Hmmm, what to say about the new electric bike store on University?
Karl just submitted two sets of comments (sorry Karl, Wordpress won’t let me go in and make your edits for you, so I posted both comments) on the new store at University and Euclid that sells some kind of electric bike contraption.
When I first saw this store I thought I should investigate but honestly my heart isn’t in it. I just can’t get excited about those things and some deeply prejudicial part of me thinks that bikes are for pedaling.
Karl alludes to some free advertising in his post, which I’m unaware of–perhaps this place has been in the news and I’ve not noticed. Quite likely, given my abysmal news-reading habits and my trial schedule these past few weeks.
In any event, anything electric feeds off a massive power grid that is powered overwhelmingly by coal. Which means every time you plug that puppy in, you kill a polar bear. (Site updates daily).
And yes, I am well aware of my own culpability in that particular chain of destruction. We all do what we can–or so the deluded saying goes.
–Erik Ryberg
August 29th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Some years ago I spent a lot of time looking at electric bikes, and as a person who hadn’t yet discovered the joy of pedaling, I thought they were a pretty good deal — with a pedal assist setup, you can use the motor to “flatten” hills and extend how far you can go and still be fairly presentable.
But the problem is actually Arizona. Batteries don’t like to be cooked, and while you won’t be baking your batteries in little greenhouses all day like we do with hybrid cars, our summers will still take a heavy toll on the batteries. So you’ll find yourself replacing battery packs every 18 months until the manufacturer loses interest in the market and stops making them.
August 29th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Electric bikes? Yes and no. About 5 years or so ago I experimented with an electrified bicycle. I commuted 12 miles round a day for about 6 months. The whole deal worked pretty well and I could go about 22 mph pumping the pedals to assist. I zipped around all over the place without breaking a sweat– passing traffic jams was hysterical. Like Collin says though the problem is the batteries. Batteries have a finite life and you have to nurse them along–they don’t like heat and they are heavy. At 36 volts you are hauling almost 30 pounds of batteries alone. Yeah, you could reduce your carbon footprint by charging with a solar panel and Lithium-Ion batteries would be much lighter etc.$$,but a load of groceries the batteries and the motor weighs 60 pounds plus.Very hard on the bike and once in awhile they crap out. Pedaling a dead electric bike is no fun. Electric bikes are limited to about 15-20 miles and you have to keep them charged up all the time. They are OK and have their place and are relatively reliable, but after the experiment I decided my legs were reliable too. I sweat and I get tired and I bitch and riding in traffic sucks , but I get there on my own power, Multi- fueled by peanutbutter sandwiches, beer, BBQ, beans,Tacos and ice cream cones and whatever else I fancy. No gasoline, no coal, no electricity, no nuclear power–just me. I’m proud of that, and I am going to keep on doing it that way thank you.- peace–Dean– and hey–RIDE that bike
August 29th, 2008 at 11:22 am
I’ve spoken with a gentleman who is involved in this project. They’re exploring the option of using solar to charge the batteries. But still….I don’t know about you but I’m not looking forward to college kids on REALLY FAST bicycles being idiots in the bike lane. They do well enough already on regular bikes.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I’m proud of biking around on my fixed gear, it helps me keep in shape by making short rides harder and is elegant and fund. However – well designed electric-assist bicycles make it possible for folks to ride when they otherwise just wouldn’t, and would drive a car instead in many cases.
I suppose one could argue this lacks the purity of spirit of riding without the 200-400 watts of assistance the motor provides – but not everybody wants to ride at all so we can wish in vain for perfection or encourage improvement.
Folks who just want to to go places and are seeking alternatives to cars because they know they should. I’m pretty happy to see any viable alternatives to combustion engines move these folks around. Electric bikes are good for people who are intimidated by biking the distance or feel physically unready to ride. Event charged off coal, per mile – an electric assist (or entirely electric) cycle is total carbon emissions equivalent to at least several hundred miles per gallon, so I’m not going to ridicule that person for not biking “for real”, I’m going to thank them for not driving and thereby keeping my world cleaner longer, and perhaps giving the aforementioned polar bears another few years fighting chance.
Preston
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I am an avid bicycle rider, and at 63 yrs old, am still quite able to ride long distances. One of my friends announced that he was looking into buying an electric bike to commute to work. At first I scoffed at the idea, until I realized that after two cardiac bypass operations, he is in no condition to pedal a regular bicycle. So I’m glad there is technology available to help those who may prefer to use a non-powered bicycle, but are unable to do so.
Gordon