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Write your congresspeople to include ebikes in any electric vehicle subsidy, folks. If we're actually committed to fighting climate change by electrifying transportation for the average person, a $1500 electric bike discounted to $750 is going to be vastly more accessible to the broader public than a $30k automobile discounted to $25k (to say nothing of more environmentally-friendly). Would also expand the constituency for bike infrastructure. I've been tempted to get the Rad Runner Plus since they announced it as I've fallen for the advertising featuring cute couples on the bike. But, especially during the pandemic, I can't justify it as 100% of my day-to-day needs are a short walk away.
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Sep 29, 2020 05:33
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marmot25 posted:Radpower seems to be incompetent or tone deaf with their customer service so I might cancel my wagon order in favor of something like a tern gsd?
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Oct 28, 2020 15:36
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Harley-Davidson threw their hat into the ebike world this week with the surprise announcement of the Serial 1. It's not got an advertized price tag or specs yet, but looks like they're targeting a higher price point. https://twitter.com/verge/status/1321160359483445251
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Oct 31, 2020 01:36
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There's definitely a sporadic, change-averse backlash from otherwise bike-friendly folks. A lot of knee-jerk reactions where, if they took a moment to think about it, they'd realize are obviously wrongheaded. "Ebikes are for the lazy! I like to get a workout on my commute" Uhh... congrats, but not everyone is interested or able of the physical exertion required. "Ebikes are just a toy for rich tech bros! They're the only ones I ever see riding them." Ebikes unfortunately do come at a premium that poses a serious barrier for entry to the poor. If we subsidized them even ¼ what we do for electric cars, they'd be a much more competitive option for folks that might otherwise burn money on a beater that'll require regular gas, maintenance, repairs. On the other hand, I 100% agree with the criticism of the engineering and marketing of ebikes putting undue focus on speed. Much better to build an image that ebikes are a great mode of transportation for everyday folks than to target a narrow, homogenous niche of racers.
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Jan 23, 2021 04:09
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Ebike-relevant content: https://youtu.be/6MM6MbDISQI
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Jan 30, 2021 20:41
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The War on Cars did an ebike episode! They interviewed Oregon's Earl Blumenauer on an ebike tax credit. https://twitter.com/TheWarOnCars/status/1366737432738205706?s=19
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Mar 2, 2021 16:54
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The E-BIKE Act has officially been introduced in the House, so shoot off an email to your reps in support of H.R. 1019, especially if they sit on the Ways and Means Committee.
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Mar 16, 2021 05:20
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I see that the Specialized Vado series is in the $3-4k range and weighs in at 33 pounds, while something like the Trek Allant+ 9.9S is $6k and 51 pounds. I'm curious what sacrifices the Vado might be making. The specs otherwise appear very similar, with the only noticeable difference being the Vado using a proprietary motor and battery vs. Bosch. I'd really love a lighter bike and 33 pounds seems wildly better than any other hybrid ebike I've spotted, but there has to be something to account for it not also being wildly more expensive.
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Apr 12, 2021 16:30
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Took the Trek Allant 9 and Verve 2 for test rides today. Both have a heck of a lot of pluck, but especially the Allant. Most surprising was just how rideable they are with assist off—having not ridden an ebike before, I really expected the 50 lbs frames to be noticeably more difficult (though I didn't try the hills without the assist).
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Apr 19, 2021 23:04
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Picked up the Trek Allant 8S this afternoon and had a blast riding it home. Cars on my local city streets have to be a bit confused about a bike keeping pace with them. However, after a couple times taking the battery out and putting it back in, it simply will not go back in and re-lock. A quick Google search turns up a lot of people with the opposite problem (battery can't be removed) and even the inverse problem (battery pops itself out in the middle of a ride and gets completely hosed up), but no one complaining of not being able to re-seat it. I can't tell if I'm somehow doing something wrong or what. The steps are simple and straightforward and worked without issue twice, but is now a complete non-starter. It's going to be an incredible pain in the rear end to bike it back to the store with no assist so they can take a look at it. Hell, I'm not even sure you're supposed to ride it without the battery fully-inserted. Might just have to take it on the bus.
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May 17, 2021 04:19
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Voodoofly posted:Is it a Bosch battery in that? Mine was finicky at first as well. I have to have the key fully turned and basically smack the battery hard but then it locks in 
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May 17, 2021 04:32
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I would be absolutely terrified to use one of those the way I've seen them used around Seattle. Folks just zip along at high speed and I can't help but suspect the reason I haven't seen many recently is that the users invariably hit a bump or a patch of water/gravel and go flying. I took my new bike out the other day after a light rain to try to get a feel for how it handles stopping and loving yikes. I thought I was taking it easy, but ended up hydroplaning ~10-15 feet trying to come to a stop at an intersection on a slight downward hill. Made me seriously reconsider getting up anywhere near the max assist speed without being 100% certain that the road is in good condition. Would have probably gone with the one that caps out at 20 MPH. Never had the occasion to ride a motorcycle or moped, but I have to imagine the concern is even worse on them.
