Originally Posted by
Classtime
What bike and color kit does your son ride? I like to stay out of clueless rider's paths. And I have never seen a 300 pound person clueless or clued that could pedal 20 mph on a hybrid.
Threads like this this led me to hate all electric motor powered bikes that are driven on MUPs or in bike lanes. Ebike riders either write or believe the sales pitches for these "saviors of local bike shops".
Get back in your car. People with money buy a Tessla to ride in the car pool lane without carpooling. And people with money buy an ebike so they can ride a bicycle without pedaling. Sad.
I deleted my initial response to you because I thought about this while out walking the dog. What if e-bike purchasers were required to attend and pass a skills class? would you then have issues with ebikes on pathways? Is your issue with the rider or the actual motor? When I returned to riding after a 20 year absence (on an ebike because I was worried about getting stranded) i took our local EBBC class which included classroom and hands on riding practice. I would have done that regardless of whether the bike was motorized or not, because riding in urban areas is scary. After a year on the ebike I sold it and got a regular bike (which I've been riding 6 years now). Now I need the motor "once in a while" and eventually I'll need it more (I'm just shy of 70 with osteoarthritic knees).
So - would you have been okay if I rode pathways when I got my ebike years ago, once I completed my class? Because if your problem is risk that addresses it. If your problem is a subconscious or overt bias against motors because you think it is "cheating", nothing is going to matter to you except that.