Originally Posted by
cyccommute
That is stretching "greener alternative" to the breaking point. Electric bikes are a greener alternative and can't really be called "polluting" in any terms. Without a battery the bicycle is even greener.
While there are a few people who may need the assistance, the vast majority of people don't need that kind of power assist. I've ridden with old people all of my life up to the point where I am an old people. I haven't run across that many old people before electric bikes came along that couldn't propel a bike down the road for from short to extended periods.
If you're saying ebikes are useless and shouldn't be used, well, then, I disagree. If a person can switch from driving a car to riding an ebike, I'd say it's an improvement, even if it's for only a few trips. There are people who just don't want to ride an analog bike even though they are able but are willing to ride ebikes. We've built society to require larger than necessary motors etc, and it's time to size down.
Many ebike riders came from riding bikes, so that doesn't seem like sizing down, but some are saying they ride more often and, as a result, get more exercise. Or they can go farther or faster. I'm looking for a school teacher job to start in September, and I'm looking at how long the commute will be at various schools around NYC. I commute some days by subway and other days by bike. Last year, my workplace was 13 miles away. It was a tough ride, so I only did it one day a week on average. If I had an ebike, I could do it more often, and riding a bike has some advantages over taking the subway. So I could more easily consider a job that's more than 10 miles away, my current cutoff.
Oops, we really shouldn't be debating the merits of ebikes here. Sorry about that.