The Most Useful Electric Bike Is a Pint-Size Prankster (www.wired.com)

submitted 11 months ago by FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world to c/micromobility@lemmy.world

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[-] litchralee@sh.itjust.works 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I'm always skeptical at products that also happen to show up as Instagram ads or sponsored posts.

With that said, I do pine for a future where people can and do have multiple bikes for different purposes. In the USA, there is a compulsion to seek out The Car That Does Everything, meaning an automobile that fulfils every mobility need the owner has. Rarely do people find a single such vehicle, and it's partly why households often have more cars than people.

I'd like to see that play out with bikes and ebikes. Imagine a world where homes have a "single car" garage space, but it's used to store the 7 two-wheelers for a family of four. Each parent has their own commuter ebike for errands alone around town and going to work. One parent keeps an acoustic road bike for weekend rides out to the nearby mountain. There's the family e-cargo trike that fits both adults and the small children, for family outings. Each child has their own acoustic BMX bike to go to school or hang out with friends, and they both share one folding e-bike for going father out or to bring with them when taking the train or bus.

[-] Revan343@lemmy.ca 8 points 11 months ago

acoustic road bike

Lol

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

My garage is on the way already lol

[-] njordomir@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

Mine too, but 2/3 of them don't work. :D

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 2 points 11 months ago

I do pine for a future where people can and do have multiple bikes for different purposes.

This is how it should be, TBH.

There's plenty of variability between bike types that it's impossible to have "one bike" without some major sacrifice or trade-off.

It would still be cheaper to have a half dozen different bikes than to own a car, so there's that. LOL

[-] litchralee@sh.itjust.works 0 points 11 months ago

In my dreams, my garage would have a row of Varsity bike racks for my own bikes, and then outside where there would be a lawn, would be another row for my guests to use, complete with U locks that they can use and take the keys with them.

[-] milesmcbain@fosstodon.org 2 points 11 months ago

@litchralee @FartsWithAnAccent sir you’ve described my garage almost perfectly 😀🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲

[-] bluGill@kbin.social 0 points 11 months ago

Cars are so expensive most people cannot afford to keep one for every purpose. Which is why my f350 is mostly used for trips that a tiny car would work for I need a truck a couple times a year (despite claims otherwise I cannot rent a truck for those, are rentals have various limits in the fine print), a second car would be extra expense I.can't justify.

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

Useful? Pressing X to doubt.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 6 points 11 months ago

Useful

If it can't carry any form of cargo, or even a basic repair kit and a water bottle, is it really "useful"? LOL

Call it anything else, but not useful.

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

Don't forget: It has no pedals, so if you lose power you're fucked.

[-] insomniac_lemon@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

The bigger issue IMO is the lack of pedals+gears and the price. Which means no activity and can't be ridden on trails (safer, shaded, more direct route) in the US.

The benefit they're saying is that you can put it in a vehicle (trunk, backseat etc) for 1-way or last-mile trips. And I've seen it said that the exact specs used allow you to travel with it (small enough batteries for air travel).

I have a somewhat similar small+weak+cheap ebike that does have gears (Fiido D4S) and the size is nice particularly for moving/storing it (folding). I have done 1-way trips using a trail. Storage would be nice (some options I've seen weren't compatible) but in the past I've just used a backpack and ziptied carabiners, and I've hauled water (a somewhat short distance) on the handlebars that way (12L a trip when my well pump went out, via 2 carabiners plus 2 flat bungee cords).

A lighter frame would be nice (maybe even smaller, not sure) but that's a premium even just for a frame (I don't think it'd be common sold in yardsales etc where I am) and 45Lbs is good enough for me (though the article points out the Jackrabbit XG is 32Lbs whereas the original was only 24Lbs, so it's even less of a difference).

this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2023

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micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility

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