The auto industry has taken 10-20% of every person's income for over 100 years! Getting where you need to go for pennies vs dollars? We can't have that.
I'm against them, and I don't come from the car industry, but the bike industry. People get way too lazy nowadays. No one can even walk properly anymore. Soon they can't even drive a bike without an engine built into it. That's embarassing.
You get ripped off on the price of the car, then you get royally ripped off financing the car then you get to look forward to paying a brain surgeon to put brakes on your car for like 500$ or wing it and try it yourself with 250$ dollars worth of tools.
7 years ago my wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness and has been fighting ever since.... yesterday an ebike trip on a rail trail allowed her to feel like herself again...never would have attempted the 15 mile trip without the electric assist. Pedal assist allowed her to exercise within her limits while enjoying the view, weather, interacting with other riders and out running a stray dog. Ebikes are just another way of changing lives for the better and I am truly thankful for them.
@@alexmorgan3435 the environmental impact of an ebike is negligible. Also I live in some of the hilliest geography in North America, it's impossible to even get to work without being drenched in sweat. You think you're smart but you're really just a huge jackass who wants to feel special 😉
I see my ebike as my 2nd vehicle. I work in a city where parking is very expensive and traffic is high. I'm able to get to places quicker on bike than my pickup truck. Another benefit is if I have to get stuff around my home area, I can just bring out the bike and never have to lose my spot.
E-bikes are great for seniors and anybody with bad knees. Seriously! Even if you don't need the electric power to cruise, getting up hills is 10 times easier.
E-bikes expand what is possible on a bike. I bought an E-bike for my wife who doesn't drive. We live at the top of a hill in Austin. She was able to cycle up that hill, with 2 full panniers in the summer and not die of heat exhaustion. That has been important for us. If someone sees E-bike vs bike as a zero sum game, that's their problem...
When I was young, even with a "racer" bicycle, there are a lot of hills where I live and you had to push your bike up a hill. Nearly 2 months ago, I had a heart attack and without an E-bike, I would not even be cycling. Some hills here are a 400 feet climb & I might do 19 miles. If e-bikes were not around, then I wouldn't be out there enjoying the exercise/freedom sun & air. I certainly would never have bought an ordinary bicycle and stuck to using my car. Stuff the haters!
Yep. Born with bad knees here (among a lot of other issues). 7 miles is my limit without electrification. With it, 40 miles is *readily* doable. This is especially the case when public transport is swiftly becoming *completely* untenable due to worsening health atop of disabilities I was born with. I’m no longer able to hide them very well, and not hiding them has resulted in trouble in the past.
I have spinal stenosis, rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative disk disease, I was also born with a abnormality in my l4 l5, the have a reverse curve so it pushes the disk out naturally. Without my ebike I wouldn’t be able to ride a bike.
The best and funniest response I have heard to the Cheater remark was here on youtube recently. It said Lance Armstrong cheated, I'm just having fun. PERFECT.
Actually I don't show up sweaty. My ride to work is on an almost flat surface for 90% of the trip. The ride is fairly simple and doesn't require a lot effort. For me, It allows me to save on commute costs, and get some exercise.
@@churchofpos2279 E bikes have the biggest advantages in hilly terrain - here you will sweat even on a road bike, which is bad if you also cycle in winter. On the flat a road bike is an alternative.
I gave up my car in 2008. Without my e-bike I probably would have ended up buying another car. I was in my fifties with horrible knees when I started riding an e-bike. I'm still going strong today. Not sure what age has to do with it. If you want it and enjoy riding because of it then go for it.
I’m 72 as well. I do actually ride my regular road bike on a daily basis rather than my e-bike. But my wife and i plan to do some extensive bike touring. So we love using our e-bikes for that, carrying our panniers and making it up those hills. Here is to e-bike touring seniors.
@@iamrocketray I’m 72 as well. I do actually ride my regular road bike on a daily basis rather than my e-bike. But my wife and i plan to do some extensive bike touring. So we love using our e-bikes for that, carrying our panniers and making it up those hills. Here is to e-bike touring seniors.
Ridden one it is a e-mofa for me, not a bicycle, bicycles are self propelled, they do not need extra petrol or (produced) electricity, they are the ever ready machine just limited by you, when uphill is hard and downhill is fast and you can feel the wind and it interacts directly with you that is the beauty of nature and of them!
I've been riding ebikes for more than 20 years and have experienced a range of responses. Initially, in the late 90's it was a lot of curiousity and interest. Then later when conversion kits became more available the snark began to grow and then by the saturation of ebikes a few years ago the harsh judgement became undeniable. I'm disabled and wouldn't be able to ride without the pedal-assist, therefore my bias and lens is accessibility and I think people judge ebikes because of interalized ableism. I agree with you, we do all need to enjoy this space together and what the hell is wrong with more safety and comfort!?! Great channel, thanks for the commentary and advocacy for ebikes.
If I may add to what you're saying, the fact that it's so easy to get into ebiking these days, it also attracts people who shouldn't really be riding. People who have poor attitudes, or who have no intention of recognizing and going by the laws and it ruins it for everyone else. I call it the blood in the toilet theory. It only takes a few bad apples to really ruin the whole thing and no matter how much good we add to dilute the impurity, the damage is done. If more jerky cyclists would just get run over it would put an end to all this, but karma happens to the wrong people and not on our timeline.
Good discussion Chris. I ride my ebike about 250 miles a month year round for the last 18 months-over 4500 miles now. I've not experienced any verbal negative comments while riding my ebike. Sometimes when I say hello to members of the spandex crowd, I receive the cold stares or they quickly look away, but that's about the extent of it. I used to get a lot of friendly inquires from folks wanting to know about ebikes. Recently that has tapered off to maybe once every other month. In general, I'm mostly ignored on the paths & trails - I am very courteous and not at all aggressive. My biggest concern lately is people who are buying ebikes to gain access to the pedestrian/bike trails and then riding them in primarily throttle mode. The 1000W and above ebikes can easily go over 20 mph, a common speed limit on public paved trails. These riders terrorize path users (perhaps without knowing it) by going much faster than the speed limits (not limited to ebikes by the way). Others ride in groups or lines using mostly throttle and often clogging the path. They earn the ire of those who are "working for the experience" by pedaling or walking. There is very little (if any) policing of path/trail/power limit rules, but highly discourteous riding results in complaints to government. It's a shame because we just got access to many federal land trails and other agencies considering opening theirs up. In some areas, ebikes are already banned on certain trails. We'll see how all this bad behavior effects path use law?...
Great discussion. I also agree the anti-ebike attitude is changing. One thing that will help their acceptance is speed limiting. Having very fast-moving ebikes mixing with slower moving bikes on urban bike routes can create tension between riders. I hope jurisdictions adopt logical and sane laws around this that allow people to get around on ebikes efficiently, without allowing glorified motorcycles on bike lanes.
They have them rules in Tucson Az. Already only class1 and 2 on the loop. I have a class 2 .A group of road bikes doing at least 28 miles an hour dame near ran me off the bike path with a calling me a cheeter commit as they flew bye.
I bought my first e-bike (from Propel) at the end of 2016. In the subsequent years, I've had a ton of comments and questions from strangers. Most highly positive but a few definitely negative. I've been called "cheater" by cyclists and other bike commuters. But thinking about who I've been cheating, I'd have to say it is primarily the oil companies and my local car dealership. More commuting and errands done by e-bike has meant a lot fewer miles on my SUV. I generally ride about 4,000 miles per year and maybe 60% is replacing a car trip. So with 2021 being my 5th year of using an e-bike I've probably replaced 10-12,000 car miles. Riding a regular bike on a 30+ mile commute isn't very practical and for medium to long distance commutes or errands, the e-bike is the enabler that allows you to ditch the car.
I'm currently building a electric touring bike with duel motors, duel batteries, and a lot of extras. Channels like this has helped me out tremendously. Thank you.
@@ianfisher7423 thank you. I haven't done the complete testing of a system I'm installing on the bike that will give it a range of 300 to 500 miles. The Tests will be done in the next few months and I will be putting the bike up for auction probably on ebay.
I am from the Netherlands, about 20 years ago ebikes were mainly used by 65 + people. I remember that I was trying to hide the battery, feeling embarassed that I had an ebike. I used an ebike as an replacement to go to my job, in that time I had an ugly dark green Sparta ebike what was mostly used by old people. I really wouldn't go to my job with a normal bike because I hate te bridges and the heavy wind . Now I feel proud on my beautiful Gazelle ebike on the same way I was proud on my bike when I was a small kid and arrive fresh at work with getting fresh air. On the way back home I always bike 5 km without support as an exercise. Nowadays 65% percent of the annual income from bikeshops here is from selling ebikes and 20% of the bike trips are ebike trips. Also many people bought an ebike during the pandemie to avoid public transportation and many young parents do have an electrical cargo ebike to transport the children to school, sport, things like that. Nowadays you'll see even teenagers going to school by ebike instead of taking train or bus if school is 20 km away. The fashion under teenagers is a traditional Dutch electrical Oma bike with a transport rack.
Hi Lien. Thank you for your post. May I ask for some clarification on your statistics? If 65% of the bike sales are ebikes, how is it that only 20% of the trips are via bikes? Is it because the bike sales are just starting and have not reached a critical mass? Thank you.
@@arnoldbleicher1806 Probably fear of stealing is one, many people in cities take short rides on bikes that have locks costing more then the bike. Also install base even if 100% of bike sales would be electric with more bikes then people in the country it will take 5 to 10 years before most bikes in use are electric. Thats my view as a dutch person..
@@arnoldbleicher1806 Checked a litle more for you the 17M people in our country own about 23M bikes and sales last year was about 1.2M units so as you can see the install base has a massive effect. Even more so since many people own 2 bikes and at max one will be electric is my guess. Also that means that the 20% number of trips is already high and i suspect the number of km driven to show a even bigger gain since its known that on avg people with electric bikes do about 2x the km per year.
I'm an Englishman living in Southern Spain and this is my experience. Keep in mind that commuting by bike is not a thing here Bikes are used for sport and fitness. I'm 73 years old, very fit even for a man twenty years younger than me due to weight training and enjoying doing things that keep you fit. I have never seen it as a chore. But I hadn't ridden a bike for twenty years. Anyway discussing getting a bike, with my wife, who is a lot younger than me, I explained that I wasn't sure if I would only be able to ride it in the winter as the temperatures here can be 40 degrees centigrade in the summer, which I don't enjoy. Plus the area is very mountainous. She suggested I look into getting an electric bike which I had never thought of. The best suggestion ever. We are limited to 250W motors so it gives you assistance but you definitely have to put in plenty of effort due to the terrain. I would liken it to an extra set of gears making climbs easier. My first ride, before I set off, she asked where I was going and my reply was, "I will only be out twenty minutes to give it a try." An hour and a half later I returned home to a very worried wife having done 36 kms. The ony muscles that were aching were those in my face because I had been grinning like a Cheshire Cat the whole route but I definitely felt like I had exercised. The upshot was we both have one now and have some great fun on them. Sorry about the ramble on but the point I intended to make is that there are the odd one or two cyclists here who seem to regard it as cheating but the vast majority wave and seem pleased a bloke of my age is getting out and about. In fact others have got them now and judging by the look of them, they weren't cyclists but have bought them to help them lose weight and good for them. I know in America you can buy them so powerful that you don't really need to peddle but here you do so that may explain the lack of bad feeling. I hope that encourages people who are thinking of getting one.
