This is going to sound bad, in light of my last post, but I'm thinking that the scooter style ebike is the "SUV" of ebikes. People are making the same arguments--feel safer, more comfortable, etc. vs. too big, inappropriate for the roads/paths, etc. ...And to reiterate what's been said here more than once, it's still better than a real SUV.

Ok. Now you're imitating a Troll. Name calling.

If you can't discuss in this thread without name calling and taunting, then you are trying to start something.

hm... I noticed your last post was more conciliatory, maybe ignoring from other posters worked...

yeah... ok, continue

:)

To Recumelectric:
Veloteq Bikes are governed at 32km per hour which is all Ontario will allow for power assisted bikes.
Range is anywhere from 40km to 80km depending on riders weight, speed, wind, hills etc. While certainly not for everybody, they certainly offer alternative transportation to those who would not consider a bicycle as an option for a variety of reasons. Veloteq will be introducing a new nickel zinc battery for their bikes sometime in the summer of 2009. Lighter weight, faster charge time and will behave better in colder temperatures. Check out www.veloteq.com or www.powergenix.com for info on bikes and batteries. Veloteq also have some exciting other surprises for the new year. "Walk when you can, ride if you want, drive only when necessary and for all the other times "think Veloteq"
And for all those that are just "so bothered" by other peoples individual choices all I can say is "sucks to be you"

Because the bicycle purists are all shills of the automotive industry and earn comission whenever they convince an E-Bike user to switch back to driving their car.

:P

I haven't read through the whole thread, but it seems people here are missing the simple reality that E-Bikes and E-Scooters are not fast enough to share the road. Motorcycles don't go on bike paths because motorcycles are fast, even a motorbike with a small displacement will reach speeds well above what one can reach under normal peddling. E-Bikes and E-Scooters will not, especially given that many if not most of them have speed limiters. If E-Scooters were required to share the road, they would be getting in the way of cars and it would anger both drivers and destroy the E-Scooter market - but then again, that seems to be the goal of some people here.

Kind of astounding for me that this hostility even exists. Where I live, the problem is a lack of bicycle lanes, not crowded lanes. Few people are using them, if E-Scooters and E-Bikes took off, voters would be motivated to pay out to construct a real bike lane network. I'm guessing the problem elsewhere must be that they have a great comprehensive bicycle network, but it's jam packed with traffic??

My problem is not with bicycle lane usage. These probably belong in the bicycle lanes more than anywhere else.

...They seem a bit too much for an MUP or sidewalk where there are wandering kids, skaters, dog-walkers, joggers, etc. I've noticed that many of the faster cyclists that don't even use motors feel that MUP's aren't really safe at higher commuting speeds.

According to the laws here, the only type of wheeled vehicle allowed on sidewalks are wheelchairs or a bike that you are walking. Anyone riding a bike on the sidewalk, motorized or not, is already breaking the law. I still see people doing it all the time though. :rolleyes:

I should say, the people riding bikes on the sidewalks are not the type of people that are posting here. It's little kids who obviously don't have enough homework.

New buildings get electric bicycle plug-ins!
http://www.veva.bc.ca/images/veva-logo-red-80.png
VANCOUVER, BC - May 15, 2008 - The Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) congratulates the City of Vancouver for new by-laws passed this week that will encourage and enhance electric bicycle ownership, and lead the way for other communities to do the same.
Vancouver City council has approved changes to the off-street bicycle parking by-laws effective with all new buildings going forward. The new by-laws address much needed security for bikes. The new by-laws include provision for charging electric bikes in bike storage rooms in condos and other retail / commercial bike storage lockers. VEVA applauds this forward thinking and small but important move.
Surveys of local e-Bike stores indicate that there are now more than 10,000 electric bikes in Greater Vancouver with a dozen stores selling these increasingly popular electric bikes. These e-Bikes need to be charged, much like a cell phone or laptop computer and use regular 110V receptacles. The problem has been that bike storage lockers in condominiums do not have any electric outlets. e-Bike owners have resorted to hauling heavy batteries up the elevators to their residences to charge them. The lack of plugs has been an obstacle to some, but this new by-law will create the infrastructure needed.
“e-Bikes are a practical transportation alternative, especially during the summer months, as commuters can use them without having to shower at the end of their ride – they are relatively effortless, yet have all the benefits of being outside in the fresh air and sunshine” commented Don Chandler, VEVA President. “With the current price of gas and maddening traffic snarls why wouldn’t you choose this as a regular option for urban commuting? Vancouver has an excellent network of bike paths and bike lanes.”
e-Bikes are one of the most environmentally friendly forms of transportation in BC with zero emissions when charged from BCs near carbon neutral grid. Commuting by eBike makes Vancouver's hills effortless to climb and each one that replaces a car prevents up 2000 to 4000 Kg of GHGs per annum from polluting our climate. This represents almost 1/3 of an individual’s carbon footprint.
VEVA hopes that strata councils take note of this need and take individual initiatives to upgrade existing bike lockers to accommodate eBikes and eScooters to stay competitive with new building facilities. The new by-laws will be prepared by city staff, developers notified and educated, before they come into effect after a one year grace period.

Cool!

No surprise Canada is ahead of the US on that.

My solution is having a portable battery pack. I'm just taking the one I made from my scooter and I'm adding it to my bike (when I get it). It's just a waterproof bag with a lithium ion battery and charger in it. It's got a stubby little extension cord coming out. I'd like to put together some kind of sturdy plastic housing that would be detachable in the future. Or I'm going to have to have one of those newspaper carrier things and secure it on there. Either way, I just take the battery pack with me wherever I am, get a free charge while at starbucks. :)

Maddyfish is an outright idiot He's been on my ignore list for a while now. no loss really. LOL!

