# The E-bike is a Monstrosity - article in The Atlantic



## rikki (4 Sep 2022)

Not agreeing with the writer, just bringing the article to your attention.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technol...lectric-bikes-climate-change-exercise/671305/


----------



## Sharky (4 Sep 2022)

History repeating itself.

Mopeds were associated with bikes. The weekly cycling mag was actually called "Cycling and Mopeds".
Mopeds diverged away from bicycles and the mag returned to being Cycling Weekly.

Time well tell if ebikes will still be grouped with bicycles in the future.


----------



## TheDoctor (4 Sep 2022)

But...an ebike isn't a useless bike, or a poor attempt at a motorbike. It's a different thing, a transport solution in its own right. I used one regularly for commuting, so I could ride in civvies and not get sweaty. Worked perfectly for that, and it was faster than the bus and way cheaper and more fun than driving.


----------



## classic33 (4 Sep 2022)

The FIA President has labelled them dangerous, due mainly to their speed.


----------



## cyberknight (4 Sep 2022)

lost me at lycra clad dangerous to pedestrians


----------



## youngoldbloke (4 Sep 2022)

cyberknight said:


> lost me at lycra clad dangerous to pedestrians



- me too. Much of that article is 8ollocks.


----------



## Arrowfoot (4 Sep 2022)

The author has decided to conflate the issue and paint the regular cyclist as the villain.

E-bikes that have become popular across age groups and serves many needs. Commuters switching from motorised vehicles to cheaper e-bikes. food couriers and neighbour hood thugs peddling drugs. E-bikes are everywhere, along pedestrian path, high speeds with no clear rules and regulations in place.

A wonderful innovation that has been misused by some. Highlight the concerns and fix the misuse. Instead scapegoating is much faster and easier than a carefully researched article.


----------



## ebikeerwidnes (4 Sep 2022)

Yup as said above - people take a few examples and chuck all bike or ebike in the same pot

so they see a few deliver people whizzing around on illegal ebike and claim that all ebike whizz around at silly speeds, jump red lights and whatever
they probably don;t even spot most legal ebikes - or know the difference


----------



## cyberknight (4 Sep 2022)

american article so there e bikes are not as restricted as over here but otherwise it could be a fluff piece for the daily fail


----------



## TheDoctor (4 Sep 2022)

IIRC US ebikes are 20mph max, 750W (!!) max power. NZ are 300W max power, no specific speed limit other than the speed limit of whatever road you're cycling on, and bike helmets are compulsory.


----------



## bonzobanana (4 Sep 2022)

Strange article where the writer seems more concerned with what others think about him riding an ebike rather than its usefulness. This type of personality is I'm sure much appreciated by marketing people who can manipulate people into being ultra-concerned about their own image and having the right brand product. I personally don't think it matters how people perceive an ebike its just whether it serves a purpose for you and if you enjoy it. You could call any 2 wheel vehicle like a moped or normal bicycle a pathetic motorbike I guess not just ebikes.


----------



## gbb (5 Sep 2022)

bonzobanana said:


> Strange article where the writer seems more concerned with what others think about him riding an ebike rather than its usefulness. This type of personality is I'm sure much appreciated by marketing people who can manipulate people into being ultra-concerned about their own image and having the right brand product. I personally don't think it matters how people perceive an ebike its just whether it serves a purpose for you and if you enjoy it. You could call any 2 wheel vehicle like a moped or normal bicycle a pathetic motorbike I guess not just ebikes.



Exactly. My opening thoughts were...this guy is too concerned with what other people think and how they 'supposedly' perceived him.
Its quite simple. Can you afford one, do you want / need one, will it fit those needs? That's all anyone needs to consider.


----------



## Deafie (11 Sep 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> IIRC US ebikes are 20mph max, 750W (!!) max power. NZ are 300W max power, no specific speed limit other than the speed limit of whatever road you're cycling on, and bike helmets are compulsory.



Throttle only is 20 mph max, peddle assist is 28 max, but there are much faster bikes and scooters than that on the road


----------



## TheDoctor (11 Sep 2022)

I'll bet there are! Do the limits vary state by state in the US, or is it consistent throughout?


----------



## CXRAndy (11 Sep 2022)

TheDoctor said:


> I'll bet there are! Do the limits vary state by state in the US, or is it consistent throughout?



Varies, not massively, but there are variations


----------



## bonzobanana (16 Sep 2022)

Deafie said:


> Throttle only is 20 mph max, peddle assist is 28 max, but there are much faster bikes and scooters than that on the road



You can still use a throttle above 20mph its just the ebike can only be exclusively powered by the motor up to 20mph. You can still use the throttle to vary motor power above 20mph as long as you are pedaling.


----------



## icowden (19 Sep 2022)

What an odd article. I find that it was a lot of words saying very little. My take away from the article is that the author has an e-bike, doesn't quite know how to use it properly and feels that they don't act as a status symbol. 

That's it. NO conclusions drawn at all.


----------



## glasgowcyclist (19 Sep 2022)

That’s exactly where the article belongs - in the Atlantic.


----------



## Phil Fouracre (20 Sep 2022)

Just read it! Got to agree with an earlier poster, what a load of pretentious bollocks!


----------



## Tom B (21 Sep 2022)

cyberknight said:


> lost me at lycra clad dangerous to pedestrians



Yesterday I set off to work a danger to pedestrians. Having left my lycra at work and returned home in denim shorts I think I became a better person, but the same time filled with "jerkiness" and "twee". I suspect on Friday I'll return to work a twee jerk and return home as a pedestrian endangerer, luckily that'll be in the early hours so the number of flattened Bert and Ada's should be limited.

The article reads to me as the inner turmoil of a secret cyclists wedded to his car and a wanna be bloggist. 

It's just electronic toilet paper.


One of my main issues with ebikes is the bloody name. Email works, ebike doesn't for me. Hybrid, no (that's a sort of flat bar road bike) I just can't settle ona good name.


----------



## Dogtrousers (21 Sep 2022)

I'm not so disapproving of the article as others. Yes, it is all about image and perception, not practicality. But, like it or not, people in general are extremely concerned with image and perception. All of us are, as much as we'd like to deny it. If your response is "oh but it doesn't bother me what other people think" you're probably carefully building a self-image of some kind of maverick.

And the long term uptake of e-bikes will be very dependent on this perception. If the general perception of ebikes is that they are for eccentric nerds then their broad public acceptance will suffer as a result. If they are considered cool urban transport they will be more accepted.

If the e-bike is to really take off then people are going to want a pigeon hole (or pigeon holes) to put it into. And at the moment it seems it's still up for grabs. So I don't think the article is complete cobblers. Although I found it hard to read as it's so waffly, and did skim a lot.


----------



## Tom B (21 Sep 2022)

Its not just this article but I take issue with the notion that the moment you break sweat you instantly become irretrievably Nd intolerably smelly and must instantly shower.


----------

