this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2023
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I'd love one! By fuck me, I clicked a Lemmy link earlier and it was $7,000 USD. Did you want gears with that? Another $1,300.
All for a bike that won't hit 40mph, which is hella dangerous on the open road. Couldn't move out of danger fast enough. Had a 150cc scooter, never again, 250cc or bust.
But still, a gas scooter burns so little gas, I'd forget to look at the tank, had no idea what gas cost at the time.
You should be demanding dedicated and separated bike infrastructure
Chicken and egg problem for sure. I've been trying to convince my community/towns to try to build dedicated safe bike infrastructure for neighborhoods to schools at least. With the hope this can expand from there (plus more people just used to riding bikes!).
And secure bike parking!
That would be great! But I doubt anyone wants to put the $$$ into building a 30-mile bike lane on a rural highway out to my camp in the swamp. And that's about the only place I go that really uses gasoline.
We don't all live in cities, and some like me, find the idea appalling. (Been there, done that my whole life.) I'm quite happy on the very edge of town, where's there are plenty of rivers, woods, creeks, trails and swamps to explore. But I just can't safely bike to those places.
There's a lot of FuckCars people who ask for too much. We don't need to go completely car-less, and that's an unattainable goal for a lot of reasons.
Most US cities have <5% of people using bikes as their main commute method, and around 20-30% doing work from home. What can we do to get to 20% of commuters on a bike while maintaining WFH numbers? That alone would be transformative. Tons of cars off the road, and enough bike usage to demand city councils dedicate more to bike infrastructure.
Obligatory "your 1% edge case doesn't invalidate the point" comment.
Many many many many people could bike if there was infrastructure.
Again - it's not a once size fits all solution. But you should still advocate for better bike infrastructure where applicable.
$7k for an ebike? There are tons of good options for <$2000. Hell, you can get budget models on Amazon for around $300.
And most cities have bike lanes on city streets for a reason. However, if you need to commute to work that requires you traversing a highway, then yeah, ebikes are definitely not the solution for you.
When I lived in Eastern Europe, I bought a foldable E-bike for the equivalent of 500 USD from Decathlon.
My commute was 10km one-way. It was better than the bus. The thing still runs after 2 years of intense use and 2 years of complete neglect.
That's like claiming cars are too expensive because you can't afford a Tesla.
I bought a wonderful ebike from REI for $1,300. You don't need to buy the fancy luxury models.
You want an ebike that hits 40mph?
I just bought an E-bike with 40+ mile range for $275. 750W motor and 15Ah 48v battery bike with 7 gears, lights, an LCD, a cargo rack, and fat tires.
It was a good sale
That's nuts, I thought 2k for USA made ebikes was crazy.
Know where I can best shop? I just want a low-end unit for cruising around my camp, running up to the store from there or my house, super simple stuff.
I was looking at https://electricbikecompany.com/?avad=334665_e359243b5 personally. I have a good distance from my house to town right now so I haven't sprung on it yet, but the folding one looked interesting to me so I could pack in my car and use it around town when I go
I converted a bike I bought off Craigslist for $200 plus an $850 Bafang kit off AliExpress. Didn't have any experience with bike maintenance beforehand, but did have access to a makerspace with a full bike bench (there's some specialized tools for pulling things out). Didn't have it completely working before winter hit--works as a bike, but the motor assist isn't kicking in for some reason--but I still think it's an option most people could pull off.