A lot of human activity is bad for the other flora and fauna on the planet. It is a matter of choice and degree. Is an ebike battery an environmental disaster akin to an oil spill? or a petrol engine? Or eating a couple of steaks?
I don't get why some people don't get ebikes.
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A lot of human activity is bad for the other flora and fauna on the planet. It is a matter of choice and degree. Is an ebike battery an environmental disaster akin to an oil spill? or a petrol engine? Or eating a couple of steaks?
I guess there's a testable assumption that cycling is roughly equivalent to walking in terms of energy used. You don't say, how far you are traveling or for how long for each activity so it makes comparison difficult.
All I know is that when I've cycled 100 miles in a day, I've eaten a lot more than the days I sat on a train to travel the same distance. It does not surprise me that cycling an ebike for 100 miles would result in eating less than if I used a regular cycle. Obviously, YMMV.
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I
Too many straw men here
The comparison was between bikes and e-bikes
There’s no comparison as an e-bike is exponentially worse for the environment than a normal bicycle.
No, the comparison you gave was between walking and cycling - not ebiking.
Exponential is an equation that in this context perhaps suggests the more you use, the worse it gets (unless you are using the word in a hyperbolic manner). Actually, it that's generally not true of bikes or ebikes:
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/i-dont-get-why-some-people-dont-get-ebikes.466222/post-3571957https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/i-dont-get-why-some-people-dont-get-ebikes.466222/post-3573472
The worst bike or ebike is probably the one that never gets ridden. May I suggest you post some stats to back up your gut feel?
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
This thread.
Incorrect
“But essentially human + more food + bike has a greater environmental impact than human + food + ebike ”
Is what you wrote.
But you know what I meant - if exponentially was the wrong word to use.
2manyoranges
Old School Grand Master
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Aaaargh…..
NO it CAN’T be true……….
But maybe it is…..it does indeed depend on a true comparison of adjuvant analysis - manufacture, disposal, food chain analysis etc
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/cycling-environmental-impact
NO it CAN’T be true……….
- Electric bikes have an even lower carbon footprint than conventional bikes because fewer calories are burned per kilometre, despite the emissions from battery manufacturing and electricity use
But maybe it is…..it does indeed depend on a true comparison of adjuvant analysis - manufacture, disposal, food chain analysis etc
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/cycling-environmental-impact
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
I am therefore I fart.
MattiThundrrr
Kona Fan
I have been riding my steel Hardrock for thirty years. In thirty years, I will still be riding that Hardrock, barring unforeseen circumstances. How many lithium batteries does that equal? How many of today's e bikes will be running in five years? There is absolutely no way I can eat enough to equal that impact. Anyone saying that an e bike has less impact is having willful delusions.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
That picture is depressing.
