Are Ebikes going to be a gateway to motorcycling?

lkchris said:

No.

https://www.cycleworld.com/story/blogs/ask-kevin/the-persistence-of-the-piston-engine/

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PGlaves said:

The key to bike / auto safety is courtesy: from the riders and from drivers. Riding side by side on a 55 mph or faster road is both discourteous and dangerous. Crowding a rider trying to stay out of the mud at the edge of the road is discourteous and dangerous.

Be courteous and respectful. It will go a long way towards happiness and safety.

That is, by the way, also a great way to generally lead your life.

YMMV but if it does, I'm sorry.

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drneo66 said:

I was just reading about the explosive growth that the bicycle market has benefited from in the past year. Personally, I have noticed more people out and about on both non-ebikes and ebikes as I commute to work. I like having more people on two wheels, as it makes it safer for everyone.

I'm wondering if we (as motorcyclists) will see some additional riders join our ranks as people decide to transition up from an Ebike to a motorcycle?

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drneo66 said:

I was just reading about the explosive growth that the bicycle market has benefited from in the past year.

I think it's a short lived fad for most. Like buying a treadmill or Peloton thing. Fishing was waaayyy up in 2020 as well.

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craigjv4 said:

drneo66 said:

I was just reading about the explosive growth that the bicycle market has benefited from in the past year.

I think it's a short lived fad for most. Like buying a treadmill or Peloton thing. Fishing was waaayyy up in 2020 as well.

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People are used to their typical activity level and "active" folks get disturbed very quickly when they feel cooped-up. The conscientious folks who don't wish to congregate but still want to get out gravitate to things that allow that even during the pandemic. So riding bicycles, fishing, (even ice fishing for goodness sake), hiking, running, bird watching, canoeing, etc. become more attractive than typical. I expect used bicycles to appear at a lot of garage (rummage) sales once the pandemic is under control.

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PGlaves said:

craigjv4 said:

People are used to their typical activity level and "active" folks get disturbed very quickly when they feel cooped-up. The conscientious folks who don't wish to congregate but still want to get out gravitate to things that allow that even during the pandemic. So riding bicycles, fishing, (even ice fishing for goodness sake), hiking, running, bird watching, canoeing, etc. become more attractive than typical. I expect used bicycles to appear at a lot of garage (rummage) sales once the pandemic is under control.

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I'm not so sure about that. Just as we get a handle on the pandemic, gas prices will be skyrocketing and it won't be just because more people are on the roads. I won't mention the other reasons because it involves the "P" (not pandemic) word. I think gas will be north of $3 a gallon by the end of Feb. And I think that will happen here in Texas. Maybe more. People may decide hanging on that that cheap form of transportation is a good idea. I'm glad we don't own any vehicles with more than four cylinders.

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PGlaves said:

craigjv4 said:

People are used to their typical activity level and "active" folks get disturbed very quickly when they feel cooped-up. The conscientious folks who don't wish to congregate but still want to get out gravitate to things that allow that even during the pandemic. So riding bicycles, fishing, (even ice fishing for goodness sake), hiking, running, bird watching, canoeing, etc. become more attractive than typical. I expect used bicycles to appear at a lot of garage (rummage) sales once the pandemic is under control.

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Paul, you may be correct about the pandemic driven bicycle purchases, but then again, many things I expect to not go back to the pre-pandemic normal. All my tech feed sources say that work will be forever changed by the great increase in people working at home. People and companies have found that this can work, and in many cases be better. Will movie theaters survive in the long run? Already many studios are releasing new movies directly to streaming services. Right now they feel they can't wait longer to get a return on their investment. But, consider that millions have invested in really high end home theater technology, and will those people go back to paying $12 or $15 a ticket to sit in a big dark room and buy popcorn at $10 a tub? I speculate that many who bought bicycles because of the pandemic have found the endorphin high of a good ride, lost some weight, discovered their neighborhood & city, and like all that well enough to keep at it. We'll see.

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