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

[2manyoranges]

and just like that, the Ebike thread was locked and drifted off in to the ether, with yet another pair of people disliking some random stranger they'd never met nor would meet. all thanks to the internet.


ahhhh, what a world we live in, where something so irrelevant is enough to drive people to hate.

Oh no …. In starting this thread I now feel as though I am implicated in something akin to a hate crime….aaargh.

Well…where has this got to?

1 e-bikes do use a much larger proportion of natural resource than regular bikes in their production
2 lithium mining, copper mining all have a big impact at source (impact in Atacama really gross and damaging)
3 we are not yet at zero carbon re electricity generation and Italy is 48 deg c today. Yikes.
4 weirdly, research suggests that in terms of ongoing energy consumption, e-bikes may be greener than regular bikes
5 however, total life cycle of an ebike which dies versus regular bike which lives a long time tips that balance
6 e-bikes tear up trails more since they are heavier, and put more energy into the ground in braking zones
7 e-bikes are very irritating when they hassle you from behind in tight singletrack uphill
8 they whine - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz; although most of my friends’ bikes beep even though they are not e-bikes
9 e-bikes are good for people with infirmity, injury, aged bodies and other genuine restrictions
10 they are good for commuting when they replace use of a car etc
11 I am a hypocrite since we get ski lift uplift for DH in the Alps
12 humans have tricky tendencies of fiddling with tech, endlessly building new things, and messing thing up
13 some innovations are great. Some innovations are terrible. And sometimes it‘s difficult to tell at the time.
14 normal bikes seldom catch fire
15 marketing rules. Hurrah!

 

[grantoury]

Oh no …. In starting this thread I now feel as though I am implicated in something akin to a hate crime….aaargh.

Well…where has this got to?

1 e-bikes do use a much larger proportion of natural resource than regular bikes in their production
2 lithium mining, copper mining all have a big impact at source (impact in Atacama really gross and damaging)
3 we are not yet at zero carbon re electricity generation and Italy is 48 deg c today. Yikes.
4 weirdly, research suggests that in terms of ongoing energy consumption, e-bikes may be greener than regular bikes
5 however, total life cycle of an ebike which dies versus regular bike which lives a long time tips that balance
6 e-bikes tear up trails more since they are heavier, and put more energy into the ground in braking zones
7 e-bikes are very irritating when they hassle you from behind in tight singletrack uphill
8 they whine - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz; although most of my friends’ bikes beep even though they are not e-bikes
9 e-bikes are good for people with infirmity, injury, aged bodies and other genuine restrictions
10 they are good for commuting when they replace use of a car etc
11 I am a hypocrite since we get ski lift uplift for DH in the Alps
12 humans have tricky tendencies of fiddling with tech, endlessly building new things, and messing thing up
13 some innovations are great. Some innovations are terrible. And sometimes it‘s difficult to tell at the time.
14 normal bikes seldom catch fire
15 marketing rules. Hurrah!

It seems then that you do understand e bikes. Maybe you could change the title of the thread? Because I think it serves as major clickbait. Or ask mods to lock the thread as it has descended into madness.

 

[2manyoranges]

Well…..

Controversy and comments still a shadow of some previous discussions of helmet use, land access and NOS; and on snow sports sites discussion of skis versus snowboards, helmet use, and ‘the rules’.

And actually I do think the title still reflects my concerns about trail damage, resource use, hassling behaviour etc for those who on the hill could just as easily be on a non-E-bike.

And I still don’t like that pile of dead motors in the corner of the workshop which I mentioned.

 

[novocaine]

And I still don’t like that pile of motors in the corner of the workshop which I mentioned.

got to be a way to repurpose them. perhaps your workshop needs a ski lift powered by them.

 

[2manyoranges]

got to be a way to repurpose them. perhaps your workshop needs a ski lift powered by them.

Yes I hope so … this was a pile in a workshop other than mine … I was shocked by what the techs said - that they have had a lot of failures (often bearings) and there’s no official recycling scheme for them. This for me marks the difference between rhetoric and reality of ‘green technology’. I am involved in green policy and it’s just full of greenwashing and hypocrisy. That has to change. For the sake of us all. RetroBike is just great in being a community that values older things and keeps them going. It’s a genuine contribution.

 

[FluffyChicken]

got to be a way to repurpose them. perhaps your workshop needs a ski lift powered by them.

To make some eSkis and eSnowboards to help when the trail flattens out or you're doing XC, and a bit of a boost before a jump.

 

[grantoury]

Well…..

Controversy and comments still a shadow of some previous discussions of helmet use, land access and NOS; and on snow sports sites discussion of skis versus snowboards, helmet use, and ‘the rules’.

And actually I do think the title still reflects my concerns about trail damage, resource use, hassling behaviour etc for those who on the hill could just as easily be on a non-E-bike.

And I still don’t like that pile of dead motors in the corner of the workshop which I mentioned.

I understand, so make it: "I am still not a fan of e-bikes."

 

[2manyoranges]

I understand, so make it: "I am still not a fan of e-bikes."

Good suggestion.
Done.

 

[d8mok]

And I assume you only ride single speed bikes due to your fitness and not these new fangled geared bikes that are destroying cycling.

Sorry I missed this ….

I’m not sure if it’s a serious comment or tongue in cheek so I’ll reply respectfully

Cycling is about marginal gains. Being able
to go further and faster than before. Gears are a pretty fundamental part of this as single speeds aren’t faster.

Once you strap a motor and battery to a bike which can be modified to exceed any normal speeds for even a pro this becomes a totally different conversation.

If you don’t understand the difference between adding gears or a motor to a bike to increase efficiency then I can’t explain it any further.

 

[grantoury]

Sorry I missed this ….

I’m not sure if it’s a serious comment or tongue in cheek so I’ll reply respectfully

Cycling is about marginal gains. Being able
to go further and faster than before. Gears are a pretty fundamental part of this as single speeds aren’t faster.

Once you strap a motor and battery to a bike which can be modified to exceed any normal speeds for even a pro this becomes a totally different conversation.

If you don’t understand the difference between adding gears or a motor to a bike to increase efficiency then I can’t explain it any further.

Oh, give it a rest