@@littleripper312 causing emissions with a car should be considered cheating. using ebike charged with fracked power and child labor to produce the batteries is not cheating?
Great video. Your channel has some of the best b-roll on youtube. I love the shots. Its way more engaging than a talking head and I love seeing the different models you have in the video.
People have forgotten that a bicycle regardless if it is electric or not, is a means of transportation, to get from point A to B, a tool that helps us stay healthy and active. Forget the "kind" of bicycle one rides, forget the type of clothing one prefers to ride in, forget the age, gender and social status of a rider. Instead, focus on the joy biking brings to everyone who climbs on the saddle and pushes on those pedals! Aren't we all just seeking that joy and happiness? Cyclists, be kind to one another!
Americans get it for entertainment. It's not to save money as it would take years just to make back the cost of the bike itself and it's certainly not for exercise as it offers no more health benefit than walking other than low impact to joints. In other countries, bikes are a necessity and really are for transportation must that's not a huge majority in the USA.
First off, I like this content. Second, I bought a commuter bike and a cargo bike from you guys, the whole experience was great and riding these bikes around here in the Boston Area has been one of the best joys of my life. From my perspective, I get lot of curious looks from people driving by in their cars, a lot of them have never seen a cargo bike before. The other thing I seem to be picking up is that people are not used to seeing a bike keep up with cars in city traffic(Some seem to like it, others seems intimidated by it, I can only guess as to why. It may be the whole old school idea that people should be driving a car and I think that idea needs to change. I always think outside the box because economics and efficiency are becoming the new way to get ahead. All the old ideas have to go immediately to make it in the world these days.). I always obey the rules of the road as if I was driving a car. Respect is very important not only to culture a positive take on e-bikes but, to keep the ball rolling so that legislation doesn’t get on the books to take away my preferred mode of transportation. I love ❤️ your videos my friend and keep up the good work. 😊
The only experience I've had involving an e-bike was when I was riding my normal bicycle home from work and while passing, smiled at this old fella zipping along the bike path on his e-bike. He goes, "You need to get yourself one of these, they're the way to go!" He was just so happy. They're a bit expensive for me but if they get people on bicycles, especially people who might not be able to ride a normal bicycle, then they're an absolute win!
@@tintin7681 I don’t hate you yes anybody can have opinions does not mean there smart ones if im just riding my ebike either on trails commuting to work or running errands minding my business and some random guy cusses at me and flips me off because I have a e-bike and he doesn’t sir you definitely have a problem
I've been pedaling almost every type of bicycle imaginable since the mid-70s and at 58 (and a half) I finally made the switch to an ebike. I figure I have earned it!
All of the above is true and I get every sort of reaction everytime I go out riding, seriously the only thing that bothers me is car drivers attitude and their dangerous passes, the rest I can just talk calmly and explain how useful and fun it is and how I wouldn't be riding anymore without it electric after 50 years of cycling and the injuries etc that I now have.
I have many friends who would never get out on a bike who are now biking regularly on e- bikes. Including my 80-year-old neighbor and new bike partner to the gym in the mornings. Excellent point on the evolution from drop style racing bikes to mountain bikes to highbred bikes to cruising bikes and onto E bikes. It is all a great thing thank you for your advocacy. '
There just more practical if somebody told me they reglar bike yo work everyday and it’s 12 miles there and back your crazy lol on a ebike that’d nothing
I have been ridiculed or pointed out by the spandex crowd, so I simply avoid riding my local trail early or late in the day to not share the ride with them. Mind you, I am near 70, it doesn't seem to matter to them.
Jealousy is a curse. I have to trailer my dogs behind my electric fat bike as i can't walk more than 500 metres without becoming a physical and mental mess afterwards. I always try to be considerate to others on the road footpath or where ever when out riding. Living with the crap i deal with hourly is bad enough so i don't give a rats behind what anyone thinks. You are right on point with many topics in this video. :)
I just purchased my first e-bike about 2 months ago from Sondors it's the Rockstar and I absolutely love it. The few people that realize it's an e-bike thought it was cool and said it looked really nice. It's got a throttle and a pedal assist I mainly use the pedal assist and the throttle once in awhile when I want to experience that fast speed. But I use the throttle when no one's around me and I'm just cruising around the streets but mostly I'm peddling. I absolutely love it and glad that I got it because I can use it however I want.
This is so very timely. I live in an area (southern Oregon) where there has been growing animosity towards ebikes. An article in the paper recently noted that ebikes are not allowed ob the bike path (a 22+ mile path connecting several communities) and that EMTBS are not allowed on the mountain bike trails. The reasons given are varied, many simply incorrect. Here are some of the reasons given with my comments. Let me know if I am incorrect on anything. 1) Ebikes can go 25 MPH and should not be allowed on the bike path. - This is simply too vague a complaint. * Any bike can go 25 MPH if you can pedal that fast. * Class 1 ebikes top out at 20 MPH on the pedal assist. Class 3 ebikes top out at 28 MPH on pedal assist. Class 2 ebikes (those that have a throttle and do not require one to pedal) top out at 20 MPH. * I frequently see road bikes passing ebikes as the ebikes are often ridden by older folks just out for a ride, not to work up a sweat and push their heart rate to the limits. * My gut feeling here is that the non ebike-riding community sees the throttled bikes - class 2 - just zipping along the bike path with no pedaling and are bothered by that. I have to admit, it kind of annoys me as well, but I have to consider that maybe some folks can't pedal very much, for whatever reason and are just enjoying being out. 2) EMTBs go too fast on the trails. * Most of the MTBs I see on the trails are not going any faster (up or down) than regular bikes. * The pedal assist helps some folks get further up than they would had they not had the assist, but they aren't generally going any faster since the EMTB community is more into exercise than the bike path community and tend to use less battery as a way to enhance their workout. My goals is to gather data where I can (opinions are great but everybody has one) as a way to bring these issues to powers that be and have conversations one how best to resolve conflicts before it develops into a "hater" topic. Thank you.
When I joined my local cycle club 2 years ago I was the only eBike and nobody minded. Now 40% of the bikes are eBikes at the club. They are getting ever more popular so the haters need to get over themselves.
Chris, I really like your comments and topics that you share with your community. It shows that you are much more than a business man who wants to sell e-bikes but someone who thinks deeply about and advocates for this still kind of new technology. If we can get more people riding e-bikes all the better! Please continue with your efforts to convince our communities that e-bikes are a good means of transportation, commuting and a lot of fun!
Great topic! I once passed a road cyclist up a steep hill on my fold up ebike and she took exception to it. what my commute with 20 lbs of laundry had to do with her workout was beyond me. One issue that needs to be addressed is NYC simply being over crowded. The past two Fridays commuting to NJ from Midtown Manhattan has been nothing but bumper to bumper cars all the way up to the GWB via Nicholas Ave. The traffic didnt slow down my commute time by much, but dodging all those cars and even other cyclist makes cycling in the city difficult.
I own a eMTB and received nothing but positive feedback-especially from those that take it for a ride. Most aren’t versed at all and are a bit surprised that it has different levels of assist and no throttle. For the “earn the hill” club just put it in the minimal assist eco mode and good luck…It weighs 60 lbs.
I really like having my throttle. When I first started riding an e-bike I never used it. Now I use ti to get started going at an intersection as a safety measure. I'm 67 years old and it's saved me more than once to be up to speed as I enter the intersection.
unless you're in a sanctioned race or have an agreement that you're not using ebikes there's no cheating. Some dude asked me if I was going to 'cheat' during the Great Cycling Challenge by putting slicker tiers on my mountain bike.... Like what are you talking about? It's a self distance based fundraiser for cancer research. There's literally no cheating unless you're logging distances while driving lolol
@@chillwill1083 In a hilly and rough road town like Liverpool, carrying sometimes quite heavy foodstuffs, full time-especiallly, I don"t think I'd be still be doing the job after 3 years, without my hybrid style E-bike.. I couriered between 1997 and 2001 on an entry level Rockhopper, 50 hrs a week..but I was25 then...! never again!
You are spot on… “You should not be able to do something I am not doing”. Even on a regular bike there is hate for riding on the road. Only if biking is transportation in USA will minds change. So many people still think bikes belong on sidewalks and also ride against traffic in the street. Let’s get to that point , I don’t know how though, to change millions of minds to not be belligerent to bikes in general, let alone ebikes. Get consistent laws and infrastructure. Are not bike paths a way to marginalize bikes? So many issues for most of USA to try to ride a bike safely for transportation. Maybe only in dense cities can bikes be normalized as transportation. Sad. I hate it. Every time I get the urge to use it to commute, I look at the way people drive, and the sad state of roads, and I get stuck in my car more.
Depends on what you mean by bike paths. If you're including bike lanes I gave you disagree entirely. But even separate bike paths are useful. Sometimes they can be proper short cuts through places a road can't, and even when they're slower they're much safer than most bike lanes, and can be more comfortable for those who don't like mixing with car traffic, and who can blame them?
@@Joesolo13 yeah it depends I know. Where I live, people have told me to get on the sidewalk when I am on a 40 mph road, riding correctly in the right lane, being a legal participant on the road. Since bike lanes showed up about 10 to 15 years ago on just a handful of roads, people seem to feel that if there is no bike lane, then bikes are not allowed on that road. That is my experience. And sidewalks are the mental equivalent of a dedicated bike path so I should be on there. Which is more dangerous crossing every side street, dealing with driveways etc. It seems you need either EVERY road to have a bike lane or path, or NONE. That is being marginalized to just lanes or paths. Give me no bike lanes if you can’t have them everywhere, and make bike riding a mandatory part of drivers education where it is the norm, not exception, in teaching and enforcing the true legal definition of sharing the road.
@@seanrice7511 I don't know what the rules are in the USA but it sounds like driver education needs to be improved. Over here in the uk riding is ok, but you still get stupid people with bad attitudes towards bikes. Especially if you dare to ride on the road anywhere where there is a cycle lane 😁
Sadly I have observed that many “new to biking“ as it becomes a much better alternative to cars, are clearly formerly the angry Drivers just now on Bikes. As a lifelong super experienced biker, I have experienced many of them trying to force others and even me off the road or bike path. It doesn’t turn out well for them. Unfortunately there will always be a small percentage of any group that are pure aholes.
As a person who has ridden traditional bikes for decades and has now switched to an ebike I think there are several factors at play here. Living in the South and Southwest area of the US I have been on the receiving end of various forms of harassment from vehicles like throwing trash, passing way too close, name calling, and even attempts to run me off the road all because I was riding a bike and the other person took affront to my presence on the road. That can build up a defensive attitude in some people over time and when ebikes come along they just pass it along as an outlet to the behavior they have been subject to just like bullies in the playground. I got an ebike last year and ride it around the neighborhood and run errands on it as well. Also in the neighborhood there is a guy who has a traditional bike and is a fast rider. Last week I out on the bike and he came up behind me, slowed down and said, "Why don't you get rid of that fa**ot bike and get a real one". I did nothing to provoke this response. He and I are in the same age group. over 50, and live blocks from each other and I asked why he said that. He then said F - off and zoomed ahead. I chalked it up to him being harassed by vehicles and was just passing along the hate in some twisted pecking order he had in his mind.
Jerks will be jerks. Let's just hope he gets run off the road and it ends there. You have a much bigger heart than I do. Wish there were more people like you than me or him.
