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Bicycles with a motor - is it a motorcycle?

Dingman said:
I can't deny that I've got friends (we're all aging) that are talking about it. I tell them the same that I'll do - when you can't do it anymore, stop. Find a another way.
I've broken left elbow, left wrist, left ankle, all my ribs multiple times, multiple compression fractures in 80% of my vertebrae. Both collar bones a couple of times each.
I don't need no stinkin' motor. When I can't ride anymore, then I'll stop. I won't **** up the cycling experience for other people.
And again, I'm talking bike trails (although I am from the land of RAGBRAI and have quite a few of those under my belt) in regards to this particular rant.
Thanks!
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Road RAGBRAI 1976 with my1972 Fuji Finest that I bought used in 1976 for $250. Still have it. From Des Moines originally.
 
Dingman said:
But there's no distinction on the bike trails. Apparently now, every damn bike with a motor is now allowed on the bike trail. Pedal assist with no assist above about 12 mph would be just fine with me.
And I want to say again - these lazy-bikes are inviting people who have NEVER RIDDEN BIKES before to suddenly buy the motorcycle and suddenly they are on the trail, creating dangerous situations. Again I'll say, they don't know trail safety! In fact, it seems they are going so fast, if they were to call out "on your left" (which they don't) - they would have shout that 30 feet before the actual pass because they are going 20 mph.
I don't like it, I don't condone it and I'll be advocating at the city council that we go back to "no motorized vehicles" on the bike trails. Build your own motorcycle trails if you want them, but stay off the bicycle trails because they are already full with cyclists and we don't need a motorcycle weaving in and out, trying to pass everyone at high speed. ON the uphill.
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Someone rode up on me with an ebike on a paved trail out in Batavia, IL. I was riding my fastest bike, which is now a Litespeed Classic, so not that fast. So I did what I could to make sure he didn't pass me. Very immature of me, but still...he didn't pass me. In the future, I will ignore them.
 
bigcaddy64 said:
My Su-ron Light Bee was just a tad under $6000 and it tops out around 60 mph. Its scary at full speed but no different then a Harley except its nearly silent, just chain noises. We only take them out to the dirt/wilderness areas, away from the trails. To me, its an electric motorcycle and has no business on a bike path/trail. That's just inconsiderate.
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Wow -- never heard about these before your post.

Saw this video comparing it to KTM ->

 
432HzBob said:
It's a mixed bag.
My Dad's lady friend has hip and knee problems so he got her a little 250 watt front motor hub so she could enjoy rides with him as he rides some kind of feather weight Specialized bike you pedal 3 times and can coast half a mile.
On the other hand, where I live, I see tourist's ALL the time on our bike trails, designed to separate bikes from car traffic while still getting you there, just mash the throttle everywhere they go and NEVER pedal the bike once..
You give these people a 10,000 watt e-bike (hypothetical of course) and they'll buy them up and do 100mph everywhere they go, never giving a thought to anyone around them or the insanity of the "more power" game I come to term it this obsession with all things speed and more powerful these days.
Only humans can quickly ruin a good thing with their lack of common sense and self control.
For my own part, I have ridden for 10 years now, year round, in snow country even with studded winter tires, using a small 250 watt Clean Republic front motor kit that assists tremendously in icy conditions and with all the hills we have in the mountains.
And yes, I will agree, the vast majority of humans are absolutely lazy. Many would never peddle their bike ever again so long as they can mash the throttle and have a motor haul them around..
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Wow, never even thought about using a front hub for extra traction, that's freaking great.
I've also learned about some neat "motorbikes" (I like that term also, didn't think of it before).
 
Dingman said:
I can't deny that I've got friends (we're all aging) that are talking about it. I tell them the same that I'll do - when you can't do it anymore, stop. Find a another way.
I've broken left elbow, left wrist, left ankle, all my ribs multiple times, multiple compression fractures in 80% of my vertebrae. Both collar bones a couple of times each.
I don't need no stinkin' motor. When I can't ride anymore, then I'll stop. I won't **** up the cycling experience for other people.
And again, I'm talking bike trails (although I am from the land of RAGBRAI and have quite a few of those under my belt) in regards to this particular rant.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

That's OK if you want to stop. Most people wouldn't ride that hard to receive multiple and repeated injuries. When the day comes you might find your not ready to quit. Nice to know you can extend riding with some assistance. I have a bad left knee so a pure pedal bike wasn't an option and I wasn't going to let that stop me. Being able to pedal without the full strain helps keep my knee loose. Going home to sit on the couch and wait for the end, screw that. A e-bike is my another way,

As an aside. The small town I grew up in has a very popular bike shop that caters to the hard core cyclist. They have their elitist douche bags and when they ride in herds it can elevate the tensions between motorists and bicyclists. I ride an e-bike and a motorcycle. Aggravating someone in a 3500+ vehicle is a losing preposition
 
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sanford12 said:
That's OK if you want to stop. Most people wouldn't ride that hard to receive multiple and repeated injuries. When the day comes you might find your not ready to quit. Nice to know you can extend riding with some assistance. I have a bad left knee so a pure pedal bike wasn't an option and I wasn't going to let that stop me. Being able to pedal without the full strain helps keep my knee loose. Going home to sit on the couch and wait for the end, screw that. A e-bike is my another way,