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May 20, 2021 01:17
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Carth Dookie posted:I'll find out for myself in due course and report back. Invalido posted:brand new tires are normally pickled in some kind of oil in order to arrive to the customer looking shiny and fresh, and this coating needs to be carefully worn away before the tires will perform nominally.
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May 20, 2021 06:39
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Just got back from a fun 22-mile ride on my Allant. It's great to have the freedom to explore a new route without risking being utterly walloped by a series of hills halfway through. Then can turn the assist off/down and still get as much of a workout as you're looking for. My area's bike network is a bit labyrinthian, though, with the bike lane occasionally hopping to the other side of the road randomly. I guess it's still better than most American cities  My employer actually just announced a subsidized ebike leasing program for bike commuting employees, though only for Van Moofs. Being able unable to adjust the level of assist while the bike is in motion seems like a ridiculous deal-breaker to me.
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Jun 13, 2021 01:21
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Work recently announced a second subsidized ebike lease provider, which would be awesome, except that it's a company I've never heard of. Their website this morning was literally just an "under construction" splash page, which has since been updated with a bare minimum of details. Their two offerings will be more than double the expense of the Van Moofs already on offer, with no listed specs and availability starting Jan 2022, so there's been some skepticism. It's not like there aren't major established manufacturers to contact with!
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Jun 30, 2021 02:24
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Did an awesome 48-mile ride on my Allant today. Manual for 99% of the first half, then gradually bumping up to eco and then touring as the trail became hillier and my endurance started petering out. Was a great way to scope out a route I'd like to try on my normal bike without risking exhausting myself. However, I'm trying to get to bed and am now suffering what I've noticed after my other rides: a persistent phantom sensation of being propelled forward. It's not sickening or anything, just highly distracting. The only comparable experience I've had is getting off a boat only to find the sensation of being rocked by waves sticking with me for hours and hours.
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Jul 4, 2021 07:51
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Charles posted:Did you ever play Guitar Hero / Rock Band? I played for a while and then everything moved forward if I stood up if I hadn't gotten up in a while. It didn't last long though. Charles posted:The big disadvantage of a step through bike is weight, right? Charles posted:And I see discussion of Rad Power Bikes here on this page, how are they able to be so much cheaper than other brands but they say Panasonic or Samsung cells? Just everything else cheaper components + volume? They're pretty popular around here. Definitely worth getting a feel for a few with test rides. Both Rad Power and VanMoof have showrooms for test rides and your local bike shop most likely does too (assuming the supply chain issues of the spring have lessened).
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Aug 11, 2021 05:58
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Charles posted:OK this may be opening a can of worms but do any ebikes have an auditory warning system the way an electric car does? I was walking on the path yesterday and those folks who ride at full throttle and don't call / ring their bell can be difficult to detect / process the sound until they're really close. I think it would be nice if those could be included. Programming your own would be nice. My car makes a harp sound but Teslas can be programmed for other stuff, so at least it'd be fun if you sound like a TIE Fighter. Unrelated, I had my first unpleasant interaction with tram tracks on Saturday. Bike lane ended suddenly and turned into rail-in-road, but since I was riding in traffic there was no great option to gracefully navigate out of the danger zone. Bike tried to twist out from under me briefly when trying to cross over, either slipping on the rail or nestling into the groove, but I fortunately stayed up. The giant moped tires probably helped. Really wish the bike lanes around here were designed with more consideration for actual users. The city keeps coming up with bullshit that involves either magically hopping to the other side of the road or the lane just disappearing...
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Aug 18, 2021 01:39
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Good news: We've got possible progress toward an ebike tax credit! (doc) https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1436674529733001217 Bad news: https://twitter.com/Giampoli/status/1436699887119261703 For the country's major metro areas, this is prohibitive for anyone in the middle class. The means testing applied to cars is drastically more generous, suggesting that the folks calling the shots are still of the mindset that bikes are luxury items and cars are everyday necessities. While the latter is unfortunately true across broad swathes of America today, the whole point of making ebikes more accessible to all should be to supplant car usage! It's unfortunately unclear from the document exactly which bill this is a section of, but I'm hoping to figure that out and write my reps to see if things can still be amended.
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Sep 12, 2021 17:59
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Safety Dance posted:The next van Moof is going to be a $3600, 2wd, full suspension machine with a 31mph top speed*. Amazing. I'm really curious to see if that's going to spark any kind of change in the market.
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Oct 15, 2021 05:16
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L0cke17 posted:I made the mistake of test-riding some bikes this weekend. I now really want an ebike even more than I used to. Pray for my wallet.  What caught your interest the most?
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Nov 22, 2021 06:29
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Rad dominates Seattle's ebike usage right now, with the only thing putting a dent in it is Amazon's recent subsidized Van Moof leases. Anyone know of talk about where exactly things will be with batteries a decade down the road? Thinking specifically battery degradation and replacement. If they cut manufacture of batteries that fit my bike, it'd turn it into just a pretty cumbersome acoustic bike as the battery holds less and less of a charge.
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Nov 24, 2021 03:41
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Safety Dance posted:
Though what is going on with those planters in the bike lane?? 
