Originally Posted by
badger1
First paragraph in bold: no. A bicycle, I understand it, is a vehicle with two in-line wheels propelled by human power. The 'safety-bicycle' -- the current and accepted paradigm -- suggests such a vehicle, steered through the front wheel, and propelled by a drive (usually chain) to the rear wheel, with power generated by a human being pedalling. It is a human-powered vehicle. E-bikes, whether so-called 'pedal assist' or powered by electric motors with throttles, do not fit that defintion.
I am sorry to break it to you, but regardless of what you think in vast majority of places (including California, where I happened to live) certain pedal assisted electric bikes, specifically with assist cut off at 20MPH, are legally considered to be bicycles and enjoy every single benefit regular bicycles have. Whereas e-bikes with higher assist speed and/or throttle are considered to be mopeds.
Also I own $3.5k road bike and $3k e-bike that is over three times the weight of that roadie, and they both behave quite similarly, with roadie achieving much higher speeds at times. So electric assist makes beach cruiser into racy roadie with a speed limit. I commute 40 miles each day, working in office situated in a high rise building with no shower, and I would rather ride comfy beach cruiser to work with some assist, it’s so much more fun. I still get two hours of decent work out daily, and it’s 100% cycling regardless of your opinion. I have to expend my own energy to propel at least 30% of that bike to work on my own leg power, according to computer read out. Which is the weight of my roadie.