Take it from me, he brings nothing intelligent to any discussion.

Close. Bikes with wheels under 20" in diameter are allowed on sidewalks as well (Ontario). This for kids with kiddie bikes.

Little kids don't worry me anyway. :)

It's the 15-16 year old kids on BMX and mountain bikes that enjoy winding in and out of crowds that are an accident waiting to happen. Unfortunately, there's a good chance they will not be the only ones injured.

On some roads, if a biker doesn't use the sidewalk, he'll wind up in a coffin. Cars and trucks are way too dangerous.

I ride the sidewalk all the time when the road is dangerous and the cops don't even look. They couldn't care less as they are busy with more important issues.

If cops target bikes on sidewalks, your city has policeman with very little to do. Call your alderman and ask for a reduction of policeman!!!

It's common sense that it's better to live than risk death on the road. :eek:

:)

I personally have a Crystalyte conversion kit on my bike, and i love it. it has helped me so much when i was in an accident and couldn't pedal my bike normally anymore. i do agree however that those scooters are very ridiculous, and probably a bit more dangerous than regular bikes to have on bike paths than a regular bike is for pedestrians. sure i get told that I am cheating a lot, but unfortunately, my knees just wont do it anymore. I think it is great if people have e-bikes or if they choose leg power, but both need to be respected in thier own way.

Before your accident, you may have thought putting a motor on a bicycle was rediculous as well.
Many people think e-bikes are rediculous, and you I am sure would tell them why they are wrong in that thinking. It serves a purpose for you. The scooter style serve a purpose for others. I think we should all have the right to have options, and for a lot of people an open frame bicycle or scooter style is a lot more attractive than shooting right to a mobility scooter or driving a 2000 pound car 10 blocks uphill to the corner store. In BC there have been thousands on bike paths for the last 6 years, and in other provinces for 2 or 3 years. If they were really dangerous we would have read about it or heard about it by now. A bicycle can be considered dangerous to someone as well.

Apologies up front for not reading through 104 posts but I wanted to chime in on the OP's inquiry anyway. I think electric scooters, e-bikes and pedelecs are all varying degrees of two wheeled transportation. Pedelecs (electric-assist bicycles that require pedaling effort) are closest to what bicycles are intended to embody in that human physical effort is the key to propulsion and not the battery. Pedelec bikes are primarily driven by human-power that can be augmented by electric power to extend the effectiveness of bicycle transport for certain rider conditions. The best designs of this type are viable bikes - that is to say they are not so unwieldy or otherwise encumbered that they can't be solely pedaled if necessary. I think the less a design depends on the rider to move, the less identifiable it may viewed as a bicycle by cyclists, and the more likely it is to be "trashed".

my roommate had an e-bike well before my accident, and i always thought it was pretty neat

As I have previously mentiioned, I would not refer to a scooter style e-bike as a bicycle because it would be an innacurate description of what it is. An e-bike though is exactly what they are. There are two styles, open frame and scooter style...and both are governed by exactly the same laws and both I believe have their place in reducing the amount of automobiles on the road especially for short commuters.

That is very true. even if a majority of drivers started using those really ugly e-scooters, it would be better for everyone. less polution.

No way! It would hurt my Exxon stock. :)

lol

Bicycle mechanics are generally not trained in electronics; the first law of medicine is "do no harm" and the same principle applies with mechanical things--if you don't know how to fix it, don't touch it.

How is electricity generated where you are? Around here it is generally from burning coal, so you are just displacing the pollution. Now, if where you are the electricity is mostly from wind or solar, that's another matter.

Some people have physical limitations, particularly in areas that aren't flat. Around here there are a lot of hills which are difficult or impossible for a trained athelete on a high-end machine, much less an ordinary out-of-shape person, or an elderly or handicapped person, on a low- to medium-end machine.

A missing point is this, people could ride an ebike is circumstances where they would pick the car over the regular bike. Trip is a little too far, hill is a little too steep, they'd be a little too late, they're a little too tired, weather is a little too hot, they'd get a little too sweaty, knee is a little too sore, or whatever the reason may be. So a 1 to 1 calorie comparison is moot.

In terms of carbon footprint and displacement of pollution- Who gives a crap. Anything that weighs 1/20 of a car is going to have a smaller footprint, whether its pedal powered or electrified. No matter where the energy comes from. Half the battle to get people to move eco will be getting them out of the mindset that they need to haul around 4000 pounds of vehicle everywhere they go. Nevermind what kind of engine technology they use to do it. Anybody on two wheels is doing well as far as this goes. Even a Harley's mileage is on par with the best of the cars out there.

well said! :thumb:

very well said!

Rebuttal follows: I've got news for you, a standard bicycle requires resources to manufacture and keep it maintained. Why then do you opt for travelling using a bicycle when you have two perfectly good feet to transport you?

Sorry (I'm not really), but you just can't argue logically for the existence of bicycles. Your only justification is if want to look like you are a pedestrian who is cooler than normal pedestrians.

i got two things to say:

1) the last two posts are hilarious, thanks for the laughs :-))

2) hey raevyn, haven't seen you in a while, how's it going? :-)))

Miss me, did ya?

Here we go again .. us flirting that is :roflmao: :D <<<< yes