Maelochs

And if it is 95 degrees and 95% humidity you will sweat if standing still in front of a fan. Great completely inaccurate generalization.

Daniel4

Another generalization if that happens everyday.

Maelochs

Maybe you need to look up "generalization." I specified a Specific situation .... the Opposite of a generalization. And for much of the country during two-three months there are days---sometimes many--which are so hot that just standing outside will make a person sweat .... and there are many states where those conditions (or similar conditions which will cause spontaneous sweating in a resting state) apply many months of the year.

So yeah .... not a generalization when the parameters are closely specified.

Also .... why would it be a generalization if it happened every day? A "generalization" describes a situation which occurs more often than not, at least. If it happens every day then there is no need to generalize.

"Fire is hot" is not a generalization ...

boozergut

Snip snap snout this tales told out.....

rydabent

The answer is they are willing to pedal some. Again today on the local MUP I passed at least 2 couples that were out riding. I would bet a lot of money the wife never rode with her husband before electric assist bikes. Now they can.

Closer to home for me, is the fact before electric bikes a guy I worked with for 40 years pretty much laughed at by cycling. Two years ago he bought 2 electric bikes, and now he and his wife ride together a great deal. He tells me he already has 2000 mile on his electric assist bike. Tell me that this is not a good deal.

Good for business too. A new bike store has sprouted up in town. They sell only electric bikes.

Joe Bikerider

It’s not a good deal. My local MUP is overrun with fat tired ebikes using their throttles to the max. Dangerous and stupid. Lots of stories about their motivation but it all comes down to lazy bastards.

Daniel4

There you go again.

Herzlos

In which case an e-bike wouldn't help him either. Or likely his truck.

For most other conditions, it's fine.

veganbikes

An E-bike requires pedaling in order to move forward a moped can be pedaled but has a throttle. Let's be clear here and not confuse bicycles with mopeds no matter how crappy or close to a bike that moped might be.

Mopeds and other throttled vehicles do not need to be on multi use paths. It should be for pedestrians and human powered vehicles (electric assist is fine)

Joe Bikerider

You say “electric assist is fine”. But that’s not the reality. Most ebikes I see are just electric mopeds. And they are not being ridden by old couples trying to get out more. They are simply motorcycles. You keep your fantasy alive if you like but the reality is that people like me will eventually drive these people off the trails.

Herzlos

I think that's what causes most of the arguments here.

In most of the world, electric bicycles can only provide assistance (generally up to about 15mph), electric mopeds require a moped license to use, and electric bicycles which don't require pedal action and/or have an unrestricted speed are illegal to use on the roads or any public spaces. Basically what the US called "class 1", we don't have a class 2/3 equivalent.

It seems that in the US, even class 3 is limited to 28mph and in some states a bike can't have a throttle and go over 20mph.

So presumably most of these e-mopeds are gray market imports which aren't actually legal to use in the US, unless people are overestimating the speed that bikes are passing them. Admittedly when you're on a MUP then 20mph is pretty fast anyway.

rydabent

Golly did some old guy pass you up on a long hill, and make you mad????

SpedFast

2 teenage boys on ebikes doing donuts on the lush green lawn in front of a coast guard memorial. They tore it up big time. The next day there were volunteers hard at work putting it back together. I gave them the info of the culprits but they had already left the campground they were staying at. FWIW-those punks weren't pedaling.

70sSanO

Just so I understand.

When someone stops pedaling an e-assist bike the assist stops at the same time?

It is not like a hand crank generator with a power bank that provides power after the cranking stops?

If the assist stops immediately when the pedaling stops, that is not what I usually see, even with slower moving adult ridden bikes.

I saw a guy pulling a child trailer in our neighborhood. He’s pedaling along and then stops pedaling and the bike keeps going at about the same speed; no racing or donuts, just moving along at the same pace. But I know the road is uphill because I’ve ridden it for years.

John

Joe Bikerider

No. i am quite comfortable getting passed, as long as proper notice is given. “On your left” or similar. What does make me mad is these moto boys swerving through the bike/walking/jogging traffic at speeds way above what is safe. I wonder are you a Strava disciple? How’s your scoreboard looking?

Maelochs

You know, if people act badly on pedal bikes, we call them out. When people act badly on e-bikes, we call them out. When people act badly while driving cars ....

Maybe ... just maybe .... the common denominator is bad action and not the vehicle?

veganbikes

Correct, you have to be pedaling to get assist there is no assist banking. If they are still going with assistance and not pedaling they are on a throttled vehicle not a proper e-bike. However just like a normal bike you still have the momentum you would have from pedaling.

70sSanO

Thanks!

John

veganbikes

You are welcome, have a great night and an excellent tomorrow or great whatever time of day it might happen to be in your area and a good date if you happen to be in a place that is a different date than I might be located it.

70sSanO

Same back to you. I have learned a lot about e and e-assist bikes.

John

MattTheHat 

The most egregious MUP behavior I’ve ever seen was not eBikes or people walking dogs on retractable leashes or kids or people sitting on lawn chairs in the path or even the lady sunbathing in the middle of the path. It was a MUP warrior in full cycling kit (not that there’s anything wrong with that) going WAY too hard through a congested blind curve. He was a big guy too. He ALMOST took out a little 4 year old girl on a bike. At least he did the right thing and took a crash to avoid the kid. He went down HARD.

Bad behavior is bad behavior. Kids were trenching lawns long before eBikes.

i see a few throttled eBikes on the MUPs around here. They do move faster than the average casual cyclist, but I don’t ever recall seeing anything menacing or even slightly hazardous. I think the ones that look like old mini bikes are kinda cool. I wouldn’t mind building one up with some really meaty slicks and overkill motor/battery without cranks for general hooliganism (on the streets, of course).

Miele Man

On numerous occasions on paved roads I have very nearly been hit by an E-bike when the rider was illegally passing on my right. E-bikes are heavy and moving at a good clip and thus any time a bicyclist is hit by one the damage to the bicyclist would be greater than if the E-bike was another bicycle.

Far too many e-bike riders around here seem to have absolutely no idea as to what the Rules of the Road are.

Cheers

terrymorse 

Are overtaking bikes/vehicles required to pass on the left? Here in California, they can pass wherever there is room.

holytrousers

... wherever there is room and it's safe to do so !

Why isn't traffic code unified in the US ?

terrymorse 

Why indeed, that sure would make driving simpler.

I think the problem is that the federal government doesn't have the power to enforce driving rules on the states.