Because they want one but not have the money or will to buy one people say E bikes are expensive. I say this if you can have a car you can have like 5 ebikes for the same price 😂
When roadies see me. They tend to try to race me. But none can outrun my 45mph e-bike man. The only reason they’re ahead of me is because I allowed them to be ahead of me. They take it as an ego boost though lmao
Brought me back to bikeing when I shattered my leg and they said I would never ride again. And because of my e-bike I actually got strong enough over time to ride my old Trek again too.
I talked with a fixie rider outside of a convenience store three years ago who I felt had a pretty fair criticism. He said, "It's sad to take something as beautifully simple as a bicycle and add so much that people could never possibly work on it." I love working on my ebike but I get where he was coming from.
@Anifco67 strictly speaking, anything that deviates from a life where you wake up naked in the woods without shelter, chase rabbits for breakfast with your bare hands that you eat without cooking and so on, is cheating. Shoes for walking, bike with or without electric assistance, is just helpful things on the same scale.
I live in Japan currently, every reaction to my TREK e-bike has been positive. Most people who stop me to talk say it's cool and ask where I got it. Then again, people have been using e-bikes here for a long time for transportation. I have a regular bike for weekend rides too. I love both, but like the e-bike a lot better when the headwinds come along. :)
Japan is probably an open minded country, contrary to some European countries like Germany where intolerance is widely spread and people nothing accepts beside the own opinion
I like what you said about some feeling that e bikes are just taking up space on the trails. Well, that is how I feel about the scutters that do not give right of way. I aprove of the scutters, but the trails should be expanded to recognize the increased need. Damn it, my taxes are used to build roads for all those autos and unnecessarily giant pickup trucks, it is about time that the powers that be spend some to make my ride safer.
It’s really strange how the perception of them not giving you exercise persisted for so long despite so many people having experienced them and understood the clear benefits. Even just when you don’t really feel like riding, the assistance being there is enough to get you out the door when otherwise you probably wouldn’t. People clearly haven’t spread the word enough. They’re enjoying it in their own bubble but not getting the message out to others. And all this comes against a backdrop of a huge obesity crisis in my country, the UK as well as the US and elsewhere. But luckily I think we’re finally on the way to mainstream understanding of e-bikes for transport. There’s still a long way to go in terms of getting people to buy good bikes and not cheap ones, but it is happening.
Chris I think you are right. Much of the contempt for e-bikes might very well relate to seeing bicycles as "good" exercise & e-bikes as not. In that thinking the e-bike rider is lazy and foolish if they think they are getting exercise. Similar contempt is also commonly directed towards seemingly able-bodied people using mobility carts or using designated accessible parking spaces. I have seen a few TH-cam videos that compared the amount of exercise e-bikes provide vs. regular bikes. The results were not what the creators expected. The e-bikes were found to be very beneficial as exercise. In one case a pro cyclist (who had previously assumed e-bikes were useless as exercise) discovered that although his expensive graphite aero racing bike was faster around the circuit, his e-bike ride burned more calories and raised & sustained a higher heart-rate more than his bike. With the bike his heart-rate would rise & drop with the effort required by the hill climbing. On the e-bike it was a far more constant effort because of the pedal assist helping on hills. The fact that the e-bike was far heavier than the racing bike also contributed to what effort riding it really required. In another video a trainer of professional cyclists talked about how beneficial training with an e-bike is to his clients. Bottom line is those seeing e-bike users as "lazy" are ignorant of the facts.
Its not een cheating stats show that people at least in our country (netherlands) spend as much energy on a electric bike they just go faster, more distance and allow less able and older people to drive longer in both distance and age.
I've gotten the most hate from people driving gas powered vehicles. I find it ironic that they consider an assisting motor cheating but they're putting in no effort at all. If I was on a motorcycle it wouldn't be cheating to them either. Prejudices rarely make complete sense.
I remember years ago here in the UK when cycle helmets started to appear there was resistance but now helmets are the norm and so it will be regarded about ebikes. As far as peer pressure well I’ve never given a damn about it .
It's like using a handrail on a set of stairs! Do you? I use to say to people I knew, who didn't, at the inquest I will say " I spoke to him and he said, don't you worry about me, I told him that at the inquest I don't want to admit I was having an affair with your wife, They will ask me if I pushed you and I might have to lie" so wear a helmet , you might still get a broken wrist or a broken collar bone but blunt force trauma to the cranium is a different beast altogether.
@@garycadogan4258 "Wear a helmet" is the Local authorities way of washing their hands of responsibility, for poorly maintained/managed or lack of cycle infrastructure. Cycle safety videos which primarily consist of a helmet and a watermelon are grossly misguided. Good working brakes sadly seem to have been ignored.... much like checking if there's one in the chamber.
@@mikewade777 Absolutely not, I wear a helmet for my own safety and nobody else's. why just a couple of days ago it saved me from a low hanging branch, that looked like a few scraggly thin stems, If , however we want everything spick and span , it's gonna cost and the way authorities are run , cost 4 times what I would charge to do it and maintain the infrastructure . but I didn't vote them in,,, so,,,
If you like doing video's, keep doing them, they are very interesting and informative. Got my ebike very recently, people have different reaction to it. Explaining different quality of ebike and the pedal assist, that is a big one. After a lot of research, want one with throttle initially with a rear hub motor, came to the conclusion to buy a nice Gazelle with pedal assist. Keep doing these video and thanks again :-)
Just got my Radwagon last week! As a disabled veteran, I have been unable to enjoy biking for many years. Having this ebike will afford me not only the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise but I can earn some extra income using the bike for deliveries or another type of business. I will eventually restore my old rusty cruiser and upgrade it to ebike status when I get more in the swing of things. Cheers!
GREAT PERSPECTIVE- INTERESTING AND SUPER GOOD TOPIC! .....I just bought a Sondors LX (4 month plus delivery) but looking forward to it.....I stopped worrying about what others think or say, a long time ago. There's a lot of idiots in this world. "RIDE SAFE PEOPLE"
Excellent video and thanks for putting it up. I’ve had my e~bike around 18 months and it’s fantastic. I’ve had just a few negative comments and at the same time compliments on what a cool looking bike. Cheers
They're fun. When I was a kid, I didn't go out on my bike all weekend, because I wanted to workout. I went out because I had a good time. It wasn't until I got older that I used them to get exercise. But then I always had a "fun" bike around that I just rode for the joy of riding. Still do. Always will. Bikes are beautiful machines. In all their forms. Today, no longer a kid, these ebikes let me get out and explore in a way I can't do on foot, in a car, or even on a "regular" bike. They are like little magic carpets. What's not to like? I've never come across anyone that wanted to give me hard time about it (ebikes), and I've yet to meet anyone that tried an ebike, and didn't have a good time, or come out of the experience with a smile on their face. Be a kid. As long as you can. Try an ebike, they are magic.
One of the reasons why I love your videos so much is b/c they're so honest and wholesome. You really put your own experience and stories behind it and aren't afraid to let us know. Keep it up.
I deliver Jimmy John's around University of Tennessee campus part time on two different ebikes. The amount of positive comments and questions I receive about my ebikes amazes me.
Love Gary Fisher! You've really covered most of the points about this topic. For me I've been a bicyclist my whole life but 7 years ago I sold my car and have been using a bike for my main transportation. I never hated e-bikes. I thought they were a brilliant idea when they first came out. Right now I'm in the process of building my first e-bike and loving it. I plan on traveling all over North America with my e-bike. I'm 58 and life is too short to hate. Enjoy life and be kind.
For me. bikes serve two main purposes: 1) A-B travel ability; 2) Exercise. This means I do very little "recreational riding". E-bikes fail primarily on the second purpose, yet work well for the first.
Important episode...happy to find it. I get squeezed off the road sometimes by old timers and others here in VT and it worries me. Most people love our cargo bike, and I don't blame the drivers around me for being a little anxious and not knowing when and how to pass me since I can match their speeds in our little town of Middlebury ( 25 mph ) . I try to use the shoulder and stay out of the way, but when I can keep up with traffic and the shoulder of the road is too small to ride on, why do drivers want to squeeze me off the road all together....I'm not slowing anyone down, I'm not taking up space that is for cars only. I just worry for my son who I purchased an ebike for to get to high school and work. I love these bikes so much, family and personal life has only gotten more fun, but it will still take sometime to comfortably integrate them into small town USA. It is happening though ! :)
All the people, at least all I meet, talking bad and hating about ebikes have never really ridden one. I used too look down on people riding ebikes but one day I just got the opportunity to ride one and realized 'man thats pretty nice' and today I have to say getting my own emtb was one of the best decisions I made in a long time
Interesting stuff. I have an ebike and a steel frame touring bike. Love them both for their function. As far as cheating. It is no different than comparing steel frame to carbon fiber. It is all in what the rider wants. Only cheating if you are racing. At 68 y/o i just like a little exercise and enjoying this beautiful world on a bike.
Very good video! I enjoyed watching it. Thanks….As for me, I’m an Ebike rider and I think electric transportation is the future. As for the haters, elitists, purists, Tour de France wannabe racers, I suggest to just accept the FACT that Ebikes are here to stay. As for the Ebike owners, be respectful, be nice to ALL riders and DON’T ride like an idiot.
When I first got my first e-bike a couple of years ago I heard a lot of people telling me I was cheating. Cheating! I am a senior citizen with health problems and with my e-bike I am able to ride more and exercise with pedal assist no throttle. I've been a bike rider all my life and now I am older I had a mountain bike and if I rode two times a year it was a lot. With a e-bike I can ride more and enjoy it with more work out to stay healthy. Thanks Chis
Good topic. Appreciate your calm invitation for more discussion. So glad I happened upon your channel. Yours and the other ones are giving me hope for a more human-scaled future w less pollution, more community connection. Hope I live to see the dream come to fruition. Thank you for what you do!
I got an ebike in 2019, I was denied access to a local trail by some people saying that ebikes have motors that produce contamination to the environment. I was scared to ride for a while but nowadays I see ebikes everywhere. I starting to feel more comfortable riding my bike!
You are spot on Chris, when you bring Asia the professional cyclist’s example , its not about competing, its about commuting. I’m a cyclist that commute to work three times a week on my ebike and don’t feel ashamed at all. I’m in my sixties and I need that pedal assist to get there. The bicycle purchase was a life changing experience , even though hard core mountain bicyclists friends of mine aren’t believing what got into my head but embrace my mode of commuting. After all, I’m one more cyclist on the road and one less car polluting.
Had no idea that there was opposition to e-bikes. Mind you, here in Australia e-bikes are more tightly regulated. 250watt and 25km per assisted speed limit. Same rules as the UK.
Also in the Netherlands and they can only move if you move the pedals. We do have speed pedelecs here as well but they are concidered as mopeds in traffic rules what also requires a drivers license.
@@lienbijs1205 We have pedalecs too. They are the ones that can be 250w. Non-pedalec are restricted to 200w. Pedalecs are the e-bikes being strongly encouraged.
@@lienbijs1205 I am not American and so cannot answer that question. However, in Australia I think powered assistance can go up 25km per hour for both types of electric bike.
Good work Chris, further exploring may be needed on the many views you have identified, and others here. To summarise, e biking has been a disruptive activity, to acoustic biking, to car users, to legislators and to commerce. Not that it intended to, but it did nonetheless. It questions identities, categories, rules, behaviours, business models. It is one true and genuine transformative force in today’s society, we just haven’t realised yet how much it will change. You are one of the few trailblazers on the commercial and educational front, so keep taking us further as a society and a community. Appreciate your work mate. Keep propelling us all ahead.
