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I think I probably stated my question poorly. I'm not worried about storing my bike/trailer securely at home. I'm worried about it being stolen at the mall or the grocery store. I think there must be a lot about bike locks I don't know. Is there one that is really secure for a rig like this?
Any lock can be defeated by power tools and a determined theif. Any of the more expensive thick u locks should do, in conjunction with a cable for wheels or trailer. It depends on your area too. NYC is different than a small town.
There are cheap, ready to ride ebikes from $400 plus. Range and lifespan of the lead battery won't be as good, but they would still make a short hilly commute a lot easier and less sweaty. currie is the brand.
My point is that you don't need to spend thousands to go 10 miles a day. LOTs of drivers could use such a bike with no time loss or dangerous high speed roads or snowstorms to go through.
the point is to be aware of your options. No one is saying that you should take an ebike on the highway for a 50 miles commute and haul a contractors worth of tools. Millions of drivers travel under 10 miles to work, alone, without heavy cargo. They are the ones who use excessive means for transportation. If some of them used a bike, our communities would be better in so many ways. That's the point.
Who decides what an "excessive" means of transportation is?
This goes right to means testing what everyone does and is nothing short of a control mechanism.
I hear this a lot. Something is excessive or something isn't needed. According to whom?
Some people might drive only 3 miles a day and want to use whatever means they want to use.
My point is that if someone wants to use an E-Bike, by all means, do so and if that helps the environment in some way that is a bonus. But when someone or some group wants to start telling others what they should do and use the environment as a reason to do it, all that has happened is one control has been substituted for another and it always comes back to someone or some group wanting to dictate to others what they should do.
E-Bikes are a great idea and those who want to use should be applauded but that doesn't mean in any way that someone else who might have embraced e-bikes has any right or mandate to start deciding what means of transportation is excessive.
Sooner or later it seems to always come up. Terms like "excessive" "needs" and so on are used to define how everyone should do this or that. It starts out slowly and benignly, just a small thing and it seems so reasonable. Reasonable until you get to the root of what is really being said.
Like I said, when someone starts talking about "excessive" better define that and then define who gets to determine it because unless it is the law of the land, their barking up the wrong tree.
Who decides what an "excessive" means of transportation is?
.
A democratic society decides by voting. It decides lots of things, including who will be our next president. Laws get made and mandates get proposed any way you slice it so it might as well be for something safer, cleaner and saner.
I would vote for e-bikes in a heartbeat. There should be exceptions for using fast moving fossil fuel vehicles such as the occasional long trip, medical emergencies or conditions and government business and science related research but, I think basic every day work and school type travel should be local, slower, safer and cleaner.
I'm starting to think it is a sign of our insanity and, yes, excess that we, as a species, ever built vehicles, like cars and planes, that go way faster than is survivable by the human body and endangers the environmental balance and that we actually put ourselves into these contraptions on a regular basis.
And returning to the topic of excess, everything humanity does, it over does in excess. Look at the history of weaponry. It's a straight line from the spear to the nuclear weapon without anyone asking, "Wait a minute. Does this weapon thing seem to be getting out of control?"
Same thing with food. People literally will eat themselves to 1000 pounds or heart disease and diabetes.
Same thing with pollution. We know pollution is bad for the environment and our lungs but we just keep on polluting.
If you don't put brakes on some of the activities humans do, they will keep doing it until any benefit you would normally derive from its limited use is outweighed by the damage its over use is inflicting.
I think Seinfeld said it best on the stupidity of human excess using the invention of the helmet:
Basically, we had to invent the helmet because we wouldn't stop our head cracking life style.
Last edited by Shankapotomus; 12-06-2014 at 05:13 AM..
A democratic society decides by voting. It decides lots of things, including who will be our next president. Laws get made and mandates get proposed any way you slice it so it might as well be for something safer, cleaner and saner.
I would vote for e-bikes in a heartbeat. There should be exceptions for using fast moving fossil fuel vehicles such as the occasional long trip, medical emergencies or conditions and government business and science related research but, I think basic every day work and school type travel should be local, slower, safer and cleaner.
I'm starting to think it is a sign of our insanity and, yes, excess that we, as a species, ever built vehicles, like cars and planes, that go way faster than is survivable by the human body and endangers the environmental balance and that we actually put ourselves into these contraptions on a regular basis.
And returning to the topic of excess, everything humanity does, it over does in excess. Look at the history of weaponry. It's a straight line from the spear to the nuclear weapon without anyone asking, "Wait a minute. Does this weapon thing seem to be getting out of control?"
Same thing with food. People literally will eat themselves to 1000 pounds or heart disease and diabetes.
Same thing with pollution. We know pollution is bad for the environment and our lungs but we just keep on polluting.
