Well my new Outside column is up:
I always keep my word.
Or at least sometimes.
Well I did today.
See you Monday!
--Wildcat Etc. And So Forth
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"The Greatest Cycling Manual Ever Written"--Eben Weiss, author of "Bike Snob"
About Me
- BikeSnobNYC
- While I love cycling and embrace it in all its forms, I'm also extremely critical. So I present to you my venting for your amusement and betterment. No offense meant to the critiqued. Always keep riding!
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28 comments:
...wait, twice in one day?
...i've trained my human child to call anyone on an e-bike who passes us 'cheater'. It boosts my ego.
Nicely said as usual. NYC is a town of fuckos- why the hell should ebikes be illegal in a crowded city? They really are useful, especially for delivery workers, older folks, and poor people.
Nice read. I don't like the vocal "everyone on an e-bike is cheating" crowd on forums and message boards. No, everyone on an ebike is a person who is not in a car. They aren't coming out to steal your KOMs with it, they are doing it because they wouldn't otherwise be riding. That means fewer cars on the road, and more people on bikes.It makes it better for everyone. I'd rather get passed by somebody on an e-bike than run over by that same person in a car.
Missed the podium again, SCRANUS!
e-bikes don't bother me at all on the road. They're much more like bikes than they are like cars, and I figure each person on an e-bike is probably one fewer cars. But if I was seriously into mountainous, off-road, mtb bicycle cycling sessions, then e-bikes on the trails would piss me off big time.
Tardius Topus-Tennus
I would write that you are phoning it in to this blog, but you're not even doing that.
Rotsa ruck, Hollywood. You used to be fun to read.
My girlfriend took the ebike I built; she rides it daily for commuting and errands. She spilled chili into the pannier this morning. If I ever do get a chance to ride it, it's always in need of some sort of adjustment or repair.
I am so happy
If she rode a regular bike she'd probably be getting sick more often due to fatigue. She's able to zip across a regular sprawled out american city without giving half her income to auto/petrol industry, she's not a threat to pedestrians, she's not noise pollution, and I think she even enjoys it a little.
No e-fixies, please.
I'm so confused...
Anonymous 7:51pm,
You were never fun to read. Which is worse?
--Wildcat Etc.
Mic drop... 👍
Bye...
Hey, i dunno, Snob... Anonymous has had some real zingers over the years! Anyway, how would you feel if they just ghosted you and never said why they were leaving, you're just like, "geez, it's been a while since Anonymous posted anything... i wonder if they're mad, or... if i hurt their feelings somehow?" Trust me, that's no way to live.
It's odd that an e-bike passing can elicit the reaction of "cheater" or the feeling of jealousy if they pass on a nasty hill, yet someone on a motorbike or scooter doesn't get a second thought.
How often do you hear "bicycles should be registered and riders should be licensed, blah blah". We enjoy (don't laugh) a special status because our vehicles are human powered. Sure, an E-bike opens up possibilities for the old or the out-of-shape or the person with General Tsaos chicken to deliver, but mopeds are a thing, scooters are a thing, electric motorcycles are a thing. Sometimes I don't feel like pedaling to work. Then I ride the bicycle with an engine and a license plate. I took a test and send NY a check every spring. Why don't the E-bike makers add the equipment to sell them as a class C moped? No special license, no insurance, all those delivery people could be perfectly legal. Why are shops perfectly happy to sell you something you cannot legally use? There needs to be a line. If your E-bike accelerates when you are not pedaling and makes you faster than Lance with EPO, you are riding a motorcycle. I am fond of motorcycles, but they are not bicycles.
With all due respect Snob I think you're getting soft. If the cargo bike/child commute is too much, throw the boy in a backpack and take a speedier whip. Also, must you ride? A morning walk with child in a backpack could be just as satisfying as riding if time can be spared. But don't get me wrong, I do see the advantages of ebikes and won't hate you for it. Ride well mate.
Nobody who "rides" an ebike actually believes they are riding it, do they? Like the silly motorcycle users that call it "riding their bikes", this technical inaccuracy is laughable at best, infuriating at worst. When you are not physically peopelling the contraption, you are not riding it, youre driving it
My wife and I just got back from a bike trip in Croatia, run by VBT. They offered e-bikes on this one, and a few people used them. I got used to being passed by the same folks on uphills day after day! But they might not have tried the trip if the e-bikes hadn't been available, and some of the hills were tough enough (long more than steep) that we were tempted -- enough that we wished there had been a chance to try them out. These bikes gave riders a boost, but they still had to pedal. If they get people on bikes and allow them to go places they might not, I think e-bikes are a good thing.
Well, I'm off for some horse driving....
Yesterday I got passed by a man on a scooter riding in the bike lane because he couldn't keep up with the 35 mph speed limit. I'd rather have been passed by a e-bike. They at least help keep the LBS open.
What current you running?
people on eBikes should be required to wear an electricians outfit - no kit
Next asshole who plays 'Sweet Caroline' on the jukebox gets his lights punched out.
I rented an Ebike in Santa Monica (I was still mending from the collar bone). I rode that beast an hour and 35 minutes before I realized I had to turn the throttle! The "Electric Assist" light was on so I figured it was helping but alas, it was not. Keep in mind I have an extensive dirt motorcycle back ground and keep in mind that evidently I am an idiot.
This is sooooooooooo good. THANK YOU. I get it. I see how people's lives are changed due to e-bikes via my role in the bike industry. I was skeptical at first too. But it's life changing for many. Last night our 60ish y.o. landlord was working on the property as we rolled out as a family of four on two bikes to head to dinner. One is an e-bike that my husband uses to commute to and from work with every day. She says, "I haven't been able to get back on the bike since my surgery (she had some stints put in). I miss that." We said she should get an e-bike and her response was disappointing..."I'm not THAT old." I guess she doesn't realize that the alternative is that is that she isn't riding at all. Like ever. Perspective people. Its bike over car, not e-bike over bike.
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