Firefly ebike prototype

[OtayBW]

Very nice, but Oy!......

[buddybikes]

Are there fat slobs riding ebikes - Yes - but better than just sitting

Are there lazy millenials that think it is cool to buzz you on their ebike - Yes and deserve the pump in the wheel treatment

Are there former good cyclists whose bodies are falling apart and these can get them home from their former circuit - Yes
- am I in this crowd - yes - but just slowing down, shortening rides, hoping for that blast of 20something energy in my legs again....

But are we carbon neutral YES!!!!!!!!!

[pasadena]

I've met more than a few people like this.

I used to ride from Boston Harbor over to Trader Joes on Beacon and Harvard after work regularly.
Boston on bicycle is so much easier. Even a quick grocery or dinner meetup in Cambridge was much, much faster by bike. Parking alone makes a bike worth it.

Originally Posted by Tyler Evans

Anecdotally, I was riding my eBike to work this morning and while stopped at a light an older (elderly) gentleman pulled up next to me on his eBike. We had enough time to chat. We both have the same commute, 10 miles each way by bike which takes us each about 30 minutes by eBike and from experience and about 40 minutes by car. He said that before eBikes he just couldn't physically ride every day, now he is a daily rain-or-shine eCommuter. I think that is super rad on many levels.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by pasadena

This argument has nothing to do with ebikes.

The people who made the regulations think it does. Why else would they expressly prohibit e-bikes from recreational bike paths, if not for concerns of speed differentials (on narrow, crowded multi-use paths)?

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

But are we carbon neutral YES!!!!!!!!!

Do you charge your e-bike with your own solar cells or wind turbine? If not, it is probably not carbon neutral. In the US, 65% of electricity is generated from fossil fuels (and we have a highly inter-linked power network, so odds are that wherever you are in the US, you're getting some of your power from carbon sources). Not even pedal bikes are carbon neutral.

[Blue Jays]

Oh my goodness...
All things being equal, my preference is to see a bicycle, a tricycle, or a unicycle next to me while pedaling on a roadway.
Incremental little steps all help with making everyday bicycle life a bit nicer.

[benb]

I do wish we had regulations requiring them to make you pedal a little bit.

Most of what I see is flat out eMotorcycles. Looks like a bike but you see a fat guy doing 15-20mph up a hill without pedaling. It's a motorcycle, call it what it is and take the pedals off and put pegs on it. Make them get a license and have plates and registration. A lot of the eBikes cost more than your entry level 250cc motorcycles as well! I'm not knocking them here, gas motorcycles are a big improvement over SUVs and 4000lb sedans with one person riding in them. eMotorcycles are an improvement over gas motorcycles for all the around town trips as well.

The thing with the death on the bike path here whether it had anything to do with an eBike is they're in the progress of deciding on a 15mph speed limit. That's kind of annoying. It's easy to average > 15mph on that path safely during the morning commute in particular. The MUPpets & Pathletes are not out there for morning commute, nor are the dog walkers and families. I would be mad about someone ruining it for everyone if I was still using the path for commuting into Cambridge like I did years ago.

[pasadena]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

The people who made the regulations think it does. Why else would they expressly prohibit e-bikes from recreational bike paths, if not for concerns of speed differentials (on narrow, crowded multi-use paths)?

because of ignorance.

Speed is the only factor that should be legislated.
If safety is the real concern, enforce the speed limit.

Should we make road racing bikes and riding in groups illegal as well?

It's a slippery slope of red tape and expense when personal responsibility and enforcement of current laws are being neglected. The answer is not to add more legislation.

[simplemind]

Haters gonna hate, but as said, the aging population is going to buy. I've witnessed a number of spouses/SO's riding with their fit "cyclists" and having a great time. Also opens up significantly more territory for unfit and fit together.

[duff_duffy]

Wonder what the completed Firefly shown would cost....

[pbarry]

Originally Posted by duff_duffy

Wonder what the completed Firefly shown would cost....

$10k-12k, wild guess.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Makes gas $7 a gallon and I suspect you'll find some new converts to this cycling thing, e-bike or no.

Doubt it. To (mis)quote Mencken: "No one ever went broke underestimating the desire of the American public to avoid exercise."

[Blue Jays]

Originally Posted by zlin

"...Awesome! And one thing is guaranteed, we’re all getting older..."

Originally Posted by simplemind

"...Haters gonna hate, but as said, the aging population is going to buy.
I've witnessed a number of spouses/SO's riding with their fit 'cyclists' and having a great time.
Also opens up significantly more territory for unfit and fit together..."

Absolutely! I love my bicycles beyond what words can describe.
It would make my heart soar to think maybe I can even do this into my 80s someday.
Even more fun to noodle around the local neighborhood with elderly relatives. :-)

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by pasadena

because of ignorance.

Speed is the only factor that should be legislated.
If safety is the real concern, enforce the speed limit.

There currently is no speed limit on the Minuteman Bikeway where the accident occurred.

Originally Posted by pasadena

It's a slippery slope of red tape and expense when personal responsibility and enforcement of current laws are being neglected. The answer is not to add more legislation.

But there needs to be some form or regulations to maintain order. Without them, what is the difference between an e-bike and a motorcycle? Should Harley-Davidson riders be allowed on bike paths? What if they promise to ride safely?

While it is true that there are (pedal) cyclists who can ride faster than the electric assist limit of e-bikes, the practical reality is that they are a small percentage of the riding public, and that they don't do it often. But e-bikes (particularly throttle e-bikes) can be regularly ridden by almost anyone at higher rates of speed than most pedal cyclists. I'm very certain that if e-bikes were allowed on the bike path, the average speeds of cyclists would go up, and the frequency of high-speed passing would increase.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Tyler Evans

Anecdotally, I was riding my eBike to work this morning and while stopped at a light an older (elderly) gentleman pulled up next to me on his eBike. We had enough time to chat. We both have the same commute, 10 miles each way by bike which takes us each about 30 minutes by eBike and from experience and about 40 minutes by car. He said that before eBikes he just couldn't physically ride every day, now he is a daily rain-or-shine eCommuter. I think that is super rad on many levels.

This is interesting. eBikes seem like a no-brainer from a business perspective. People with disposable income and perhaps less interest in vigorous exercise. Makes perfect sense.

However, I'm willing to bet your experience chatting with another ebiker is an outlier. Anytime you have the capacity to go faster, most people often do. This usually precludes any type of conversation. I know from personal experience that the ebikers who blow by me have very little desire to chit-chat. Similarly, I don't see "ebike" fondos any time in the future. There's just very little about them that seems to foster any greater sense of "community."