Just rode an #ebike for the first time. I’ve been intrigued for a while, but figured I would stick with human power for as long as my legs could turn unassisted.
This ride was so much fun and gave me a completely different experience of urban mobility. Only traveled a few miles—from Capitol Hill to Dupont Circle—but it was like being a kid again. Best two-wheeled experience in ages. Face hurts from smiling.
"Instead of giving the biggest incentives to the biggest batteries, government policy should focus on electrifying the vast majority of daily trips, which start and end at home and could easily be handled by vehicles with 100 miles of range or less.... That means incentivizing e-bikes, plug-in hybrids, and other small battery electric vehicles, not holding fleet electrification hostage to the 5 percent use cases."
I'm somcak, a #librarian currently in #Connecticut. I have 2 mini #dachshunds and 2 #cats. I enjoy all sorts of music, yes, even death metal on occasion! :bugcat_wiggle:
I've been on Mastodon since October, and this is my 3rd server. I finally found the folks I want to hang with!!
I use content warnings for all sorts of stuff, just trying to be considerate! I always make sure there's #AltText and #CamelCase for my own posts as well as those I boost. #Accessibility matters.
I've had my cargo bike for about six months now. I thought I'd write a review of it, because (1) I love it, and (2) I had loads of questions before buying it, and thought I could help future cargo bike buyers.
I'm a woman in my 30s. I was born in #Québec City, I moved to #Vancouver for my first real job as a #translator and, a few years ago, I moved to #Ottawa with my husband so we could afford a house.
I mostly write in English, but don't hesitate to toot at me in #français!
I've worked in multiple fields... my favourite were my years with Library and Archives #Canada, which I absolutely loved. I now work in #agriculture.
We’re going to get a new dishwasher soon and looking at the specs on my #ebike, affordable trailers I could buy, and dishwashers at Ikea it is absolutely possible for me to tow this thing home myself.
We’ll probably get it delivered but man I really want to be that guy towing a dishwasher on a #bike. #BikeTooter
I've been seeing lots of #bike toots & discussions in my feed lately and thought I'd describe my experience as a #disabled bicyclist who lived in one of the most bike-friendly regions (the Netherlands) but moved to a very different bike culture (Belgium). This is a long one! 🚲
Growing up in The Netherlands, I started cycling as a small child and always owned a city bike. I biked to school, to hospitals, to anywhere. Everyone I knew owned at least one bike. Even if you own a car, if the distance is small, most people would use a bike.
Everywhere is flat so cycling isn't intense physical exercise, unless it rains or is very windy. Many cyclist lanes are separate from roads used by cars or pedestrians, so there isn't a lot of fighting over space, except in very busy city centres.
Even though I have muscle/joint problems and limited stamina, I did everything with my bike. I could manage getting anywhere within 5 km at least 2 - 3 times a week.
This all changed when I moved to Belgium. 🇧🇪
The problems I've encountered the most here (and I expect these will be the same for many people living anywhere but NL) :
Everything is hills, nothing is flat. I can't get anywhere beyond 2 km. Combining this with bad road quality makes cycling incredibly intense. I switched from a regular city bike to an #ebike to at least have a chance at arriving anywhere without physically crashing.
Most areas don't have separate cycling lanes. I have to share the road with cars and many HATE cyclists, because they're slower and in the way. Cars will rush past you dangerously close. It's stressful and accidents happen. Sometimes you have to share the road with pedestrians, and suddenly you are the aggressor trying to pass them dangerously close because they are slow and in the way. It's drama all around.
One thing worse than sharing with cars and pedestrians is sharing the space with other cyclists. To survive as a cyclist you turn into an apex predator and it shows. There is a permanent war between these parties, ordered by speed: speed pedelec bikes (>30 km/h), professional speed cyclists (>25km/h), ebikes (>20 km/h), cargo bikes (15-20 km/h), school children on city bikes (15 km/h), parents cycling with children next to them on tiny bikes (anywhere between 1 and 10 km/h).
There is not enough space for all of us and someone's always trying to pass you by in a ridiculous way. People will yell and bully. It was getting normal for me to be screamed at often. Somehow using your bicycle bell is the biggest faux-pas and people will stop and try to fight you if you use it. You will learn the hard way.
The country's infrastructure is just not made with bikes in mind. Roads suddenly stop, the absence of cycle lanes, traffic intersections where cars and bikes cross at the same time... There are even officially named 'dangerous intersections' because an above average amount of cyclists keep dying there. Yes, the government is very concerned, they will change the layout by... 2030? 2035? 2100?
Suddenly biking was a political thing. In the NL a bike is just a thing that gets you from place A to place B, no matter who you are. Here, bikes are Progressive. People think you either use a car or a bike and you better be in the right team. I've seen quite a few bikes with a little sign on the back of their saddle that says "This is one less car on the road!". In regions where tensions are high, car owners will destroy traffic signs meant for cyclists and 'reclaim' the road. It's NUTS.
I don't know if this specifically concerns cyclists with a #disability, but there is barely any parking for bikes. If I get anywhere with my bike, I still have to go kms beyond for a parking area and walk back. I have to bend my back in difficult ways to get to low parking spots. Some spots even expect me to lift the front half of my bike up in the air to park it!!! Some parkings are underground without an elevator, I have to push my bike up and down besides stairs! I can't manage it!
So, tldr, I took driving lessons and now I use a car 90% of the time and a bike 10% of the time. Public transport is too risky because of #covid in this ongoing #pandemic.
It sucks and I have a lot more understanding now, both for people struggling to bike and for people just not able to do so and using a car.
Electric two- and three-wheeled vehicles have displaced nearly 1 million barrels of oil a day in 2023. That number is growing more rapidly than any other segment of EVs.
An electric scooter isn’t just an alternative to a bike or motorcycle, it can replace a far more expensive—and far more polluting—traditional car.
For anyone who wonders if e-biking is beneficial to your health, this is a graph of my VO2max. Guess when I bought my e-bike and started riding it to work. #BikeTooter#ebike#cycling#30daysofbiking
Did a quick, 6-mile #bikenyc roundtrip from LIC to Northern Blvd Home Depot. I chose a #citibike#ebike for its acceleration ability, and didn't use my own hybrid.
I hit blockages, drivers turning left through red lights, moped guys running a red going the wrong way and cursing out everyone... and then on the return, a literal motorcycle gang had blocked the bike lane and sidewalk, forcing me to accelerate from a dead stop in front of a line of cars.
is there a #CarryAlmostNothingOlympics hashtag? because I had to bop to the store for like four items. doesn't look like much, but I think these small bike trips are as important as the big ones!
under 10 minutes trip time each way. doubt this would have been much faster with a car honestly.
fossil fuels burned: 0
calories burned: probably some? idk, it was fun
Are there such things as secure-ish bike trailers? Or power assist #bike trailers? Or are there #eBikes#eBike that can handle hauling some significant cargo?
I'm wondering if it would be practical to replace my ailing car with an eBike and trailer. Use cases are 1) commute around town, 2) shopping around town, 3) haul two peoples' worth of #scuba gear around town (and then store it safely while locked to a pretty hefty public bike rack), 4) occasional use as a mounain bike on 4x4 trails.