“Acoustic” bike?

[PacNW2Ford]

Just saw an ad for a bike with a removable electric motor. Says it gives you both an acoustic and an electric bike - two bikes in one. WTH is an “acoustic” bike?!

[eddief]

bikes without motors are needing a differentiator from those with motors. so to be cute they are becoming known as acoustic or analogue. think guitars and watches, etc. kinda like the differentiator of diamond framed bikes as opposed to recumbents. does crotch rocket enter in here somewhere?

[PacNW2Ford]

I got the guitar reference when I read it, it makes no sense to call a bike “acoustic”. Bike and E-bike seemed to work. Just like car and electric car.

[PacNW2Ford]

Trying to kill this one before it propagates. Otherwise we’re going to have another oxymoron like “manual” brakes as opposed to power brakes. Manual means with the hands.

[cetuximab]

I love this analogy.
Like trying to stop a river by holding your hands out into the current.

I get annoyed by the journalists during this pandemic. In an effort to sound scientific they say “epicenter” when they mean “center”.


ep·i·cen·ter
/ˈepəˌsen(t)ər/
noun
the point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake.

[54ny77]

i prefer heavy metal bikes.

[PacNW2Ford]

This has been going on for awhile?! Yikes, I just Googled it and Elvis has left the building... What’s next, “acoustic screwdrivers”?

[harlond]

Originally Posted by PacNW2Ford

This has been going on for awhile?! Yikes, I just Googled it and Elvis has left the building... What’s next, “acoustic screwdrivers”?

Those are called sonic screwdrivers.

[marciero]

A little too metaphoric/poetic-y for me. Also reminded me of this Luka Bloom song.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by PacNW2Ford

I got the guitar reference when I read it, it makes no sense to call a bike “acoustic”. Bike and E-bike seemed to work. Just like car and electric car.

Yeah, sadly the guitar industry perverted that word decades ago. Everything could have been fine if we'd just had "guitars" and "electric guitars" but no, some moron thought that "acoustic" was the opposite of "electric" and the name stuck.

Nearly 50 years ago my grandfather expressed appropriate confusion when I proudly showed off my then-new "acoustic" guitar:

"What does that mean? they all need acoustics for us to hear any music!"

[fiamme red]

I'm surprised that you think a bicycle can't be acoustic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9P2V0_p6vE

[reuben]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

i prefer heavy metal bikes.

I'm still waiting for monocoque carbon bands to become popular.

[avalonracing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1yFHAugbnM

Acoustic Motorbike by Luka Bloom 1992

[rwsaunders]

You can have an acoustic guitar with a pickup...maybe that's what they are referring too...a bike with a pick-me-up.

[David Tollefson]

Originally Posted by avalonracing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1yFHAugbnM

Acoustic Motorbike by Luka Bloom 1992

Thank you! I remember that from when it came out, and was featured in... Mountain Bike magazine? I think it was Zap (Espinosa) that wrote the review.

I've used the term "acoustic bike" many times, usually in motorcycle forums (currently the Duc Multistrada page) when people ask about your "other" bike.