Owning a ebike since 2017 and i still use it and love it. 4000km since then. I have a exercise without killing myself and i want to ride my ebike. Best invention in decades and amazing investment in your health. :)
I was one of the first to import an e-bike in Norway. People often call it cheating, when I pass them up hill. Now the e-bikes are every where, and Norway have a lot of long and heavy hills. People buy ordinary bikes, but give it up because it is to hard to climbing. Many new nice bikes are collecting dust. I still have to explain for many that it is not a motorcycle. But a nice way to commute or going on a Sunday trip.
As a senior citizen who has gone through Quad heart bypass surgery my RadRover has allowed me to go exercising again with assistance. I have no time of day for haters.
I suspect most of the "hate" comes from people who want an ebike but can't afford one, ie jealousy. As far as "cheating" goes, and I have said this before, the only things I am cheating are old age and infirmity. At 67 years old, with a bad back, neck and knee, my ebike keeps me out there when I would probably have otherwise given up. I am on my third ebike and I can't recommend them enough, I can't keep off mine!
Ah I think "jealously" is overblown with these things. You see the attitude a lot from guys riding road bikes that cost as much as a car. It's more the "cheater" mentality which is plenty silly itself as there's no cheating to travel, ebikes are better friends for manual cyclists than any car
:) ... I think a lot of people have misconceptions about the subject. To me the technology has been a god send, as I have COPD; and I am advancing into my senor years. People often ask me how fast I can go on my e bike. I smile and tell them only as fast as I can pedal.
I had a "normal" drop handle racing bike that I liked riding but as I got older I really struggled up steep hills - and there were a lot of those where I lived. So I tended to ride only a few miles. With an ebike I don't have to worry about hills so much so I ride further. People get defensive about the things they like and know. I think the more ebikes there are on the road, the more people will create clubs and communities which will bring them into the norm. It helps more people take exercise. Cannot be anything "wrong" in that.
I often turn up to events and parties and have frequently received the “isn’t that cheating?” Comment. My usual reply usually goes along the lines of “how did you get here again? Oh right, a car”. Need I say more.
As a disabled guy, I am looking at an Ebike as a way to get back on a bicycle. My heart won't take full time peddling, and my motorcycle is too much to get around the neighborhood.
There are a lot of things you mention which I too have felt. When I was looking for an e-bike I was excited to get off my MTB which I was using to commute to work. The commute was only about 5 miles but is quite a climb in the morning, which always left me in a sweat and it was about tackling those commute issues rather than anything else and I don't own a car. The first week when my new e-bike arrived I was very apprehensive, I had thoughts about what people would think and whether it would take the fun out of riding. The people I had told about my purchase thought it was expensive and only for 90 year olds (i'm only 25)!.. A month on and I am loving it. All those worries abated and I just enjoyed the ease of control over how much effort I put in. It also definitely helped on those days I was running late, and so far my main issue is with getting the battery out every 2-3 days from running it on boost mode for longer (oops!) But it's not much hassle. I did have a little range anxiety, though now I have a greater feel for how long a single charge lasts.
Most people who've seen me and my eBike will ask questions, because I have a cafe racer style eBike that catches attention. I find this is a great opportunity to explain the pros of eBikes. I always make sure to explain it's a pedal assist bike and its benefits. Example; If your are not physically able to ride longer but want to a pedal assist bike can help with that. If you are in a hilly area, pedal assist can help you climb them. Out of shape, haven't ridden a bike in years, eBikes can ease you back in. Great commuter if you don't need to haul a lot of things. The bikes are just fun to ride!
Great thought-piece. Ebikes extend what it is to cycle and who can do it. The analogy with mountain bikes is a good one in part because they did the same thing. Got my mountain bike at 30 to explore off road riding and carry my kids. Got my ebike at 60 so I could carry on riding even in our hilly city.
I live in an extremely hilly city. Before getting my bike electrified, I rarely rode it, period, let alone for transport. Now, I ride all over the place.
I've given up riding motorcycles, I got myself a fat ebike and I love it and I don't take any nonsense from idiots on the road, I'm now a cyclist and I'm with you, feels good not buying petrol
I think the deeper psychological issues that you were touching on are the right direction to go when trying to understand the push back on E-Bikes, E-Bike riders and prejudice in general. People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer or control. I own an E-Bike, I absolutely love it, and it has become the best tool I have in recovering my physical and mental health. Cycling clears my head and excercises my body and without my E-Bike none of it would be possible given my physical condition. I'm no stranger to harassment, indignation, and prejudice.
@@Propelbikes. I guess the best way I could describe the origin of the name would be to say that it came about from a combination of influences and that it represents my headspace at the time. Basically it started as a Gamer tag because I'm quite proficient with a Chainsaw, in PvP video games if a Chainsaw was an option for combat I would always choose it, and I was watching a TV show at the time called "Fugget about it" which has an episode where one of the characters are called "Hunts with Handgun" due to his ability to hunt with a hand gun. My friends and family affectionately joked about me having a "Freddy Krueger" or "Jason Voorhees" type personality a lot and when I made the Joke "I'm Hunts With Chainsaw" in reference the Fugget about it episode the name stuck. I was also often compared to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho who has a chainsaw scene in the movie. We're a cinephile kind of family. I'm not a violent or dangerous person I'm just odd. It works for some people but not other.
I have major joint issues that can in some cases cause dislocations. I've dislocated a hip climbing hills before, so the assist makes things a lot more manageable.
I always used to think ebikes were stupid. Buy a bike or if you want a motor bike, buy a bloody motor bike. Then my knee started to swell after any hilly rides and I thought my time with bicycles might be coming to an end. That's when I started learning about ebikes - now I think they are the bees knees. If someone says to me - that's cheating - or similar comments, I just say, 'I used to think exactly the same thing'. I don't think you'll find many people that still say that sort of thing after spending some time riding one around.
I personally think that he bikes it's a personal decision if you're doing it for recreation that's one thing if you're doing it for transportation that's off to you because it is a great form of transportation not driving your car so much cutting down in that carbon footprint you know and not only that but health-wise it's beneficial because even though the bike is pedal assist you're still working you're still peddling I think we all just need to grow up you do what you want to do and for whatever reason you do it you do it because it's just a great thing to do and once you start writing man you'll realize wow these are great these are fantastic you know and 8 to 10 Mile ride is nothing on this bike so I don't think it really matters what anybody else thinks it's transportation for some of us for myself it is I love it
I hadn't ridden a bike in 45 years. I had had a string of injuries that had left me unable to walk more than a kilometer or two. I started riding an e-bike a few weeks ago. Initially, without the assistance of the bike I couldn't even peddle up a slight slope, but already my fitness and strength is improving, and I am more flexible. I love my big Dutch e-bike. I see a long and happy future together!
Wholeheartedly agree. Thanks for opening the door. I haven’t gotten any negative comments from other riders. If anything, I’m commended for being the guy to dismiss the car a bit more often. Still need the car; gotta drop kids off places. A Load 75 is on my radar, though. Even the day I went to the local trails, I didn’t get any backlash. Guess I’m lucky?
I think you're spot on. I got a 3 speed cruiser just for driving around and knocking out errands in a fun way back in 2016. My friends were clearly put off without ever noting anything. I picked up a Honda Supercub (technically a small moto but pretty much an ICE bike) and people automatically were putt off again. People don't like seeing like-minded and foreign objects together. It creates confusion which can create stress
One thing I love about my e-bike is when riding at the beach and there's a stiff sea breeze, I don't have to struggle riding against the wind. I see people give me looks as wishing they had an e-bike.
I've had numerous bikes in my life and now have my first fat tire e-bike. At age 62 with aches and pains from industrial work, this e-bike makes long-distance riding possible again. As far as respectful riders go, I see more "racer" types all decked out in their spandex fashion just blow through lights and stop signs as if they don't pertain to them. I'm just out for some fresh air and some assisted exercise. It's a large bike to see and I've received a lot of compliments over it. It's a win-win for me. Thanks
When the automobile industry is against them, you know you're on to something great.
Seriously!
Yes, more of these types of thoughtful discussions, please.
The auto industry has taken 10-20% of every person's income for over 100 years! Getting where you need to go for pennies vs dollars? We can't have that.
I'm against them, and I don't come from the car industry, but the bike industry.
People get way too lazy nowadays.
No one can even walk properly anymore.
Soon they can't even drive a bike without an engine built into it.
That's embarassing.
You get ripped off on the price of the car, then you get royally ripped off financing the car then you get to look forward to paying a brain surgeon to put brakes on your car for like 500$ or wing it and try it yourself with 250$ dollars worth of tools.
7 years ago my wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness and has been fighting ever since.... yesterday an ebike trip on a rail trail allowed her to feel like herself again...never would have attempted the 15 mile trip without the electric assist. Pedal assist allowed her to exercise within her limits while enjoying the view, weather, interacting with other riders and out running a stray dog. Ebikes are just another way of changing lives for the better and I am truly thankful for them.
I don't give a shit about haters. For myself it's evolution. I wish half of my city was ebikes vs cars.
Ride on.
It would be even better if your city was traditional bicycles instead of cars and E-bikes. I guess you are just ignorant selfish and lazy.
I agree. It’s heathy and it’s green plus it takes up less space in cities.
@@alexmorgan3435 the environmental impact of an ebike is negligible. Also I live in some of the hilliest geography in North America, it's impossible to even get to work without being drenched in sweat.
You think you're smart but you're really just a huge jackass who wants to feel special 😉
Devolution.
I see my ebike as transport. It's allowed me to stop owning a car.
Just curious, what do you do when you need to store things like groceries/other things or pick up someone?
I see a bicycles as transportation. It allowed me to never need a car.
@@kashstory I use my car.
@@kashstory order online and i dont pick people up :)
I see my ebike as my 2nd vehicle. I work in a city where parking is very expensive and traffic is high. I'm able to get to places quicker on bike than my pickup truck. Another benefit is if I have to get stuff around my home area, I can just bring out the bike and never have to lose my spot.
As a senior citizen, I think it would help me to enjoy biking again! I really want one!
Go for it! Well, at least I hope you can sometime soon ❤️
@@raulingaverage thank you!
Do it. It's fun being out and about and helps keep you in shape, without stressing your body as much.
Yes! Go for it. My life would so much smaller (and boring) without the my ebike. I call her my "freedom machine".
E-bikes are great for seniors and anybody with bad knees. Seriously! Even if you don't need the electric power to cruise, getting up hills is 10 times easier.
E-bikes expand what is possible on a bike. I bought an E-bike for my wife who doesn't drive. We live at the top of a hill in Austin. She was able to cycle up that hill, with 2 full panniers in the summer and not die of heat exhaustion. That has been important for us. If someone sees E-bike vs bike as a zero sum game, that's their problem...
Same I live in a very hilly neighborhood, I am 57 and I just started riding.
No way could or would I ride a regular bike.
When I was young, even with a "racer" bicycle, there are a lot of hills where I live and you had to push your bike up a hill. Nearly 2 months ago, I had a heart attack and without an E-bike, I would not even be cycling. Some hills here are a 400 feet climb & I might do 19 miles. If e-bikes were not around, then I wouldn't be out there enjoying the exercise/freedom sun & air. I certainly would never have bought an ordinary bicycle and stuck to using my car. Stuff the haters!
Wow! Great to hear you’re getting out there improving your health!
Yep. Born with bad knees here (among a lot of other issues).
