Re:Cambridge's Ambitious Protected Bike Lane Law
by unilynx on Thursday April 11, 2019 @01:07PM
(#19636737)
They generally reduce their assist and completely cut out at 28 to 30km/hour, so to actually cycle 30km/hour takes as much effort as it would on a normal bicycle.
Most Dutch cycle at about 25km/hour (whether or not electric) - those cyclists that easily do 30 on normal city bikes are probably the last generation that will switch to e-bikes.
Re:Cambridge's Ambitious Protected Bike Lane Law
by CydeWeys on Thursday April 11, 2019 @01:10PM
(#19636770)
The electric assist on e-Citibikes here in NYC diminishes with speed and cuts out completely at around 15 mph. Above that speed they're just a heavier normal Citibike. I know because I've enjoyed pushing these things to their limits.
There are many different types of e-bikes, and you're probably thinking of what are effective electric mopeds, with big batteries and engines and a throttle control. Those certainly go very fast. They're also not legal in many places, including here in NYC, and aren't necessarily what people mean when they're talking about e-bikes; that's usually referring to pedal-assist.
Re:Cambridge's Ambitious Protected Bike Lane Law
by snazz on Thursday April 11, 2019 @01:02PM
(#19636676)
You could, but most e-bikers choose not to go too fast. Additionally, they often have thicker tires and enourage poor aerodynamic body positions which mean that they decelerate faster.
Re:Cambridge's Ambitious Protected Bike Lane Law
by radicalbyte on Thursday April 11, 2019 @01:37PM
(#19637089)
Most are either 60+ or are leisure cyclists. So they just doodle along at their 25km/h.
Proper road racing enthusiasts can average 35km/h including stops (the joys of a flat country).
This makes no sense. You can pedal an electric bike at least as fast if not faster than a regular bike.
Some e-bikes are speed limited to cut out the assist at a certain speed, but it doesn't mean it also removes your ability to pedal hard and achieve the same speed.