Are e-Bikes real bikes? Are they good or bad? Opinions?

[NbyNW]

E-bikes have some problems-
They are silent- so you cannot hear them coming. And of course quite a few e-bike riders ride them on footpaths as they are afraid of the roads. Accidents happen and these things are heavy and fast.
E-bike riders often ignore rules- they don't consider themselves car or motorbikes so ride everywhere and don't even wear cycle helmets.
E-bikes often put power in the hands of someone unable to handle it- just like motorised scooters for the elderly, sometimes having power in the hands of someone unable to control it being either too young or frail of health also can cause accidents.

I'm glad you brought this up, since I for one have limited exposure to these bikes (have seen them but have not ridden one or shared traffic with one) -- but I think these are problems can definitely benefit from some public education and safety awareness/classes, much as non-motorized bicycling has come a long way, and continues to. Every now and then I meet another person who thinks it's safer to bike on the left side of the road and I think these are just typical growing pains as two-wheeled transportation becomes more popular -- we go through a learning curve trying to figure out how to share the road.

Pardon my syntax, I've had a couple glasses of wine

[Selkie]

I think an ebike is an oxymoron. Why bother? Just get a scooter (as in Vespa not "scooter store chair") and stick to the road.

There's no indignity to walking a bike up a hill. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

[OakLeaf]

I wasn't quite sure how I felt (other than being aware of some snobbery that I knew was kind of inappropriate) until reading some of the comments here.

Now, I know what I think.

An "e-bike" is only marginally "greener" than a 50cc scooter, if at all, considering the much larger battery and the carbon cost of recharging it. A quality scooter will cost more - especially one with a catalytic converter - but a cheap Chinese scooter will price out around the same as an e-bike or an add-on electric assist. Speed and road limitations are about the same. A scooter is heavier, obviously, but that'll help it feel more planted on the road, and no one is really going to want to push either a scooter or an e-bike for any distance - particularly someone who doesn't have the physical capability to ride a bike unassisted. And, if you should run out of juice on the road, it's a lot easier and quicker to get to a gas station than to recharge a battery.

If someone's just looking for practical two-wheeled transport, most scooters offer lockable compartments, and aftermarket hard luggage is available for probably all scooters, which is the #1 factor that makes a bicycle impractical.

If someone chooses an "e-bike" over a scooter, I have serious concerns about their attitude towards safety. Do they feel they can ride an e-bike, but not a scooter, without paying attention to traffic? On the sidewalk? Without a helmet? Without good motor control? Without good leg strength to support the bike at a stop? None of the above are true.

[Biciclista]

what a great bunch of thoughtful posts.
I confess that I was a little concerned about the mother being able to handle such a heavy bike if she isn't strong enough to ride a regular one. As people become frail, they lose things like strength and sense of balance. combined with an electric motor, that could be a real problem.

[PamNY]

If someone chooses an "e-bike" over a scooter, I have serious concerns about their attitude towards safety. Do they feel they can ride an e-bike, but not a scooter, without paying attention to traffic? On the sidewalk? Without a helmet? Without good motor control? Without good leg strength to support the bike at a stop? None of the above are true.

You raise interesting questions. I see quite a few e-bikes in Manhattan and haven't noticed unsafe riding. As a group, I'd label them conservative riders (this is just an impression, of course, not a scientific observation). They do ride on the bike path, which is probably technically a violation of the motorized vehicles rule, but they don't cause problems that I've seen.

In Manhattan, and I'd guess in other urban areas as well, e-bikes do offer advantages over scooters. First, you can bring a bike inside an apartment building, so there's less danger of theft. Second, gas stations are few and far between.

[OakLeaf]

I'm not really thinking of the recklessness that characterized the moped craze of the '70s. I definitely remember all sorts of younger people riding them as though they had the power of motorcycles and the maneuverability of bicycles, when neither is true. But you're right, I don't see people treating e-bikes that way - it's a totally different demographic.

I'm thinking more about people who just have no idea how to ride a two-wheeled vehicle in traffic. As we all know, "conservative" is NOT a safe way to ride a bicycle.

[PamNY]

I'm thinking more about people who just have no idea how to ride a two-wheeled vehicle in traffic. As we all know, "conservative" is NOT a safe way to ride a bicycle.

By "conservative" I mean not traveling at excessive speed, not weaving between cars, not going the wrong way on one-way streets, etc.

[salsabike]

Seven years ago, or whenever it was, after a decade of fibromyalgia and inactivity, I started riding again by using an e-bike. They are not scooters. They're bikes. The motor kicks in when the sensor receives a certain amount of pressure denoting increased effort, like going up a hill. You still have to pedal and you still have to work, even when the assist kicks in. You ride them just like bikes and follow all the same rules. It helped me get back into shape to ride a bike-bike. Why would you have "serious concerns" about an e-bike rider's approach to safety?

[PamNY]

Salsabike, I have heard of several people doing exactly what you did, and it seems like such a good idea.

[Kiwi Stoker]

I DO have serious concerns about how e-bike riders ride.

The people that these are marketed to (and I know this because I did the marketing once) often haven't ridden a bike since they were a child.

They often still think they can ride a bike LIKE when they did AS a child (ie on the footpath).

Some older people also are concerned at traffic and how fast the cars are (cars were slower when they rode) so they stay on the footpath.

You are putting something that has the ability to go faster than the person would be able to ride ordinary on a footpath and they are pretty silent.

I am not saying ALL e-bike riders are like this, but unfortunately I have seen this happen.

And there isn't like a riding school you can send new cyclists to (well there's probably a few but not many) to make sure they know who to ride in a safe and confident manner on the roads. Most cycle clubs probably wouldn't cater for an e-bike rider as well.

A e-bike doesn't require a license like a motor scooter, so you don't even have to know any road rules before you can get out there and do things (yes, this apples to all bikes), but I just don't like that e-bikes are aimed at older people who have never ridden since childhood and that may not be able to ride in a safe and confident manner.

However the e-bike being used as a way to start being active in a safe and confident manner- that is a good thing Salsa bike.

[jdubble]

Is a "cycling journalist" a journalist who rides a bike, or a journalist who writes about cycling?

In Heidi's case, it's is both. She gives a good plug for Team Estrogen and and the forums here in the Oregonian today.

[BikeDutchess]

The people that these are marketed to (and I know this because I did the marketing once) often haven't ridden a bike since they were a child.

My perspective may be different because I've been hearing about e-bikes from my dad, aunt, and uncle in Holland. My aunt and uncle have been riding bikes all their lives (I've been on several cycling vacations with them) but are now dealing with health issues that no longer allow them to ride as before. By getting e-Bikes, they can continue riding. And as someone pointed out earlier, the battery is a supplement & only assists when their own pedaling power slows down. It allows them to continue an activity that they've always enjoyed.

The e-Bike is one of the fastest growing product lines in the Dutch bicycle industry due to the aging of the population.

I realize that it's a very different cycling culture over there for sure, not just for e-Bikes but for cycling in general, but the experience does contribute to my perspective.