Re: E-Biikes are not bicycles

On 9/27/2024 9:20 AM, Zen Cycle wrote:

On 9/27/2024 8:56 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:

Am Thu, 26 Sep 2024 14:32:51 -0400 schrieb Zen Cycle
<funkmaster@hotmail.com>:
>

I also disagree that e-bike users as a rule have given up on cycling.

>
First of all, that's not a rule, it is a fact.  Somebody riding a
motorized bike isn't using an bicycle.

 If and only if it's an objective fact that an ebike is not a bicycle. Considering the fact that the fast majority of people who ride non- motorized bicycles as well as the industry disagree with you, the statement "Somebody riding a motorized bike isn't using an bicycle" is not an objective fact, it's a subjective judgement.

Hmm. In an attempt to back away for a broader view:
I can conceive of a bike with a motor so weak and limited that nobody would object to calling it a bicycle. Maybe a motor with just 15 Watts, driven by a battery with one mile range?
 From there, I can conceive of a continuous spectrum, up to that Hi Power Cycles Revolution X9, 104 km/h speed, 160 km range.
At some point in that spectrum, a rational person would say "That's not a bicycle, it's a motorcycle." Even though, like the Revolution X9, it has pedals.
The question is, where is that "not really a bicycle" threshold. I tend to say America's Class I ebikes are above that threshold. I understand that they're valuable to many people, but my gut says "You're not really bicycling."
Also, U.S. laws (after heavy industry lobbying) allow 750 Watts and power assist up to 19 mph, which is way too much in my view. British laws allow 250 Watts and assist up to 15.5 mph (25 kph). I'd have stopped the power assist at 12 mph, a level where novices have a much better chance of staying out of trouble or causing trouble for others.
YMMV, of course.
--
- Frank Krygowski