on the bike path, which can only create more problems.
The Europeans have far more bike paths, and far more experience riding on bike paths, and they have chosen to limited e-bike assist speeds to 15.5 mph. If we had the same assist speed limit in the US, I'd be fine with e-bikes on bike paths. But the US e-bike class system has higher assist speeds, closer to moped speeds (include one class that allows throttle control), so these US class e-bikes are better suited to the road than to bike paths.