Quote:
Originally Posted by Traum
As far as commuter riding is concerned, electric bikes have been a major game changer. I am not a biker myself, but according to a hardcore cyclist coworker, a typical layperson will probably pump out ~200 - 350W of power on a bike, and electric hub motors in the 250 - 350W range is a fairly basic/low end setup nowadays.
What that means is -- hills are no longer really any major obstacles for cyclists that commute on their bikes. IMO, weather remains the far bigger obstacle for people to adopt/embrace cycling to work/school.
Of course, I think it is ludicrous that NW stands firm in refusing a wider bridge.
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I tried it. I rode my Costco ebike from Richmond to downtown once and it’s do-able. I can then just charge the bike at work but there’s a few caveats.
- it’s slow. Bikes top out at 35kph and it’s quite annoyingly slow. Yes I can peddle to make it go faster than that but it requires quite a bit of effort since e-bikes are heavy as shit. Took about 45minutes on my bike one way.
- it’s kinda dangerous. Drivers aren’t looking out for bikes and I know the feeling of seeing one of these cycling retards on the street. You wanna just get around them which created a pretty dangerous situation for bikes. Yes you can stay on the bike lanes for the most part but it still sucks as intersections are quite dangerous.
- it’s not really pleasant. It’s cold, it’s windy, it’s rainy. I see why these guys only do it during fair weather. I also lack storage space so I added a side carrier to fit my work bag. Now it’s even heavier and less aerodynamic.
- other cyclists. Imagine a fleet of ratrollas going down the street at the same time and then sprinkle in a few Ferraris and gt3 RS. Most cyclists are slow as shit then you got these spandex wearing motherfuckers who goes like 45kph in their ultralight graphite bicycles yelling on your left all the time. God forbid you don’t hear them and then they give you shit for not letting them pass. You need a side mirror mod on bikes for sure if you’re commuting.
- lights. Can’t see shit at night. I could get some high powered led headlights but then ill just get my shit kicked in by some angry driver. Most of these paths aren’t that well lit and you can’t really see the potholes.