Moped anyone?

[RWP]

FYI.
The following post from here:
http://bikethomson.com/moped-anyone/

" Jan 03
Moped anyone?

Do not be fooled by the electric bicycle lie. They are not bicycles, they are electric scooters. We have seen this before and it was called the Moped. For those that do not remember, the Moped was a gas powered scooter with bicycle cranks and pedals. You used the pedals to start the engine but only the criminally insane or someone with no gas money at all would ride the thing as if it were a bicycle. The Moped then and the electric bicycle now represent legislative workarounds.

Scooter makers want to sell more scooters. Impediments to scooter sales in some jurisdictions include helmet laws, licensing and insurance. In most jurisdictions these same requirements do not apply to a bicycle. Another bonus for scooter makers is the success of bicycle infrastructure projects. Around the world there now exists many more miles of dedicated bike lanes. An electric powered scooter (bicycle) can use this infrastructure.

So, you don’t commute and you don’t care. Have you seen the electric assist full suspension mountain bikes that were shown at Eurobike? Care to get roosted at your local trail by an electric MTB? 25K on battery power alone?

I am not naive enough to think these things are going to go away, and in some cases they will be money makers for existing bike shops, but they are not bicycles, they don’t belong at bicycle industry trade shows and the we should jealously guard trails and paths created for walking and cycling from motorized transport."

 

[deardancer3]

Response seent to blogger, suggest others may do same.

d
colorado

 

[deardancer3]

anyone else write anything or get a response?

d

 

[Dauntless]

It says there's been no responses. You guys posted and they took them down?

Anyone make any sense of what he's getting at? Not sure I understand. Is he complaining that an electric won't be slow?

If you know us you know we move slow, sometimes maddeningly so. It even drives me crazy at times. . . .

 

[melodious]

These small rogue blogs won't have any substantial impact on change. Who knows, maybe he might get some kind of following, but his writings are kinda "negative Nancy" and no one wants to bed with her. I bet he uses a ski resort in the wintertime and uses their transportation lift systems to get him to the top instead of "purely" hiking there. No difference between a ski lift and an electric assist bike as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Dauntless]

. . . .writings are kinda "negative Nancy" and no one wants to bed with her.

You say that now that she's old, but if this picture is on the level, there was a time. . . .

Meanwhile, 'Negative Nancy' remains the minority leader of the House, people must be to bed with her all the time. (Yuck, just the thought . . . .)

 

[mistercrash]

What he doesn't like is any company taking an ICE scooter let's say like a Yamaha Vino 125CC and transform it into an electric scooter. That's not all these companies are doing, they make the thing super lame and slow governed at 32 km/h with pedals on them to work the thing into the pedal assist bike laws and sell them as bicycles with no insurance, no license, no registration. That's what he doesn't like. Basically he doesn't like MY scooter :lol:
I can't say that I disagree with what he's saying, these electrified scooters weight close to 300 pounds, add a 200 rider so that's 500 pounds coming at you at 32 km/h. I don't agree they are bicycles just because there's pedals on them, I can't even pedal my scooter because it's too dam heavy. But I do enjoy riding around without paying for insurance, a license and registrations... and gas. I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Also he doesn't want these ebikes/scooters/mopeds or whatever on trails made for pedestrians and bicycles. I have to agree with him on the electric scooters/mopeds, they are too fast and heavy for those little trails. As for pedal assist ebikes on the trails, I don't see why they couldn't be there same thing as the pedal bikes. But they have to have the performance and speed that they are supposed to have according to the laws and regulations on pedal assist ebikes. Everyone in here is here to learn, discuss and experiment new ways of making our bikes go faster and stronger.

One other thing about those trails, how come pedestrians and bicycles can't be together on a sidewalk but they can coexist on a trail?

 

[dogman dan]

The real problem is the percentage of folks who get a Dui and turn to these scooter style ebikes who are also jerks, then ride the scoot the same jackass way they drove.

It's not a size and weight issue, it's a jackass operator issue. There are also many jackass pedestrians, that want all bikes to travel at walking speed, walk 4 abreast blocking the path, etc.

 

[deardancer3]

Not to mention the Jack ass SUV driver that cant see another motor vehicle, much less a ped or a bike.

But they don't outlaw SUV's, not even the Godzilla variety.

d

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Granted that the writer alludes to some good criticisms of particular types of EVs and their misuses. We don't want 300 lb scooters zipping down trails at 25 mph, for instance.

But he showed his true colors when he went after the old mopeds. What he wants is the ability to say to the police, "Go after that guy on that illegal motorcycle!" (Who is not doing anyone any harm, by the way)

To me, that's one of the best definitions of a 'snitch'.