Motorized E Bikes allowed on lakefront path? - The Chainlink2024-03-29T07:22:35Zhttps://thechainlink.org/forum/topics/motorized-e-bikes-allowed-on-lakefront-path?commentId=2211490%3AComment%3A1051180&feed=yes&xn_auth=noAK,
I race (poorly) at the M…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-22:2211490:Comment:10516572017-04-22T18:38:17.469ZJon Mhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/JonM
<p>AK,</p>
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<p>I race (poorly) at the Masters level... The old guys are my better by almost every measure... Fitness, handling, tolerance for pain... You name it... These guys, who validate my ageist attitude would be more than capable, in the early years of their decline, to manage a heavier bike at speed... And, you are correct, there likely exist folks who, as you describe, have the ability, strength, and reaction speed, to manage an e-bike in traffic, on a path like the LFP...…</p>
<p>AK,</p>
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<p>I race (poorly) at the Masters level... The old guys are my better by almost every measure... Fitness, handling, tolerance for pain... You name it... These guys, who validate my ageist attitude would be more than capable, in the early years of their decline, to manage a heavier bike at speed... And, you are correct, there likely exist folks who, as you describe, have the ability, strength, and reaction speed, to manage an e-bike in traffic, on a path like the LFP... Of course, having used the lake path since '94 when I moved into the city, I have yet to meet these unicorns.</p>
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<p>A bike with a motor? Motorbike. Yep, solved it. Is it as powerful as a Ducati? A (cliche) Harley? No. Does it satisfy the definition of motorized? Yep, still does.</p>
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<p>We are all human, hopefully, each of us has developed the ability to bail out without ANY collateral damage. I have scars from my moments of failure... Thankfully, I have not created any external damage. The "when" is the difference...</p>
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<p>I appreciate your consideration and care - you are the unicorn of whom I speak. Sadly, I would hypothesize you are, should you be able to exceed the bar you have set for yourself, the exception to the rule...</p>
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<p>You are correct, we are all guilty of periodic stupidity... However, some of us, with experience, realize how to be an idiot without putting ANYONE ELSE AT RISK. Again, my 20+ years of experience on the LFP suggest there are many who are incapable of processing this simple, pragmatic analysis of when and how to take risk.</p>
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<p>I am glad to share my learning experiences, both good and bad, to help and protect other cyclists... However, I know that only YOU (metaphorically, not literally) can control you... I don't pretend to be able to save you from yourself.</p> Jon M., you really need to ch…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-22:2211490:Comment:10513722017-04-22T16:17:29.186ZTom A.K.https://thechainlink.org/profile/TomKrystyn
Jon M., you really need to change your ageist attitude. You know nothing about the bicycle handling skills of someone you've never met or just categorized as incapable because of their age.<br></br>
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E-bikes are not motorcycles. The Harley guys would laugh at you and say you're nuts (or something much more vulgar) if you think that they are. I said that they should not be limited to only 15mph (max speed) for the purpose of safe acceleration in traffic. Just like with a car, you don't always…
Jon M., you really need to change your ageist attitude. You know nothing about the bicycle handling skills of someone you've never met or just categorized as incapable because of their age.<br/>
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E-bikes are not motorcycles. The Harley guys would laugh at you and say you're nuts (or something much more vulgar) if you think that they are. I said that they should not be limited to only 15mph (max speed) for the purpose of safe acceleration in traffic. Just like with a car, you don't always go full throttle at 110mph but you can accelerate quickly for safety. And top max speed for bikes I'm considering are about 23mph. That doesn't mean I want to blow ozone fumes out at you and blast past you on the LFT at top speed. That's not what a sensible and safe E-bike cyclist should do on the trail.<br/>
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You're completely irrational if you can't understand that any bike, with whatever it weighs (~25+lbs) plus your weight (~220lbs) could also pack a solid wallop of mass and inertia in a trail crash that your handling skills could possibly fail at performing. It could happen, you are human, right?<br/>
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You made these statements on an E-bike thread on 6-9-16. . . ."(for the record my f-ass is 6ft, 220lbs, so my comments are not the perspective of a skinny roadie.") So we're about the same size and weight. And my MTB I ride most of the time downtown on the LFT weighs about 30+lbs. So I try to careful and considerate while riding on the congested LFT during the nicer weather.<br/>
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The final point is, you can be an idiot with any type of bike, or not. It's all up to whatever type of rider you are.<br/>
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And I do care that other cyclists in this community ride safely and not injure themselves or others no matter what their age or gender or style of riding happens to be. Don't you? If not, then why are you even here? The IPP is the Illinois Prair…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-22:2211490:Comment:10517032017-04-22T05:33:24.276Zyaco boobieshttps://thechainlink.org/profile/yacoboobies