As an aside. The small town I grew up in has a very popular bike shop that caters to the hard core cyclist. They have their elitist douche bags and when they ride in herds it can elevate the tensions between motorists and bicyclists. I ride an e-bike and a motorcycle. Aggravating someone in a 3500+ vehicle is a losing preposition
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I like everything you say. I totally agree, I will try to never aggravate a motorist - in fact that's why I try to stay on the trails and off the roads.
And ya, when I'm done, I'm done. I've had a really good run considering all factors. Those injuries are from what I normally describe as "delicate bones". My bone doctor calls it Osteogenesis Imperfecta. He hates that I ride so much, but I had to decide when I was a teen how I was going to let the genetic defect affect my life. I chose to fight back and accept a certain level of pain. I sure didn't want to sit in a padded cell for safety, not my style.
Yup - I have a Bone Doctor, isn't that the coolest thing?
OLD PIC, me in Moab..
jp_utah.jpg

RAGBRAI quite a few years ago. And yes, before cellphones, I strapped a disposable camera (remember those?) to my helmet.
JP_and_goat.jpg
 
Dingman said:
I like everything you say. I totally agree, I will try to never aggravate a motorist - in fact that's why I try to stay on the trails and off the roads.
And ya, when I'm done, I'm done. I've had a really good run considering all factors. Those injuries are from what I normally describe as "delicate bones". My bone doctor calls it Osteogenesis Imperfecta. He hates that I ride so much, but I had to decide when I was a teen how I was going to let the genetic defect affect my life. I chose to fight back and accept a certain level of pain. I sure didn't want to sit in a padded cell for safety, not my style.
Yup - I have a Bone Doctor, isn't that the coolest thing?
OLD PIC, me in Moab..
View attachment 2295114

RAGBRAI quite a few years ago. And yes, before cellphones, I strapped a disposable camera (remember those?) to my helmet.
View attachment 2295116
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Two thumbs up to you. That's sacrifice for what you love.
 
Also, for anyone that does not consider an e-bike to be expensive: the last bicycle I purchased was $15 and just needed air put in the tires.
 
Trails are shared by a variety of folks. Yeah, I get pissed off by folks who are uninformed, a**holes, or in a daze :rolleyes:

But trails are built too be shared as long as reasonable guidelines are followed. Whether it’s child, a fool, or someone with a physical challenge, courtesy for for the privilege of sharing the adventure is part of the deal.
 
Redikilowatt said:
Trails are shared by a variety of folks. Yeah, I get pissed off by folks who are uninformed, a**holes, or in a daze :rolleyes:

But trails are built too be shared as long as reasonable guidelines are followed. Whether it’s child, a fool, or someone with a physical challenge, courtesy for for the privilege of sharing the adventure is part of the deal.
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Due to the latter, I am the slowest in the peloton (5 regular riders on the local path who know me well). They have my back, as I do theirs. They have accepted me as one of their own.
 
Danddd said:
That Canyon Gravel Ebike is definitely nice. This is probably the level I would want if I was to get one. Hopefully prices will come down when I am ready to go that route.
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Jeesh, that looks like fun - check back in 5 years to see if I have to eat my words.
EDIT: It just occurs to me - I wonder how we could merge this discussion with the latest electric car thread. Sales on these e-bikes are thru the roof. "Oh my, think of the drain on the electrical grid!?!?". (satire)
 
I've seen a few eBikes in my local rail trail. Thankfully i haven't had any run ins with one. I suppose as long as they are responsible, I don't object. Technically the trail can be used for transportation and not only recreation. If someone wants to ditch the car and use an eBike to get to work then it's hard to object to that.

What burns me is people who stealthily sneak up on you and pass with no notification or notifying you once they are on your ass. If I'm with my daughter it especially bothers me because kids tend to drift off course on occasion. If some idiot hit her at high speed without announcing or slowing down I might have a hard time not jamming their bleeping bleep in their bleep.
 
I found this article to be helpful in understanding the classes of e-bike and how different states are regulating them.

https://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/state-electric-bicycle-laws-a-legislative-primer.aspx

The class definitions are pretty clear with a 750 watt power limit thrown in. 750 watts is just over 1 HP. That’s a lot of mojo.

It’s more complicated than I expected, with most states following the federal ebike class guidelines and a few making no distinctions between a motor-driven cycle and an e-bike.
 
Road biking in my area is the pits. Usually it's a little 2 foot wide strip painted on the side of a 30 to 55 marked mph road. The red neck car drivers refuse to follow the bike at a safe distance until they can pass the bike in other lane, just like you would a slow car.
Now that I think about it, we don't need more road surface. We need to change the law and give all two wheel vehicles all the road rights cars have, no minimum speed required.
As for trails, sidewalks and board walks, I'm happy riding along at 1 to 10 mph as appropriate depending on conditions all day without having to pedal. That get's me from home to anywhere I want to go in town in short order without having to crank up the smoke pot. But I can't see myself passing pedestrians at more than a fast walking speed. That would make nervous. We need good laws to stop that. And make judgment enforcement the cops responsibility. No radar required. If the cop says it was reckless, then it was reckless. Here's your $100 ticket sir, have a nice day.
 
quiet said:
Road biking in my area is the pits. Usually it's a little 2 foot wide strip painted on the side of a 30 to 55 marked mph road. The red neck car drivers refuse to follow the bike at a safe distance until they can pass the bike in other lane, just like you would a slow car.
Now that I think about it, we don't need more road surface. We need to change the law and give all two wheel vehicles all the road rights cars have, no minimum speed required.
As for trails, sidewalks and board walks, I'm happy riding along at 1 to 10 mph as appropriate depending on conditions all day without having to pedal. That get's me from home to anywhere I want to go in town in short order without having to crank up the smoke pot. But I can't see myself passing pedestrians at more than a fast walking speed. That would make nervous. We need good laws to stop that. And make judgment enforcement the cops responsibility. No radar required. If the cop says it was reckless, then it was reckless. Here's your $100 ticket sir, have a nice day.
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I wish, but would stay on the dedicated paths for safety here. Some locales are much more bike friendly.
 
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