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I have commuted by bicycle to work, when I had a short (<10 mile commute). A great portion was on a protected bike path, so I don't have the out-and-out DANGER of some other cyclists on major roadways.
con: shopping in a car gives me options for various stores, there are only 1 or 2 I could reasonably use an eBike for. So you will automatically pass on some deals, because I'm not going to ride 20 miles to save $3/lb on carne asada.
con: although a drag-behind child carrier would give "adequate" cargo space, I'd still be forgoing buying some heavy items, like 1 gallon waters. It would be "fun" to buy just 1 or 2 bagfuls, but just silly to try and carry $150/100lbs of groceries on a bicycle. When you got a family of four, you got other priorities and limited time to do it.
con: physical security. I believe a $2,500 eBike would provide a saliciously tempting theft target. Don't nobody want to steal my $250 beater, and that's the way I like it. I'll stick to pleasure rides, exercise, and trips to the post office on pedal power.
I own several bicycles and motorcycles as well as a car and a truck. If anything, the e-bike could replace a bicycle and/or a motorcycle, not the car or truck. The bicycle is for transporting me short distances, while the motorcycle is for transporting me long distances. The car is for transporting me and a passenger, pet, or small cargo, and the truck is for hauling furniture, construction materials, motorcycles, or other bulky cargo. I use the bicycle every day in the summer/early fall, while I use the car every day in the winter. I use a motorcycle a few times per month during the riding season, and I use the truck just about every weekend in the summer and fall.
My usage patterns with the two wheeled vehicles are fairly predictable: I bicycle about 6 miles to and from work, with an occasional longer ride for recreation/health, while my motorcycle rides are 75 miles+ unless I am just scooting around for fun. I don't really see a place for the e-bike with this usage pattern, but if I moved to a place 15 miles from work with some nasty hills on the trip my perspective would probably change.
Chemistry_Guy,
You make good sense.
I pretty much do the same thing , but I have bags on the motorcycle so I do most of my shopping on the motorcycle except for building material and such, I use the truck for.
One option is for those who commute to the city for work. I once knew a guy who drove his car on the highway to a parking area just outside the city. Once parked, he took his bicycle into the city. He used the bicycle to go to work, get lunch, and run various errands before returning to his car to go home. If you live within a city, you could use the bike for commuting. That's fine, but for shopping, family travel, or going on the highway, you need a car.
victimofGM- That is dedication to do that... And I agree on the car for shopping, family stuff and errands. Although there is a family here that they walk the mile to the wal-mart and they all carry the groceries and stuff back to the house... Looks fun right now at 50F out, I wonder how that works out at -20F.
I am walking my daughter to school instead of driving her (most days). And that short walk has a narrow mountain paved road and no bike path or sidewalk... Something that would be nice, because then I could let her walk to/from school on her own.
I'm seriously looking at purchasing an eBike but no, it would not replace my car (which happens to be a Prius). For me it's about supplementation, not replacement. I have a hybrid bike but I am too weak to ride more than a few miles on flat paved paths. I get to even small hills and I have to walk myself and the bike and it's frustrating. I find I avoid riding the bike unless it's purely for recreation so I can choose a flat path to ride for 30 min or so. An eBike would allow me to do both recreational and short errands. I could enjoy riding a bike much further, with pedal assistance as needed, and without needing to walk the bike up a hill. The average range of the good eBikes today is 25 mi up to 45 mi, depending on how much the rider is willing to assist with pedaling.
For us middle aged not so in good shape, it's a way to get active or stay active and replace some use of the car. I see eBikes as win/win. Anything that gets a person on 2 wheels and zero emissions is good IMO.
They have to be more dangerous than conventional bikes due to speed. Personally I don't ride my bike as fast as I could for safety reasons, certainly when many pedestrian are around.
I built my own ebike and logged over 17k miles in the past 3 yrs, using it for transportation. I have sold my car which I did not need. My wife has hers which we use when it makes sense.
at 25mph my ebike is twice as fast as a normal bike. Sure, I could pedal harder and work up a sweat, but I don't want that in work clothes and distances more than a few miles make that quite harder. The ebike is essentially a true zero emission moped that can keep up with traffic (40mph if I need to. Yes I am safe, I am very experienced and I can out manuevere any motorcycle at that speed.) its easily charged with my solar panel. Or wall outlet which is TX wind power.
Im not impeding traffic, or slowly anyone down for more than a second or two, once in a while.
Its the only solution to urban /congested suburb transport that will work. How long will it take for the US to realize that? Many countries have, or are waking up to it. Some people will bash it because of their ignorance.
They have to be more dangerous than conventional bikes due to speed. Personally I don't ride my bike as fast as I could for safety reasons, certainly when many pedestrian are around.
Any responsible user will adjust their speed to the conditions and their experience and comfort. You don't drive your car at 80mph in the neighborhood even if its capable, do you?
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