On balance, I still am not a fan of e-bikes (previously known as ‘I just don’t get E bikes’)

[CassidyAce]

When I am not being very grumpy and not being bombarded by promotional stuff about the latest refinement of the E-bike, or staring at photos of non-recyclable batteries and piles of broken motors, then I get the nuance and get the use of an ebike rather than a car, and the mobility for those not able to cycle like they used to.

But that balanced state is still disturbed by the ebike behind me that hassles me in singletrack and rips up the berms because of the huge combined weight of the rider and bike…..

And I think the arguments are not settled and to discuss it is not tilting at windmills …

Actually I’m still feeling grumpy

[I might regret this post but...]

Hang on a minute, your grumpiness! E-bikes are bad but you went riding in Wales when your profile says you're from Cambridgeshire. Or, put another way, you did a 400+ mile round trip in a car to go riding. And then moaned about e-bikes and the environment. Is that correct? Is this a temporary loss of rationality and perspective, or is there a more environmentally friendly explanation?

Aside from that, I have quite a lot of sympathy with what you're saying but context is everything before we make judgements about others.

...

And people using a computer to make people aware of the environmental impact of a bicycle always makes me smile.

The public sphere is online now, though, so what's the alternative if someone does want to say something about the environmental impact of e-bikes? I agree that it's a bit like having to shout to get your noisy neighbour to quieten down, but isn't it a case of use a computer or be ex-communicated in the literal sense?

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Ride what makes you happy.

 

[legrandefromage]

My missus is happy

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

My missus is happy

Glad to hear that LGF

 

[mk one]

The public sphere is online now, though, so what's the alternative if someone does want to say something about the environmental impact of e-bikes? I agree that it's a bit like having to shout to get your noisy neighbour to quieten down, but isn't it a case of use a computer or be ex-communicated in the literal sense?

This is true, and part of the world we live in unfortunately, and was in a similar vein to your driving to ride observation, with both causing more harm to the environment than a battery in a bike.

Also people could come together with others and voice their concerns on the streets, like they used to before computers and protesting was all but banned, which i feel has a bigger impact also.

 

[2manyoranges]

[I might regret this post but...]

Hang on a minute, your grumpiness! E-bikes are bad but you went riding in Wales when your profile says you're from Cambridgeshire. Or, put another way, you did a 400+ mile round trip in a car to go riding. And then moaned about e-bikes and the environment. Is that correct? Is this a temporary loss of rationality and perspective, or is there a more environmentally friendly explanation?

Aside from that, I have quite a lot of sympathy with what you're saying but context is everything before we make judgements about others.



The public sphere is online now, though, so what's the alternative if someone does want to say something about the environmental impact of e-bikes? I agree that it's a bit like having to shout to get your noisy neighbour to quieten down, but isn't it a case of use a computer or be ex-communicated in the literal sense?

You're not wrong. We did drive, and it was part of our summer vacation. Interestingly we did discuss exactly that when we were there - how much we would like to be be able to ride out the back of our house and onto the hill. But currently my research work is in Cambridge and the decent hills are far far away. I am working on changing that. Train to Brighton gets us to the South Downs. though, which is good. I regret I have a job which in the past has involved a lot of air travel. I've deliberately cut that right down, and very seldom travel globally for leisure. We now alsolutely restrict holidays to UK and Europe now. Likewise I designed and built a low energy house for the family. Trying to do something towards making it all better. I guess I am not arguing that E-bikes should not exist, I am focussing on their proliferation and heavy promotion and adoption - those people who could just as easily have a non-E-bike - i.e. the E-bikes which would probably be easily substituted by a pedal-yourself bike - and am not at ease with all the heavy promotion of E bikes.

 

[Imlach]

Yay, we're debating e bikes again

If you're able to get about on an ordinary push bike with no helpers, keep doing that, better for you and better for the environment. If the struggles of pedalling is keeping you from cycling, perhaps because of chronic illness or just age, get an ebike.. or ride less. And if you are a car commuter and you think it'll make you use the car less to get an ebike go for.

For all others. Shame on you for owning one! You're a disgrace.

And I also speak for my fellow fatties, we don't need ebikes when we've got two legs to walk on as we push our lump of steel up a hill.

Certain paragraphs above may be infused with a little bit of sarcasm, so don't take it too seriously

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Tomi Engel from Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Sonnenenergie e.V. published a study in 2008 that concluded that electric bikes as a form of transportation create less of a carbon cost than human powered bikes…..

This makes no sense whatsoever. Tomi was trying hard to justify something

 

[greencat]

This makes no sense whatsoever. Tomi was trying hard to justify something

It potentially does to me. It's all about work done. Humans are not terribly efficient at converting food into work (and the food might have components which have been transported all around the world or be otherwise carbon intensive). Electrical energy might be generated locally eg solar panels or at scale with the accompanying efficiencies eg wind turbine.

 

[Imlach]

Tired of all the electric future mumbo-jumbo trying hard to make 'going electric' the cure all that it isn't. A bicycle that does not require anything but the rider itself to power it will always be greener.

Not to mention that non e bikes tend to last far longer and repairs are less comprehensive, and do not rely on additional mining practices for chip and battery production. Once an electric unit goes the bike is just a bunch of useless dead weight until said unit can be replaced, on some high end sealed units inside the frames themselves there's no actual way to replace so it's just scrap metal. The production of lithium batteries is highly unethical and incredibly damaging and toxic to the planet. Soil and air pollution is particularly nasty as a side effect. Rendering entire areas barren.

And even better are the people who ride pedalled bikes that aren't produced new. They will have a much lower footprint than people who buy a new bicycle every 3 years.

Another thing to consider, and I think this would be interesting, is how many of the e bike owners that actually use it for long distance commuting and how many buy these dear, expensive to produce bicycles to pop down the local butcher for steak and red wine with their Tesla friends on a Saturday.

Best thing to do is to find an old steel bike and break you back with norba geometry while drinking Buckfast to fuel yourself up the hill. Aluminium is worse production wise, so an early steel beast is the key.