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Electric bikes gone wild

Did you mean interstates?
Bicycles are allowed on highways.

In these parts highway is used to mean a limited access roadway. Not all highways are interstates, so the term highway is broader and captures all limited access roads. Bicycles aren’t allowed on highways anywhere I’ve ever lived.
 
Did you mean interstates?
Bicycles are allowed on highways.

I've seen bicycles on interstates here in Montana. I recall in times gone past that there was a sign on every entrance to the interstates that said non-motorized vehicles were forbidden; have not seen one in quite awhile. Bikes are on all highways around here as well. I think they are nuts to ride on a 70 MPH highway with no breakdown lane. I figure at least one in 20-25 drivers, no matter the time of day, is driving under the influence of something or actively texting. They have every right to ride on these roads, but that is what may be engraved on their headstones.
 
Wow. Must be scary every day for you. Again, what it this dramatically awful place in which you live?

No it’s not scary at all. It’s highly annoying and sometimes dangerous with close calls and near misses with e-bikes. They are motorized vehicles and don’t belong on trails intended for non-motorized usage.
 
Some roadway terminology is weird. I live on a two lane road in Texas designated Texas Highway 118. In Texas it is designated and called a highway. To our north about 100 or so miles is US Interstate Highway 10, generally designated and called Interstate 10 or I-10. In California I-10 would be called "the 10." In many other locales I-10 would be called a highway, but Texas Highway 118 would be called something or other but not called a highway. The Texas nomenclature is the same as I found in Iowa and Kansas when we lived there and I believe is the same as AKBeemer finds in Montana and Alaska.
 
No it’s not scary at all. It’s highly annoying and sometimes dangerous with close calls and near misses with e-bikes. They are motorized vehicles and don’t belong on trails intended for non-motorized usage.

So what does the law in your state say, and how about the ordinances in your city and/or county?
 
So what does the law in your state say, and how about the ordinances in your city and/or county?

Until about eighteen months or so ago they weren’t legally allowed on paths (but riders used them there anyway.) But the aforementioned industry lobbying group succeeded in quietly getting the law changed to allow use of these motorized vehicles anywhere a non-motorized bicycle is permitted.
 
Until about eighteen months or so ago they weren’t legally allowed on paths (but riders used them there anyway.) But the aforementioned industry lobbying group succeeded in quietly getting the law changed to allow use of these motorized vehicles anywhere a non-motorized bicycle is permitted.

What state ?
 
vark, you appear reticent to provide any personal information. If you provide a first name, general location and make/model/year of bike(s) owned it will make interacting on the forum easier and more rewarding for all. :wave
 
E-Bike hate?
Comparing E-Bike to gasoline motorcycle :scratch
E-Motorcycles are a better comparison it would seem. Those Zero E-Motorcycles look pretty good as well.
Might be able to put baseball cards on the spokes of a E-Bike to remove the “stealth” factor :dunno
OM

If you are referring to my previous post I will clarify. I compared the cost of an e-bike to the cost of a gas powered motorcycle.

I am a huge supporter of moving from gasoline to electric bicycles/motos that utilize power from environmentally responsible electricity sources. Range is still a problem for motorcycle use cases, whereas bicycles are much closer for my use case. I commuted to work for 40 years on a ten-speed bicycle with a round trip of 45 Km per day. That was the range required for me. YMMV for everyone else.

There was not and still is no place to recharge a bike, motorcycle or car for return trips so round trip range (home back to home) is very important.
 
QuietKat Warrior

Trigger warning - this is a curmudgeon posting:

I hate to see these E-bikes set up with trail capable fat knobbies. It makes it too tempting to actually take these 300 lb machines onto hiking/mountain bike trails - a lot of weight for these sorts of trails to bear, not to mention the potential for excessive speed.

Hopefully anyone who rides one will have the good sense to stick to fire roads and gravel.
 
Back to usage on designated park trails, bicycling, walking, jogging and such. The trails I use are posted, no motorized equipment. And, as I earlier posted, they're out on the trails here. And they're moving right along. Almost like, zo-o-o-ooooom. The fat tires can be heard coming from behind. Hope they got insurance.

It's dangerous enough with multiple use trails. Families and such on weekends. Strollers, hot wheels sometimes blocking the paths. Which is fine as long as all are careful. Have no idea where electric bicycles will be categorized. It would seem they're a motorized vehicle?
 
Back to usage on designated park trails, bicycling, walking, jogging and such. The trails I use are posted, no motorized equipment. And, as I earlier posted, they're out on the trails here. And they're moving right along. Almost like, zo-o-o-ooooom. The fat tires can be heard coming from behind. Hope they got insurance.

It's dangerous enough with multiple use trails. Families and such on weekends. Strollers, hot wheels sometimes blocking the paths. Which is fine as long as all are careful. Have no idea where electric bicycles will be categorized. It would seem they're a motorized vehicle?

In the Des Moines area all the bicycle trails are marked No Motorized Vehicles but it's legal for electric bicycles to use the trails.
 
I took a snapshot- that doesn’t want to upload :scratch

MSRP- $4,724
Bass Pro Discount- $420
Included options- rack and fenders- $130

Final price- $4,434.

OM

For that much money, go look at bikes from traditional bicycle manufacturers like Specialized, IMHO.

If you're looking to use an eBike for running chores, google up electric cargo bikes. For most chores within a mile or so of ones home, electric bicycles, IMHO, represent the future or local transportation. I see cargo bikes riding home here with a couple bags of groceries in the bin and a kid or two sitting on the big bench seat on the bag.

Also note that there are different schemes for how electric bikes work. Some are like motorcycles, twist the grip and off you go. Others are pedal assist: you pedal and it amplifies your power with electric assist. Some do both, so you want that to be clear.

But mostly, I'd stick to traditional manufacturers because of their ability to offer higher quality components like brakes, wheel sets, etc.
 
Trigger warning - this is a curmudgeon posting:

I hate to see these E-bikes set up with trail capable fat knobbies. It makes it too tempting to actually take these 300 lb machines onto hiking/mountain bike trails - a lot of weight for these sorts of trails to bear, not to mention the potential for excessive speed.

Hopefully anyone who rides one will have the good sense to stick to fire roads and gravel.

These don't weigh 300 pounds unless they have a 250 pound person them.
 
Some roadway terminology is weird. I live on a two lane road in Texas designated Texas Highway 118. In Texas it is designated and called a highway. To our north about 100 or so miles is US Interstate Highway 10, generally designated and called Interstate 10 or I-10. In California I-10 would be called "the 10." In many other locales I-10 would be called a highway, but Texas Highway 118 would be called something or other but not called a highway. The Texas nomenclature is the same as I found in Iowa and Kansas when we lived there and I believe is the same as AKBeemer finds in Montana and Alaska.

In SoCal, it's be "the 10". Up here, it'd be "10". We call controlled access roads "freeways" here. Highways can be two lane, like Highway 1, but mostly, when referring to numbered roads around here, we call them by their number. "We took 1 to 128, then over to Calistoga, then up 29 to Clearlake".

If someone from SoCal visited, they'd say "We took the 1 to 128, then over the Calistoga, where we caught the 29 to Clearlake."

I wouldn't be surprised if Texas has similar regional variations to here.
 
Last I read, if the motor is in the pedal set, it’s “assisted” and ok in parks. If driven from the rear, it’s “driven” and not allowed.
OM
 
These don't weigh 300 pounds unless they have a 250 pound person them.

You are correct - weight is only about 80 lbs for the QuietKat e-bikes. My mistake. I was looking at their load capacity.

By way of comparison, my human powered Kona HonzoCR weighs about 27 lbs.
 
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