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Dec 3, 2021 17:40
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I've read about the NYPD or someone explicitly going after ecyclists, but I imagine just other localities don't actively enforce. Unless, as above, either someone's behaving especially lovely or there's a local anti-bike krank with excessive clout. It's definitely a good idea to reach out to your reps on the issue to press for evolving the trail rules.
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Mar 22, 2022 15:50
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I tried out some super cheap bikes without torque sensors the other day and was amazed to realize just how spoiled I am to have one on mine. The first ebike I ever tried had one and it makes the ride just feel completely natural, while these bikes were much less pleasant rides. Not sure how much of it was just their garbage-tier quality overall.
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Mar 25, 2022 21:35
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Citizen Z posted:But now I'm wondering if that's not necessary. I mostly use the throttle to live a little juice when starting off because it takes the cadence sensor a second to kick in. Are the torque sensors just instant power?
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Mar 27, 2022 21:07
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I'm visiting my grandparents on the East Coast and took a day to myself to do a 30-mile circuit of New York City on a Citi Bike ebike. Would have liked to get a proper ebike rental where I could turn off the assist as I'd like, but the Citi Bike ended up a little cheaper and much more convenient pickup/dropoff. Had intended to stick to the riverfronts, but eastside's bike routes are spotty at best and I ended going straight through the middle down to Battery Park, then back up the much easier westside greenways. The poor bike finally gave out mere blocks before my destination going up a steep hill just past the Little Red Lighthouse. Definitely a fun way to get out and see the city for those who might otherwise struggle with long ride in mixed traffic! Maybe one of these days we'll get cars banned from the city and open the streets up to people.
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May 30, 2022 18:57
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Happy Father's Day weekend. https://twitter.com/tjmule/status/1530305752140611584?t=26WjSezyEiWzb43lZIScfg&s=19 
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Jun 18, 2022 15:27
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Selachian posted:Please feel free to tell me what a horrible mistake I'm making and how I bought the worst possible brand. 
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Jun 27, 2022 05:09
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Welp, a warning to those who've not yet had the experience: if you're gonna lift your 50+ lbs ebike, lift with your loving legs and use two hands, don't just awkwardly try to finagle it with one. My weekend is now dedicated to nursing my first back muscle strain 
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Jul 10, 2022 05:03
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quote:Counterintuitively, because the e-bike is easier to ride than a normal bike, I feel less inclined to adopt it as a regular practice, let alone a whole commuting identity. All the downsides of biking still remain, without the satisfaction of persisting in the face of adversity. The stupid fucker is pining for self-actualization, not a convenient and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation. webcams for christ posted:his take is like a third-rate Matt Yglesias and not nearly galaxy brained enough.
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Sep 1, 2022 04:04
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Scotland looks to have the right idea (well, at least in terms of doing something instead of nothing). Ideally would be fully subsidized. https://twitter.com/DavidZipper/status/1566771675034787840?t=CQMID3CS3QNUBYDTBCGw_g&s=19
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Sep 5, 2022 17:36
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strangeless posted:Trek Allant 8+ S trip report:  What holder did you swap in? The one that came in my bike hasn't fallen apart like you described, but it doesn't fit my pretty normal-sized Pixel 6, so I'd be curious about an upgrade.
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Dec 31, 2022 10:41
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Got out for my first ride of the year last Saturday and half of the many bikes I passed were electric. I'd heard about the crazy sales but this is the first time some real anecdata slapped me in the face. My Trek Allant is still humming along great. I'd almost swear it gives some assist even set to none because it rides way too well for a 55lbs bike.
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May 3, 2023 06:16
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raggedphoto posted:Useless pedals that make it "legally" allowed to be on the same path as pedestrians and cyclists is such a dick move and is only going to cause more regulation around all ebikes when someone slams into a pedestrian on what is basically a motorcycle.  " card is going to ruin things for everyone if it's not slapped down.
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Oct 5, 2023 02:22
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:Petition to ban the word acoustic when referring a bicycle
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Oct 6, 2023 01:06
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Mopeds aren't ebikes  I rarely see folks behaving lovely on my local trails, but when I do, it's those things or lycra-clad shits thinking a busy, mixed-use trail is the right spot to play at Tour de France. The vestigial pedals feels a lot like AR folks jerking themselves off to their "pistol brace" being a clever loophole to regulations on rifle length. Cugel the Clever fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Nov 29, 2023 |
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Nov 29, 2023 04:49
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Evil Robot posted:Just hit 100 miles on my Aventon Abound mostly taking the 3 year old to the beach. Now with daycare starting for the little one (9 months) and preschool for the 3 year old, looking forward to the ebike dropoffs and avoiding the traffic
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Feb 4, 2024 17:38
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I'm personally skeptical of non-bike brands slapping their brand on an ebike. Harley did similar. Either they developed it in-house with no actual experience in bicycle design and thus risks bad engineering or they outsourced it to a shop with more experience and put the brand on what may otherwise be a mediocre bike to add a couple thousand to the sticker. That's all speculative, though If the price is right and you've had a chance to give it a test ride, consider going for it.
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Feb 28, 2024 17:21
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I just wear my chain like a bandoleer while riding and it looks pretty metal  Pretty loving heavy, though
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Mar 29, 2024 23:52
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