7 miles is my limit without electrification. With it, 40 miles is *readily* doable.
This is especially the case when public transport is swiftly becoming *completely* untenable due to worsening health atop of disabilities I was born with. I’m no longer able to hide them very well, and not hiding them has resulted in trouble in the past.
I have spinal stenosis, rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative disk disease, I was also born with a abnormality in my l4 l5, the have a reverse curve so it pushes the disk out naturally. Without my ebike I wouldn’t be able to ride a bike.
The only thing i hate about e bikes are the battry power i dont like the fact you gotta chanrge it , soo i goota figur out a way over that lol
@Alfred Wedmore Hey, I'm an Audi driver, but LOVE my e-bike and do as many km's a week as I can!
The best and funniest response I have heard to the Cheater remark was here on youtube recently. It said Lance Armstrong cheated, I'm just having fun. PERFECT.
Just make sure you keep your EBike outside the house, and don't burn down your building recharging it.
I like this one. “I’ll split the prize money with you”. 😂😂😂
😐
You can have fun without having to use electricity and get some exercise at the same time.
I think that eBikes are good as they make biking accessible for.more people. Some, if they can't climb a hill on a bike, not gonna bike.
You can pedal home, but...who wants to show up to work all sweaty?
Actually I don't show up sweaty. My ride to work is on an almost flat surface for 90% of the trip. The ride is fairly simple and doesn't require a lot effort.
For me, It allows me to save on commute costs, and get some exercise.
definitely much less sweaty on an ebike, and faster ride too.
Depends where you ride your bike on, whether is flat or hilly and how far you’re going
@@churchofpos2279 E bikes have the biggest advantages in hilly terrain - here you will sweat even on a road bike, which is bad if you also cycle in winter. On the flat a road bike is an alternative.
I tested an ebike, still got kind a sweaty. Still got a workout, but the standard bike I tried right after that made me sweat twice as much
For senior citizens who love to ride e-bikes, cheating is GOOD.
Maybe over 80, I agree.
I gave up my car in 2008. Without my e-bike I probably would have ended up buying another car. I was in my fifties with horrible knees when I started riding an e-bike. I'm still going strong today. Not sure what age has to do with it. If you want it and enjoy riding because of it then go for it.
I’m 72 as well. I do actually ride my regular road bike on a daily basis rather than my e-bike. But my wife and i plan to do some extensive bike touring. So we love using our e-bikes for that, carrying our panniers and making it up those hills. Here is to e-bike touring seniors.
@@iamrocketray I’m 72 as well. I do actually ride my regular road bike on a daily basis rather than my e-bike. But my wife and i plan to do some extensive bike touring. So we love using our e-bikes for that, carrying our panniers and making it up those hills. Here is to e-bike touring seniors.
@@jainthorne4136 Good for you. I also have bad knees and other parts that are wearing down with age. Cheating IS good for us.
"Why do people hate eBikes?"
Because they haven't tried riding one yet.
Never ridden one yet but I sure don't hate E bikes. I just love bikes and if a E bikes get more riding, that's a win in my book.
Ridden one it is a e-mofa for me, not a bicycle, bicycles are self propelled, they do not need extra petrol or (produced) electricity, they are the ever ready machine just limited by you, when uphill is hard and downhill is fast and you can feel the wind and it interacts directly with you that is the beauty of nature and of them!
@@carstenweiland7896 until your knees pack in.
@@colincampbell4261 If your knees pack in buy an electric moped, remember moped stands for MOtor+PEDals!
Yeah right. You're just one of life's many ignorant a-holes who refuses to see the damage something they use causes.
I've been riding ebikes for more than 20 years and have experienced a range of responses. Initially, in the late 90's it was a lot of curiousity and interest. Then later when conversion kits became more available the snark began to grow and then by the saturation of ebikes a few years ago the harsh judgement became undeniable. I'm disabled and wouldn't be able to ride without the pedal-assist, therefore my bias and lens is accessibility and I think people judge ebikes because of interalized ableism. I agree with you, we do all need to enjoy this space together and what the hell is wrong with more safety and comfort!?! Great channel, thanks for the commentary and advocacy for ebikes.
If I may add to what you're saying, the fact that it's so easy to get into ebiking these days, it also attracts people who shouldn't really be riding. People who have poor attitudes, or who have no intention of recognizing and going by the laws and it ruins it for everyone else. I call it the blood in the toilet theory. It only takes a few bad apples to really ruin the whole thing and no matter how much good we add to dilute the impurity, the damage is done.
If more jerky cyclists would just get run over it would put an end to all this, but karma happens to the wrong people and not on our timeline.
Good discussion Chris. I ride my ebike about 250 miles a month year round for the last 18 months-over 4500 miles now. I've not experienced any verbal negative comments while riding my ebike. Sometimes when I say hello to members of the spandex crowd, I receive the cold stares or they quickly look away, but that's about the extent of it. I used to get a lot of friendly inquires from folks wanting to know about ebikes. Recently that has tapered off to maybe once every other month. In general, I'm mostly ignored on the paths & trails - I am very courteous and not at all aggressive.
My biggest concern lately is people who are buying ebikes to gain access to the pedestrian/bike trails and then riding them in primarily throttle mode. The 1000W and above ebikes can easily go over 20 mph, a common speed limit on public paved trails. These riders terrorize path users (perhaps without knowing it) by going much faster than the speed limits (not limited to ebikes by the way). Others ride in groups or lines using mostly throttle and often clogging the path. They earn the ire of those who are "working for the experience" by pedaling or walking. There is very little (if any) policing of path/trail/power limit rules, but highly discourteous riding results in complaints to government. It's a shame because we just got access to many federal land trails and other agencies considering opening theirs up. In some areas, ebikes are already banned on certain trails. We'll see how all this bad behavior effects path use law?...
Great discussion. I also agree the anti-ebike attitude is changing. One thing that will help their acceptance is speed limiting. Having very fast-moving ebikes mixing with slower moving bikes on urban bike routes can create tension between riders. I hope jurisdictions adopt logical and sane laws around this that allow people to get around on ebikes efficiently, without allowing glorified motorcycles on bike lanes.
Groups of road bikes are bullies before ebikes came along!
They have them rules in Tucson Az. Already only class1 and 2 on the loop. I have a class 2 .A group of road bikes doing at least 28 miles an hour dame near ran me off the bike path with a calling me a cheeter commit as they flew bye.
Rules are for all !
I bought my first e-bike (from Propel) at the end of 2016. In the subsequent years, I've had a ton of comments and questions from strangers. Most highly positive but a few definitely negative. I've been called "cheater" by cyclists and other bike commuters. But thinking about who I've been cheating, I'd have to say it is primarily the oil companies and my local car dealership. More commuting and errands done by e-bike has meant a lot fewer miles on my SUV. I generally ride about 4,000 miles per year and maybe 60% is replacing a car trip. So with 2021 being my 5th year of using an e-bike I've probably replaced 10-12,000 car miles. Riding a regular bike on a 30+ mile commute isn't very practical and for medium to long distance commutes or errands, the e-bike is the enabler that allows you to ditch the car.
I'm currently building a electric touring bike with duel motors, duel batteries, and a lot of extras. Channels like this has helped me out tremendously. Thank you.
hell yeah..I think you are onto something with that electric touring bike, great idea.
@@ianfisher7423 thank you. I haven't done the complete testing of a system I'm installing on the bike that will give it a range of 300 to 500 miles. The Tests will be done in the next few months and I will be putting the bike up for auction probably on ebay.
I am from the Netherlands, about 20 years ago ebikes were mainly used by 65 + people. I remember that I was trying to hide the battery, feeling embarassed that I had an ebike. I used an ebike as an replacement to go to my job, in that time I had an ugly dark green Sparta ebike what was mostly used by old people. I really wouldn't go to my job with a normal bike because I hate te bridges and the heavy wind . Now I feel proud on my beautiful Gazelle ebike on the same way I was proud on my bike when I was a small kid and arrive fresh at work with getting fresh air. On the way back home I always bike 5 km without support as an exercise. Nowadays 65% percent of the annual income from bikeshops here is from selling ebikes and 20% of the bike trips are ebike trips. Also many people bought an ebike during the pandemie to avoid public transportation and many young parents do have an electrical cargo ebike to transport the children to school, sport, things like that. Nowadays you'll see even teenagers going to school by ebike instead of taking train or bus if school is 20 km away. The fashion under teenagers is a traditional Dutch electrical Oma bike with a transport rack.
Great background! It’s amazing how we can feel pressured by our community. Here’s to eBikes going mainstream!
Hi Lien. Thank you for your post. May I ask for some clarification on your statistics? If 65% of the bike sales are ebikes, how is it that only 20% of the trips are via bikes? Is it because the bike sales are just starting and have not reached a critical mass?
Thank you.
@@arnoldbleicher1806 Probably fear of stealing is one, many people in cities take short rides on bikes that have locks costing more then the bike. Also install base even if 100% of bike sales would be electric with more bikes then people in the country it will take 5 to 10 years before most bikes in use are electric. Thats my view as a dutch person..
@@scb2scb2 Thank you, Daniel. That makes sense.
@@arnoldbleicher1806 Checked a litle more for you the 17M people in our country own about 23M bikes and sales last year was about 1.2M units so as you can see the install base has a massive effect. Even more so since many people own 2 bikes and at max one will be electric is my guess. Also that means that the 20% number of trips is already high and i suspect the number of km driven to show a even bigger gain since its known that on avg people with electric bikes do about 2x the km per year.
I'm an Englishman living in Southern Spain and this is my experience. Keep in mind that commuting by bike is not a thing here Bikes are used for sport and fitness.
I'm 73 years old, very fit even for a man twenty years younger than me due to weight training and enjoying doing things that keep you fit. I have never seen it as a chore. But I hadn't ridden a bike for twenty years.
Anyway discussing getting a bike, with my wife, who is a lot younger than me, I explained that I wasn't sure if I would only be able to ride it in the winter as the temperatures here can be 40 degrees centigrade in the summer, which I don't enjoy. Plus the area is very mountainous. She suggested I look into getting an electric bike which I had never thought of. The best suggestion ever. We are limited to 250W motors so it gives you assistance but you definitely have to put in plenty of effort due to the terrain. I would liken it to an extra set of gears making climbs easier.
My first ride, before I set off, she asked where I was going and my reply was, "I will only be out twenty minutes to give it a try."
An hour and a half later I returned home to a very worried wife having done 36 kms. The ony muscles that were aching were those in my face because I had been grinning like a Cheshire Cat the whole route but I definitely felt like I had exercised.
The upshot was we both have one now and have some great fun on them.
Sorry about the ramble on but the point I intended to make is that there are the odd one or two cyclists here who seem to regard it as cheating but the vast majority wave and seem pleased a bloke of my age is getting out and about. In fact others have got them now and judging by the look of them, they weren't cyclists but have bought them to help them lose weight and good for them.
I know in America you can buy them so powerful that you don't really need to peddle but here you do so that may explain the lack of bad feeling.
I hope that encourages people who are thinking of getting one.
When a driver says I'm cheating, I ask if their car is cheating. When a biker says I'm cheating, I ask if they drove to where we're biking.
Exactly, but there's actually no such thing as cheating as we're not competing, it's like cheating what exactly lmao.
@@littleripper312 causing emissions with a car should be considered cheating. using ebike charged with fracked power and child labor to produce the batteries is not cheating?
You are so on point! Thanks for taking the time to make this video! We should also all come together to develop more protected lanes all over the USA!