If you don't put brakes on some of the activities humans do, they will keep doing it until any benefit you would normally derive from its limited use is outweighed by the damage its over use is inflicting.
I think Seinfeld said it best on the stupidity of human excess using the invention of the helmet:
Basically, we had to invent the helmet because we wouldn't stop our head cracking life style.
All good and fine except for one thing, no one has voted to define what excessive means of transportation is and that isn't going to happen either.
Seinfeld? Thanks for the laugh.
Yeah, lets follow Seinfeld who lives one of the most excessive lifestyles around.
Just how does Seinfeld get around? A private jet. Maybe it's an E-jet?
Seinfelds 32 million dollar home in the Hamptons is a perfect example of hypocrisy and the do as I say not as I do crowd.
Do you think Seinfeld rides an E-Bike to get home or work? Want to bet that he wears a helmet for a variety of activities that he engages in?
Want more: How about his 18 million dollar mansion in Telluride?
Would you dare to call the very person you cite as someone to listen to as living an excessive lifestyle?
That's the problem with control, there are always those who want to dictate to others what they should do while they themselves go about doing whatever they want.
As I've maintained, E-Bikes are a great thing and for those that can benefit from using them for any reason, you bet. They might even be fun just to have in case you want to go for a bike ride and not want to exert a lot of effort to do it but when people start deciding that someone should use one because of some arbitrary idea that other means of transportation are excessive, I say no and that it is wrong.
There are plenty of things to go after that are excessive but before anyone starts telling others that what they do is excessive, they had better be living the lifestyle of conservation, benefit to others and the environment and do more than talk about it.
Sorry, your post was an epic fail. That is what happens when you use a comedian to make a point.
Last edited by Mack Knife; 12-06-2014 at 10:51 AM..
All good and fine except for one thing, no one has voted to define what excessive means of transportation is and that isn't going to happen either.
Seinfeld? Thanks for the laugh.
Yeah, lets follow Seinfeld who lives one of the most excessive lifestyles around.
Just how does Seinfeld get around? A private jet. Maybe it's an E-jet?
Seinfelds 32 million dollar home in the Hamptons is a perfect example of hypocrisy and the do as I say not as I do crowd.
Do you think Seinfeld rides an E-Bike to get home or work? Want to bet that he wears a helmet for a variety of activities that he engages in?
Want more: How about his 18 million dollar mansion in Telluride?
Would you dare to call the very person you cite as someone to listen to as living an excessive lifestyle?
That's the problem with control, there are always those who want to dictate to others what they should do while they themselves go about doing whatever they want.
As I've maintained, E-Bikes are a great thing and for those that can benefit from using them for any reason, you bet. They might even be fun just to have in case you want to go for a bike ride and not want to exert a lot of effort to do it but when people start deciding that someone should use one because of some arbitrary idea that other means of transportation are excessive, I say no and that it is wrong.
There are plenty of things to go after that are excessive but before anyone starts telling others that what they do is excessive, they had better be living the lifestyle of conservation, benefit to others and the environment and do more than talk about it.
Sorry, your post was an epic fail. That is what happens when you use a comedian to make a point.
No, that is what happens when someone can't seem to understand I was using his comment to hammer home my point and Seinfeld's hypocrisy is irrelevant.
I see your point about calling something "excessive". It is somewhat subjective.
But when our cities are plagued with traffic congestion and pollution is an actual problem, perhaps we are doing something that is excessive.
We can't build enough infrastructure for personal auto use as daily transportation in populated areas. There isn't enough money or (more importantly) space. Mass transit can work in some places, but it's extremely expensive and ridership doesn't cover it's cost.
The root of the problem is that the society thinks we have enough resources, space, and technology to allow the efficient movement of people in personal automobiles that are as large and fast as they are.
People should have options to choose from. As you can see, many think it's not safe to be on a bike anywhere near autos (this is somewhat true).
I just would like for those who are interested, but turned off by the hard work, slower speed, distance/hills - that they consider that maybe an ebike would be the answer. It doesn't mean everyone needs to give up their cars. I know of some that have, for an ebike, or regular bike. An ebike makes it much easier.
It is good to see that a lot of US cities are waking up to the idea that bikes are valid modes of transport, and starting to accommodate them.
It is good to see that a lot of US cities are waking up to the idea that bikes are valid modes of transport, and starting to accommodate them.
I think it is really interesting to see that over 200 million electric bicycles are in use in China, and they make up perhaps 20 percent of the commuter vehicles in that country.
If they don't fit your lifestyle, don't get one. Nobody is going to make you get one, that's for sure. But as a society we can certainly be more supportive of those who do choose to have one in their life.
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