Bunnings trip? Lounge suite? A person? No problem. A politician has sparked a surprising online trend after questioning whether people could actually shop by bike.
  • Gorgritch_Umie_Killa
    11•6 months ago

    Not really the focus in this article, but the speeds that ebikes can hit now have significantly shrunk the time cost of riding versus driving. Which is such an important development for the cities designed and built after the mass rollout of cars.

    • ZagorathOPEnglish
      7•6 months ago

      the speeds that ebikes can hit now

      They’re legally capped at 25 km/h, even if the technology exists to make them faster than that. It’s a big speed boost up hill, but makes no difference down hill and it’s roughly equal (or even a negative for strong cyclists) on the flat.

      I don’t think speed is really the right thing to look at when talking about the advantage of ebikes. Instead, it’s the ability to travel with less physical effort, especially when going on hilly routes or carrying larger loads.

      (And as a minor side note, I really wish we used the 20 mph speed cap used in places that still use mediaeval measurements. 32 km/h is still a very safe speed, but would be noticeably faster.)

        • ZagorathOP
          1•6 months ago

          Personally I think 45 km/h is an excessive and potentially unsafe speed.

          • SternhammerEnglish
            0•6 months ago

            Yes, as a motorcyclist I’m always aghast at the speed cyclists can attain in relation to the protective clothing they don’t wear. I can understand why it’s not practical to wear abrasion-resistant clothing and a full-face helmet, but still.

      • Gorgritch_Umie_Killa
        3•6 months ago

        Yeah, context always matters. Physical effort required and distance are just as important as speed.

        Its a bit hilly where i live, and people are often disabling those limiters around here. I like your 20mph side note, makes ebikes that much more attractive, plus might stop some people disabling the limiters.

        • ZagorathOP
          3•6 months ago

          Yeah with a 25 km/h limit, I would probably be looking into how to disable the limiter. If the limit was 32 km/h that would be much less likely.

          But it’s only hypothetical for me, as I’ve never owned an ebike.

      • teft
        1•6 months ago

        The cap depends where you are. In colombia there is no cap on the speed. Tinker to your hearts content and make a hotrod ebike in tropical paradise.