Great video. Your channel has some of the best b-roll on youtube. I love the shots. Its way more engaging than a talking head and I love seeing the different models you have in the video.
Thanks! That’s very kind of you. It’s starting to pay off now, having a big library to draw from
People have forgotten that a bicycle regardless if it is electric or not, is a means of transportation, to get from point A to B, a tool that helps us stay healthy and active. Forget the "kind" of bicycle one rides, forget the type of clothing one prefers to ride in, forget the age, gender and social status of a rider. Instead, focus on the joy biking brings to everyone who climbs on the saddle and pushes on those pedals! Aren't we all just seeking that joy and happiness? Cyclists, be kind to one another!
I agree! Great perspective!
Well said. I have both types of bikes. Ride what you want and stay in your lane.
Americans get it for entertainment. It's not to save money as it would take years just to make back the cost of the bike itself and it's certainly not for exercise as it offers no more health benefit than walking other than low impact to joints. In other countries, bikes are a necessity and really are for transportation must that's not a huge majority in the USA.
First off, I like this content. Second, I bought a commuter bike and a cargo bike from you guys, the whole experience was great and riding these bikes around here in the Boston Area has been one of the best joys of my life. From my perspective, I get lot of curious looks from people driving by in their cars, a lot of them have never seen a cargo bike before. The other thing I seem to be picking up is that people are not used to seeing a bike keep up with cars in city traffic(Some seem to like it, others seems intimidated by it, I can only guess as to why. It may be the whole old school idea that people should be driving a car and I think that idea needs to change. I always think outside the box because economics and efficiency are becoming the new way to get ahead. All the old ideas have to go immediately to make it in the world these days.). I always obey the rules of the road as if I was driving a car. Respect is very important not only to culture a positive take on e-bikes but, to keep the ball rolling so that legislation doesn’t get on the books to take away my preferred mode of transportation. I love ❤️ your videos my friend and keep up the good work. 😊
The only experience I've had involving an e-bike was when I was riding my normal bicycle home from work and while passing, smiled at this old fella zipping along the bike path on his e-bike. He goes, "You need to get yourself one of these, they're the way to go!" He was just so happy.
They're a bit expensive for me but if they get people on bicycles, especially people who might not be able to ride a normal bicycle, then they're an absolute win!
If you meet a person and they're upset that you have a eBike then they need serious therapy
People can't have opinions?
Agreed. So dumb.
@@tintin7681 it’s hate
@@coreykirby1632 If you hate me for asking why people can't have opinions then that's okay. I believe that anyone can have opinions.
@@tintin7681 I don’t hate you yes anybody can have opinions does not mean there smart ones if im just riding my ebike either on trails commuting to work or running errands minding my business and some random guy cusses at me and flips me off because I have a e-bike and he doesn’t sir you definitely have a problem
I've been pedaling almost every type of bicycle imaginable since the mid-70s and at 58 (and a half) I finally made the switch to an ebike. I figure I have earned it!
All of the above is true and I get every sort of reaction everytime I go out riding, seriously the only thing that bothers me is car drivers attitude and their dangerous passes, the rest I can just talk calmly and explain how useful and fun it is and how I wouldn't be riding anymore without it electric after 50 years of cycling and the injuries etc that I now have.
I have many friends who would never get out on a bike who are now biking regularly on e- bikes. Including my 80-year-old neighbor and new bike partner to the gym in the mornings. Excellent point on the evolution from drop style racing bikes to mountain bikes to highbred bikes to cruising bikes and onto E bikes. It is all a great thing thank you for your advocacy. '
There just more practical if somebody told me they reglar bike yo work everyday and it’s 12 miles there and back your crazy lol on a ebike that’d nothing
I have been ridiculed or pointed out by the spandex crowd, so I simply avoid riding my local trail early or late in the day to not share the ride with them. Mind you, I am near 70, it doesn't seem to matter to them.
Boo those guys! If I seen you I would have said hi and been impressed that a older guy is still out there having fun on the trails.
Jealousy is a curse. I have to trailer my dogs behind my electric fat bike as i can't walk more than 500 metres without becoming a physical and mental mess afterwards. I always try to be considerate to others on the road footpath or where ever when out riding. Living with the crap i deal with hourly is bad enough so i don't give a rats behind what anyone thinks. You are right on point with many topics in this video. :)
I just purchased my first e-bike about 2 months ago from Sondors it's the Rockstar and I absolutely love it. The few people that realize it's an e-bike thought it was cool and said it looked really nice. It's got a throttle and a pedal assist I mainly use the pedal assist and the throttle once in awhile when I want to experience that fast speed. But I use the throttle when no one's around me and I'm just cruising around the streets but mostly I'm peddling. I absolutely love it and glad that I got it because I can use it however I want.
This is so very timely. I live in an area (southern Oregon) where there has been growing animosity towards ebikes. An article in the paper recently noted that ebikes are not allowed ob the bike path (a 22+ mile path connecting several communities) and that EMTBS are not allowed on the mountain bike trails.
The reasons given are varied, many simply incorrect. Here are some of the reasons given with my comments. Let me know if I am incorrect on anything.
1) Ebikes can go 25 MPH and should not be allowed on the bike path. - This is simply too vague a complaint.
* Any bike can go 25 MPH if you can pedal that fast.
* Class 1 ebikes top out at 20 MPH on the pedal assist. Class 3 ebikes top out at 28 MPH on pedal assist. Class 2 ebikes (those that have a throttle and do not require one to pedal) top out at 20 MPH.
* I frequently see road bikes passing ebikes as the ebikes are often ridden by older folks just out for a ride, not to work up a sweat and push their heart rate to the limits.
* My gut feeling here is that the non ebike-riding community sees the throttled bikes - class 2 - just zipping along the bike path with no pedaling and are bothered by that. I have to admit, it kind of annoys me as well, but I have to consider that maybe some folks can't pedal very much, for whatever reason and are just enjoying being out.
2) EMTBs go too fast on the trails.
* Most of the MTBs I see on the trails are not going any faster (up or down) than regular bikes.
* The pedal assist helps some folks get further up than they would had they not had the assist, but they aren't generally going any faster since the EMTB community is more into exercise than the bike path community and tend to use less battery as a way to enhance their workout.
My goals is to gather data where I can (opinions are great but everybody has one) as a way to bring these issues to powers that be and have conversations one how best to resolve conflicts before it develops into a "hater" topic.
Thank you.
When I joined my local cycle club 2 years ago I was the only eBike and nobody minded. Now 40% of the bikes are eBikes at the club. They are getting ever more popular so the haters need to get over themselves.
Love it!
@@milanspasic2719 I don’t. But thanks for your pointless comment.
Chris, I really like your comments and topics that you share with your community. It shows that you are much more than a business man who wants to sell e-bikes but someone who thinks deeply about and advocates for this still kind of new technology. If we can get more people riding e-bikes all the better! Please continue with your efforts to convince our communities that e-bikes are a good means of transportation, commuting and a lot of fun!
Great topic! I once passed a road cyclist up a steep hill on my fold up ebike and she took exception to it. what my commute with 20 lbs of laundry had to do with her workout was beyond me.
One issue that needs to be addressed is NYC simply being over crowded. The past two Fridays commuting to NJ from Midtown Manhattan has been nothing but bumper to bumper cars all the way up to the GWB via Nicholas Ave. The traffic didnt slow down my commute time by much, but dodging all those cars and even other cyclist makes cycling in the city difficult.
I find it extremely difficult to believe, considering that you're limited to 15 mph.
I own a eMTB and received nothing but positive feedback-especially from those that take it for a ride. Most aren’t versed at all and are a bit surprised that it has different levels of assist and no throttle. For the “earn the hill” club just put it in the minimal assist eco mode and good luck…It weighs 60 lbs.
Lots of progress :)
For the "no assist" club, ask them if they pedal their car. XD
@@TechyBen Perfect reply to them! Love it!
I really like having my throttle. When I first started riding an e-bike I never used it. Now I use ti to get started going at an intersection as a safety measure. I'm 67 years old and it's saved me more than once to be up to speed as I enter the intersection.
I think the response also varies a lot by location. Some areas just have more jerks than others.
When someone says I'm cheating I tell them so are they. They should be walking
3 years ago, people would line up to ridicule my ebike at the trail centre.
Now 95% of them own one.
I Got called a cheater by a fellow courier...6 months later he got an ebike...!
unless you're in a sanctioned race or have an agreement that you're not using ebikes there's no cheating. Some dude asked me if I was going to 'cheat' during the Great Cycling Challenge by putting slicker tiers on my mountain bike.... Like what are you talking about? It's a self distance based fundraiser for cancer research. There's literally no cheating unless you're logging distances while driving lolol
@@chillwill1083 In a hilly and rough road town like Liverpool, carrying sometimes quite heavy foodstuffs, full time-especiallly, I don"t think I'd be still be doing the job after 3 years, without my hybrid style E-bike.. I couriered between 1997 and 2001 on an entry level Rockhopper, 50 hrs a week..but I was25 then...! never again!
You are spot on… “You should not be able to do something I am not doing”. Even on a regular bike there is hate for riding on the road. Only if biking is transportation in USA will minds change.
So many people still think bikes belong on sidewalks and also ride against traffic in the street. Let’s get to that point , I don’t know how though, to change millions of minds to not be belligerent to bikes in general, let alone ebikes.
Get consistent laws and infrastructure. Are not bike paths a way to marginalize bikes? So many issues for most of USA to try to ride a bike safely for transportation. Maybe only in dense cities can bikes be normalized as transportation. Sad. I hate it. Every time I get the urge to use it to commute, I look at the way people drive, and the sad state of roads, and I get stuck in my car more.
Depends on what you mean by bike paths. If you're including bike lanes I gave you disagree entirely. But even separate bike paths are useful. Sometimes they can be proper short cuts through places a road can't, and even when they're slower they're much safer than most bike lanes, and can be more comfortable for those who don't like mixing with car traffic, and who can blame them?
@@Joesolo13 yeah it depends I know.
Where I live, people have told me to get on the sidewalk when I am on a 40 mph road, riding correctly in the right lane, being a legal participant on the road.
Since bike lanes showed up about 10 to 15 years ago on just a handful of roads, people seem to feel that if there is no bike lane, then bikes are not allowed on that road. That is my experience. And sidewalks are the mental equivalent of a dedicated bike path so I should be on there. Which is more dangerous crossing every side street, dealing with driveways etc.
It seems you need either EVERY road to have a bike lane or path, or NONE. That is being marginalized to just lanes or paths.
Give me no bike lanes if you can’t have them everywhere, and make bike riding a mandatory part of drivers education where it is the norm, not exception, in teaching and enforcing the true legal definition of sharing the road.
@@seanrice7511 I don't know what the rules are in the USA but it sounds like driver education needs to be improved. Over here in the uk riding is ok, but you still get stupid people with bad attitudes towards bikes. Especially if you dare to ride on the road anywhere where there is a cycle lane 😁
Sadly I have observed that many “new to biking“ as it becomes a much better alternative to cars, are clearly formerly the angry Drivers just now on Bikes. As a lifelong super experienced biker, I have experienced many of them trying to force others and even me off the road or bike path. It doesn’t turn out well for them. Unfortunately there will always be a small percentage of any group that are pure aholes.
