Originally Posted by
Not the Slowest
Well for whats its worth, I'm against E-bikes in NYC thats's the 5 boros for you out of towners.
Okay, why?
I commute as much as possible and my route is 23 miles each way. The growth of e-bikes that I see has come from the restaurant delivery people in Manhattan specifically. The ebikes have replaced pedal powered bikes and not motor scooters or similar. The problem beside the usual constant swarm of delivery people riding against traffic especially in bike lanes is the fact that many ride too fast and run lights or ride on sidewalks. The battery and bikes make them a much more leathal combinination if a pedestrian or cyclist is hit. I've seen them riding on the bike lanes on the Queensboro bridge.
In a suburban venue or less congested area this could be a big plus for all citizens. But as it stands, I see it as a green motorscooter and require a drivers license and the same laws applying to them. Additionally, many of these bikes are just made out of crap which puts everyone in danger.
On the other hand, I'm closing in on 60 and my commute is 15 miles each way. I find the hills are becoming more annoying than fun, and headwinds have me inventing new words. I'm hardly biking this winter because it seems that every day there are winds greater than 10 mph and I just don't want to do it.
The bottom line is that I commute by bike because I enjoy it. If I am no longer enjoying it, then I find I'm not doing it. It takes too long, and I get home and just fall into bed. Not good.
So I have a choice. I can spend $1800 or so for a Bionx PL350 and stick it on my old Trek hybrid. Or, maybe I should just pick up a new Trek Valencia Plus (around $2500). Or I can continue to ride only on days that I really feel up for it, which seems less and less frequent.
And I certainly do intend to keep using the Queensboro bridge once I get one.