As a person who has ridden traditional bikes for decades and has now switched to an ebike I think there are several factors at play here. Living in the South and Southwest area of the US I have been on the receiving end of various forms of harassment from vehicles like throwing trash, passing way too close, name calling, and even attempts to run me off the road all because I was riding a bike and the other person took affront to my presence on the road. That can build up a defensive attitude in some people over time and when ebikes come along they just pass it along as an outlet to the behavior they have been subject to just like bullies in the playground. I got an ebike last year and ride it around the neighborhood and run errands on it as well. Also in the neighborhood there is a guy who has a traditional bike and is a fast rider. Last week I out on the bike and he came up behind me, slowed down and said, "Why don't you get rid of that fa**ot bike and get a real one". I did nothing to provoke this response. He and I are in the same age group. over 50, and live blocks from each other and I asked why he said that. He then said F - off and zoomed ahead. I chalked it up to him being harassed by vehicles and was just passing along the hate in some twisted pecking order he had in his mind.
Jerks will be jerks. Let's just hope he gets run off the road and it ends there. You have a much bigger heart than I do. Wish there were more people like you than me or him.
Because they want one but not have the money or will to buy one people say E bikes are expensive. I say this if you can have a car you can have like 5 ebikes for the same price 😂
When roadies see me. They tend to try to race me. But none can outrun my 45mph e-bike man.
The only reason they’re ahead of me is because I allowed them to be ahead of me. They take it as an ego boost though lmao
Brought me back to bikeing when I shattered my leg and they said I would never ride again. And because of my e-bike I actually got strong enough over time to ride my old Trek again too.
I talked with a fixie rider outside of a convenience store three years ago who I felt had a pretty fair criticism. He said, "It's sad to take something as beautifully simple as a bicycle and add so much that people could never possibly work on it."
I love working on my ebike but I get where he was coming from.
I assume fixie rider was using penny farthing because pneumatic tires and chain drive are making beautiful simple bicycle unnecessarily complex.
My favourite is drivers shouting from their cars: Hey is that an e-bike, that's cheating!
Cheating.....from a guy driving a car!!!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.
Priceless 😊✌🚴♂️
Yeah I've had people at work saying it's a lazy bike before driving home in their cars 🤦
Omg that is hilarious! The extend of self ignorance is stunning...
@Anifco67 strictly speaking, anything that deviates from a life where you wake up naked in the woods without shelter, chase rabbits for breakfast with your bare hands that you eat without cooking and so on, is cheating. Shoes for walking, bike with or without electric assistance, is just helpful things on the same scale.
Then I guess taking the escalator is cheating or maybe even an elevator or wait how about a exercise bike or a treadmill?
I live in Japan currently, every reaction to my TREK e-bike has been positive. Most people who stop me to talk say it's cool and ask where I got it. Then again, people have been using e-bikes here for a long time for transportation. I have a regular bike for weekend rides too. I love both, but like the e-bike a lot better when the headwinds come along. :)
Japan is probably an open minded country, contrary to some European countries like Germany where intolerance is widely spread and people nothing accepts beside the own opinion
I love the people of Japan because they are polite and respectful to one another. People out here in New York and LA can be real jerks
I like what you said about some feeling that e bikes are just taking up space on the trails. Well, that is how I feel about the scutters that do not give right of way. I aprove of the scutters, but the trails should be expanded to recognize the increased need. Damn it, my taxes are used to build roads for all those autos and unnecessarily giant pickup trucks, it is about time that the powers that be spend some to make my ride safer.
Fair point
Is “scutter” another word for zombie? Never heard this term before. Cheers.
It’s really strange how the perception of them not giving you exercise persisted for so long despite so many people having experienced them and understood the clear benefits. Even just when you don’t really feel like riding, the assistance being there is enough to get you out the door when otherwise you probably wouldn’t.
People clearly haven’t spread the word enough. They’re enjoying it in their own bubble but not getting the message out to others. And all this comes against a backdrop of a huge obesity crisis in my country, the UK as well as the US and elsewhere. But luckily I think we’re finally on the way to mainstream understanding of e-bikes for transport. There’s still a long way to go in terms of getting people to buy good bikes and not cheap ones, but it is happening.
Chris I think you are right. Much of the contempt for e-bikes might very well relate to seeing bicycles as "good" exercise & e-bikes as not. In that thinking the e-bike rider is lazy and foolish if they think they are getting exercise. Similar contempt is also commonly directed towards seemingly able-bodied people using mobility carts or using designated accessible parking spaces.
I have seen a few TH-cam videos that compared the amount of exercise e-bikes provide vs. regular bikes. The results were not what the creators expected. The e-bikes were found to be very beneficial as exercise. In one case a pro cyclist (who had previously assumed e-bikes were useless as exercise) discovered that although his expensive graphite aero racing bike was faster around the circuit, his e-bike ride burned more calories and raised & sustained a higher heart-rate more than his bike. With the bike his heart-rate would rise & drop with the effort required by the hill climbing. On the e-bike it was a far more constant effort because of the pedal assist helping on hills. The fact that the e-bike was far heavier than the racing bike also contributed to what effort riding it really required. In another video a trainer of professional cyclists talked about how beneficial training with an e-bike is to his clients. Bottom line is those seeing e-bike users as "lazy" are ignorant of the facts.
Right nobody wants to show up to work all hot and sweaty e bikes solve that
One called me a cheater. I said “yup, cheating and smiling!”. He then said, “I wish I had one”.
Its not een cheating stats show that people at least in our country (netherlands) spend as much energy on a electric bike they just go faster, more distance and allow less able and older people to drive longer in both distance and age.
Thing is it is so easy to get one and have it mostly paid off easy through cycle to work scheme that governments encourage.
I've gotten the most hate from people driving gas powered vehicles. I find it ironic that they consider an assisting motor cheating but they're putting in no effort at all. If I was on a motorcycle it wouldn't be cheating to them either. Prejudices rarely make complete sense.
Stupid is as stupid does.
A long time ago people shouted "Get a horse" at the newfangled automobile.
I hear uncle ruckus when I read your comment .
I remember years ago here in the UK when cycle helmets started to appear there was resistance but now helmets are the norm and so it will be regarded about ebikes. As far as peer pressure well I’ve never given a damn about it .
It's like using a handrail on a set of stairs! Do you? I use to say to people I knew, who didn't, at the inquest I will say " I spoke to him and he said, don't you worry about me, I told him that at the inquest I don't want to admit I was having an affair with your wife, They will ask me if I pushed you and I might have to lie" so wear a helmet , you might still get a broken wrist or a broken collar bone but blunt force trauma to the cranium is a different beast altogether.
There still is resistance and cycle helmets are far from the norm in the UK. This is unlikely to change since they don't prevent accidents.
@@mikewade777 a bit like a gun safety. An ex-colleague blew away the side of his body as he wasn't being safe with it.
@@garycadogan4258 "Wear a helmet" is the Local authorities way of washing their hands of responsibility, for poorly maintained/managed or lack of cycle infrastructure.
Cycle safety videos which primarily consist of a helmet and a watermelon are grossly misguided.
Good working brakes sadly seem to have been ignored.... much like checking if there's one in the chamber.
@@mikewade777 Absolutely not, I wear a helmet for my own safety and nobody else's. why just a couple of days ago it saved me from a low hanging branch, that looked like a few scraggly thin stems, If , however we want everything spick and span , it's gonna cost and the way authorities are run , cost 4 times what I would charge to do it and maintain the infrastructure . but I didn't vote them in,,, so,,,
If you like doing video's, keep doing them, they are very interesting and informative. Got my ebike very recently, people have different reaction to it. Explaining different quality of ebike and the pedal assist, that is a big one.
After a lot of research, want one with throttle initially with a rear hub motor, came to the conclusion to buy a nice Gazelle with pedal assist.
Keep doing these video and thanks again :-)
Ebikes are a normal sight here in the Boulder county area in Colorado.
Just got my Radwagon last week! As a disabled veteran, I have been unable to enjoy biking for many years. Having this ebike will afford me not only the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise but I can earn some extra income using the bike for deliveries or another type of business. I will eventually restore my old rusty cruiser and upgrade it to ebike status when I get more in the swing of things. Cheers!
GREAT PERSPECTIVE- INTERESTING AND SUPER GOOD TOPIC! .....I just bought a Sondors LX (4 month plus delivery) but looking forward to it.....I stopped worrying about what others think or say, a long time ago. There's a lot of idiots in this world. "RIDE SAFE PEOPLE"
Excellent video and thanks for putting it up. I’ve had my e~bike around 18 months and it’s fantastic. I’ve had just a few negative comments and at the same time compliments on what a cool looking bike. Cheers
They're fun. When I was a kid, I didn't go out on my bike all weekend, because I wanted to workout. I went out because I had a good time. It wasn't until I got older that I used them to get exercise. But then I always had a "fun" bike around that I just rode for the joy of riding. Still do. Always will. Bikes are beautiful machines. In all their forms.
Today, no longer a kid, these ebikes let me get out and explore in a way I can't do on foot, in a car, or even on a "regular" bike. They are like little magic carpets. What's not to like?
I've never come across anyone that wanted to give me hard time about it (ebikes), and I've yet to meet anyone that tried an ebike, and didn't have a good time, or come out of the experience with a smile on their face. Be a kid. As long as you can. Try an ebike, they are magic.
One of the reasons why I love your videos so much is b/c they're so honest and wholesome. You really put your own experience and stories behind it and aren't afraid to let us know. Keep it up.
I deliver Jimmy John's around University of Tennessee campus part time on two different ebikes. The amount of positive comments and questions I receive about my ebikes amazes me.
Love Gary Fisher!
You've really covered most of the points about this topic. For me I've been a bicyclist my whole life but 7 years ago I sold my car and have been using a bike for my main transportation. I never hated e-bikes. I thought they were a brilliant idea when they first came out. Right now I'm in the process of building my first e-bike and loving it. I plan on traveling all over North America with my e-bike. I'm 58 and life is too short to hate. Enjoy life and be kind.
For me. bikes serve two main purposes: 1) A-B travel ability; 2) Exercise. This means I do very little "recreational riding". E-bikes fail primarily on the second purpose, yet work well for the first.
Important episode...happy to find it. I get squeezed off the road sometimes by old timers and others here in VT and it worries me. Most people love our cargo bike, and I don't blame the drivers around me for being a little anxious and not knowing when and how to pass me since I can match their speeds in our little town of Middlebury ( 25 mph ) . I try to use the shoulder and stay out of the way, but when I can keep up with traffic and the shoulder of the road is too small to ride on, why do drivers want to squeeze me off the road all together....I'm not slowing anyone down, I'm not taking up space that is for cars only. I just worry for my son who I purchased an ebike for to get to high school and work. I love these bikes so much, family and personal life has only gotten more fun, but it will still take sometime to comfortably integrate them into small town USA. It is happening though ! :)
All the people, at least all I meet, talking bad and hating about ebikes have never really ridden one.
I used too look down on people riding ebikes but one day I just got the opportunity to ride one and realized 'man thats pretty nice' and today I have to say getting my own emtb was one of the best decisions I made in a long time
Interesting stuff. I have an ebike and a steel frame touring bike. Love them both for their function. As far as cheating. It is no different than comparing steel frame to carbon fiber. It is all in what the rider wants. Only cheating if you are racing. At 68 y/o i just like a little exercise and enjoying this beautiful world on a bike.
I am sick of senior citizens who race me uphill 🤣 but at least they cycle! I don't think most of them would cycle if they had no e-bike
Very good video! I enjoyed watching it. Thanks….As for me, I’m an Ebike rider and I think electric transportation is the future. As for the haters, elitists, purists, Tour de France wannabe racers, I suggest to just accept the FACT that Ebikes are here to stay. As for the Ebike owners, be respectful, be nice to ALL riders and DON’T ride like an idiot.
When I first got my first e-bike a couple of years ago I heard a lot of people telling me I was cheating. Cheating! I am a senior citizen with health problems and with my e-bike I am able to ride more and exercise with pedal assist no throttle. I've been a bike rider all my life and now I am older I had a mountain bike and if I rode two times a year it was a lot. With a e-bike I can ride more and enjoy it with more work out to stay healthy. Thanks Chis
Good topic. Appreciate your calm invitation for more discussion. So glad I happened upon your channel. Yours and the other ones are giving me hope for a more human-scaled future w less pollution, more community connection. Hope I live to see the dream come to fruition. Thank you for what you do!
I got an ebike in 2019, I was denied access to a local trail by some people saying that ebikes have motors that produce contamination to the environment. I was scared to ride for a while but nowadays I see ebikes everywhere. I starting to feel more comfortable riding my bike!
You are spot on Chris, when you bring Asia the professional cyclist’s example , its not about competing, its about commuting.
I’m a cyclist that commute to work three times a week on my ebike and don’t feel ashamed at all. I’m in my sixties and I need that pedal assist to get there.
The bicycle purchase was a life changing experience , even though hard core mountain bicyclists friends of mine aren’t believing what got into my head but embrace my mode of commuting. After all, I’m one more cyclist on the road and one less car polluting.
Love it! Thanks Remi!
Had no idea that there was opposition to e-bikes. Mind you, here in Australia e-bikes are more tightly regulated. 250watt and 25km per assisted speed limit. Same rules as the UK.
Also in the Netherlands and they can only move if you move the pedals. We do have speed pedelecs here as well but they are concidered as mopeds in traffic rules what also requires a drivers license.
@@lienbijs1205 We have pedalecs too. They are the ones that can be 250w. Non-pedalec are restricted to 200w. Pedalecs are the e-bikes being strongly encouraged.
Change is constant.
How fast are pedalecs allowed to drive in America? And is there a maximum speed for these 200 watt ebikes?
@@lienbijs1205 I am not American and so cannot answer that question. However, in Australia I think powered assistance can go up 25km per hour for both types of electric bike.
I was kinda a hater... Then I started working at ebikemarketplace, and I'm hooked! I've been converting all my friends BMX and custom bikes
Good work Chris, further exploring may be needed on the many views you have identified, and others here. To summarise, e biking has been a disruptive activity, to acoustic biking, to car users, to legislators and to commerce. Not that it intended to, but it did nonetheless. It questions identities, categories, rules, behaviours, business models. It is one true and genuine transformative force in today’s society, we just haven’t realised yet how much it will change. You are one of the few trailblazers on the commercial and educational front, so keep taking us further as a society and a community. Appreciate your work mate. Keep propelling us all ahead.
Owning a ebike since 2017 and i still use it and love it. 4000km since then. I have a exercise without killing myself and i want to ride my ebike. Best invention in decades and amazing investment in your health. :)
I was one of the first to import an e-bike in Norway. People often call it cheating, when I pass them up hill. Now the e-bikes are every where, and Norway have a lot of long and heavy hills. People buy ordinary bikes, but give it up because it is to hard to climbing. Many new nice bikes are collecting dust. I still have to explain for many that it is not a motorcycle. But a nice way to commute or going on a Sunday trip.
As a senior citizen who has gone through Quad heart bypass surgery my RadRover has allowed me to go exercising again with assistance. I have no time of day for haters.
I suspect most of the "hate" comes from people who want an ebike but can't afford one, ie jealousy. As far as "cheating" goes, and I have said this before, the only things I am cheating are old age and infirmity. At 67 years old, with a bad back, neck and knee, my ebike keeps me out there when I would probably have otherwise given up. I am on my third ebike and I can't recommend them enough, I can't keep off mine!
Ah I think "jealously" is overblown with these things. You see the attitude a lot from guys riding road bikes that cost as much as a car. It's more the "cheater" mentality which is plenty silly itself as there's no cheating to travel, ebikes are better friends for manual cyclists than any car
No, this to people is about purism, not whether you can afford something or not.
Never in my life would I have biked 60 miles in one trip on a normal bike. But on my ebike it's fun. And excercise.
60 miles is just an afternoon ride with a cafe stop on my traditional bike.
:) ... I think a lot of people have misconceptions about the subject. To me the technology has been a god send, as I have COPD; and I am advancing into my senor years. People often ask me how fast I can go on my e bike. I smile and tell them only as fast as I can pedal.
All great comments. Love this channel and love your advice and perception of the industry.
e-bikes give people a consistent place to do some level of cardio without facing immediate burnout - any haters can suck it
I had a "normal" drop handle racing bike that I liked riding but as I got older I really struggled up steep hills - and there were a lot of those where I lived. So I tended to ride only a few miles. With an ebike I don't have to worry about hills so much so I ride further. People get defensive about the things they like and know. I think the more ebikes there are on the road, the more people will create clubs and communities which will bring them into the norm. It helps more people take exercise. Cannot be anything "wrong" in that.
I often turn up to events and parties and have frequently received the “isn’t that cheating?” Comment. My usual reply usually goes along the lines of “how did you get here again? Oh right, a car”. Need I say more.
Golden 👍
Nice one, I’ll have the remember that.
As a disabled guy, I am looking at an Ebike as a way to get back on a bicycle. My heart won't take full time peddling, and my motorcycle is too much to get around the neighborhood.
Just do it its wonderful...
There are a lot of things you mention which I too have felt. When I was looking for an e-bike I was excited to get off my MTB which I was using to commute to work. The commute was only about 5 miles but is quite a climb in the morning, which always left me in a sweat and it was about tackling those commute issues rather than anything else and I don't own a car. The first week when my new e-bike arrived I was very apprehensive, I had thoughts about what people would think and whether it would take the fun out of riding. The people I had told about my purchase thought it was expensive and only for 90 year olds (i'm only 25)!.. A month on and I am loving it. All those worries abated and I just enjoyed the ease of control over how much effort I put in. It also definitely helped on those days I was running late, and so far my main issue is with getting the battery out every 2-3 days from running it on boost mode for longer (oops!) But it's not much hassle. I did have a little range anxiety, though now I have a greater feel for how long a single charge lasts.
Most people who've seen me and my eBike will ask questions, because I have a cafe racer style eBike that catches attention. I find this is a great opportunity to explain the pros of eBikes. I always make sure to explain it's a pedal assist bike and its benefits.
Example; If your are not physically able to ride longer but want to a pedal assist bike can help with that.
If you are in a hilly area, pedal assist can help you climb them.
Out of shape, haven't ridden a bike in years, eBikes can ease you back in.
Great commuter if you don't need to haul a lot of things.
The bikes are just fun to ride!
Great thought-piece. Ebikes extend what it is to cycle and who can do it. The analogy with mountain bikes is a good one in part because they did the same thing. Got my mountain bike at 30 to explore off road riding and carry my kids. Got my ebike at 60 so I could carry on riding even in our hilly city.
I live in an extremely hilly city. Before getting my bike electrified, I rarely rode it, period, let alone for transport. Now, I ride all over the place.
I've given up riding motorcycles, I got myself a fat ebike and I love it and I don't take any nonsense from idiots on the road, I'm now a cyclist and I'm with you, feels good not buying petrol
I think the deeper psychological issues that you were touching on are the right direction to go when trying to understand the push back on E-Bikes, E-Bike riders and prejudice in general. People fear what they don't understand and hate what they can't conquer or control.
I own an E-Bike, I absolutely love it, and it has become the best tool I have in recovering my physical and mental health.
Cycling clears my head and excercises my body and without my E-Bike none of it would be possible given my physical condition.
I'm no stranger to harassment, indignation, and prejudice.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Keep it up!
Btw - what’s the background of your name?
@@Propelbikes. I guess the best way I could describe the origin of the name would be to say that it came about from a combination of influences and that it represents my headspace at the time.
Basically it started as a Gamer tag because I'm quite proficient with a Chainsaw, in PvP video games if a Chainsaw was an option for combat I would always choose it, and I was watching a TV show at the time called "Fugget about it" which has an episode where one of the characters are called "Hunts with Handgun" due to his ability to hunt with a hand gun. My friends and family affectionately joked about me having a "Freddy Krueger" or "Jason Voorhees" type personality a lot and when I made the Joke "I'm Hunts With Chainsaw" in reference the Fugget about it episode the name stuck. I was also often compared to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho who has a chainsaw scene in the movie. We're a cinephile kind of family.
I'm not a violent or dangerous person I'm just odd. It works for some people but not other.
I have major joint issues that can in some cases cause dislocations. I've dislocated a hip climbing hills before, so the assist makes things a lot more manageable.
I always used to think ebikes were stupid. Buy a bike or if you want a motor bike, buy a bloody motor bike. Then my knee started to swell after any hilly rides and I thought my time with bicycles might be coming to an end. That's when I started learning about ebikes - now I think they are the bees knees. If someone says to me - that's cheating - or similar comments, I just say, 'I used to think exactly the same thing'. I don't think you'll find many people that still say that sort of thing after spending some time riding one around.
I personally think that he bikes it's a personal decision if you're doing it for recreation that's one thing if you're doing it for transportation that's off to you because it is a great form of transportation not driving your car so much cutting down in that carbon footprint you know and not only that but health-wise it's beneficial because even though the bike is pedal assist you're still working you're still peddling I think we all just need to grow up you do what you want to do and for whatever reason you do it you do it because it's just a great thing to do and once you start writing man you'll realize wow these are great these are fantastic you know and 8 to 10 Mile ride is nothing on this bike so I don't think it really matters what anybody else thinks it's transportation for some of us for myself it is I love it
💯
I hadn't ridden a bike in 45 years. I had had a string of injuries that had left me unable to walk more than a kilometer or two. I started riding an e-bike a few weeks ago. Initially, without the assistance of the bike I couldn't even peddle up a slight slope, but already my fitness and strength is improving, and I am more flexible. I love my big Dutch e-bike. I see a long and happy future together!
Wholeheartedly agree. Thanks for opening the door. I haven’t gotten any negative comments from other riders. If anything, I’m commended for being the guy to dismiss the car a bit more often. Still need the car; gotta drop kids off places. A Load 75 is on my radar, though. Even the day I went to the local trails, I didn’t get any backlash. Guess I’m lucky?
I think you're spot on. I got a 3 speed cruiser just for driving around and knocking out errands in a fun way back in 2016. My friends were clearly put off without ever noting anything. I picked up a Honda Supercub (technically a small moto but pretty much an ICE bike) and people automatically were putt off again. People don't like seeing like-minded and foreign objects together. It creates confusion which can create stress
One thing I love about my e-bike is when riding at the beach and there's a stiff sea breeze, I don't have to struggle riding against the wind. I see people give me looks as wishing they had an e-bike.
I've had numerous bikes in my life and now have my first fat tire e-bike. At age 62 with aches and pains from industrial work, this e-bike makes long-distance riding possible again. As far as respectful riders go, I see more "racer" types all decked out in their spandex fashion just blow through lights and stop signs as if they don't pertain to them. I'm just out for some fresh air and some assisted exercise. It's a large bike to see and I've received a lot of compliments over it. It's a win-win for me. Thanks