<div class="description" id="desc_2211490Comment1051369"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>The IPP is the Illinois Prairie Path which follows the path of the old interurban route of the Chicago & Aurora Elgin aka The Roar-in Elgin. It is a 66 mile crushed limestone bike route in the Western suburbs. It starts in Maywood and splits in Wheaton with one route going to Elgin and the other to Aurora (it splits again on this line with one route going to Batavia and the other to Aurora). Both ends…</p>
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<div class="description" id="desc_2211490Comment1051369"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>The IPP is the Illinois Prairie Path which follows the path of the old interurban route of the Chicago & Aurora Elgin aka The Roar-in Elgin. It is a 66 mile crushed limestone bike route in the Western suburbs. It starts in Maywood and splits in Wheaton with one route going to Elgin and the other to Aurora (it splits again on this line with one route going to Batavia and the other to Aurora). Both ends are then connected by the Fox River Trail (which is asphalt paved) which runs along the Fox River from Aurora to Elgin (which itself is another 43 miles). It is the old Fox River interurban route. The path actually passes a 7 mile part of that route which is still active with the <span>The Fox River Trolley Museum where you can step back in time and ride an interurban from a hundred years ago.</span></p>
<p>Schwinn has changed hands a couple times since this bike was bought and I have no idea what they currently offer. The last time they went bankrupt I believe a Chinese company bought the brand name. I do know there are some really slick electrics out there. And there are different systems - some power the rear wheel, some the crank and some the front wheel. The types of batteries (and shapes) are all over the place as well. I saw one bike that the battery was in the down-post. There are pluses and minuses to all these things and you would really want to delve into it before buying. Your budget will also be a limiting factor. With the old technology in the bike I bought for my dad it uses a lead acid battery. The bad news is it's boxy & heavy & takes a while to charge versus some of the lithium batteries. The good news is it is really cheap to get a new one and they are common as they are used in trailers for the brakes. Plus it's proven old technology and won't start on fire by itself. ;-) But I would guess nobody is using them in electrics today. I did replace the steel wheels with lightweight aluminum Cane Creeks I had as extras from one of my MTBs and replaced a lot of the components with stuff out of my parts bins. The problem with many electrics is they are built for people that think a bike seat should be the size of a bar stool and the components reflect that as well. </p>
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</div> Thanks for this post! I've ne…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-22:2211490:Comment:10515302017-04-22T04:33:44.137ZBrian Marquishttps://thechainlink.org/profile/BrianMarquis
<p>Thanks for this post! I've never heard of the cadence issues with electrics. Do you know if that's still an issue, or if it's just that earlier model of schwinn? Also what is the IPP? I'm planning on buying my wife an eBike.</p>
<p>Thanks for this post! I've never heard of the cadence issues with electrics. Do you know if that's still an issue, or if it's just that earlier model of schwinn? Also what is the IPP? I'm planning on buying my wife an eBike.</p> Bought an e-bike for my elder…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-22:2211490:Comment:10516352017-04-22T04:21:58.405Zyaco boobieshttps://thechainlink.org/profile/yacoboobies
<p>Bought an e-bike for my elderly father (in his mid 80's) back when Schwinn first came out with one which would be maybe 10-12 years ago. He was having trouble with hills. The thing was sluggish and the dealer had no idea how to fix as this was the first one he sold. The guy who designed the electric part was pretty famous (I can't remember his name) but I got a hold of him at his design firm out in CA. Don't know if this is still true, but he told me that in order to avoid the license and…</p>
<p>Bought an e-bike for my elderly father (in his mid 80's) back when Schwinn first came out with one which would be maybe 10-12 years ago. He was having trouble with hills. The thing was sluggish and the dealer had no idea how to fix as this was the first one he sold. The guy who designed the electric part was pretty famous (I can't remember his name) but I got a hold of him at his design firm out in CA. Don't know if this is still true, but he told me that in order to avoid the license and insurance issue the bikes could go no faster than 20 mph or else they would be listed as mopeds which have a motorcycle license. He was a great guy and sent me detailed instructions for rewiring the bike. On a flat surface with no head wind it will do 20 mph. But not for long as that really depletes the battery. Now the newer/lighter bikes with the new lighter batteries might be able to do better but the owners would have to eliminate the electric governor - which would void the warranty and could land you in a weird legal predicament if a cop were smart enough to figure it out if you got stopped for some reason as it is illegal to do so (or so I was told). My dad passed away a few years ago and so I have the bike. I can see why it would appeal to many people BUT it drives me insane. I ride maybe 3,500 to 5,000 miles a year at a 20-22 average and riding an electric (especially uphill) will drive a real cyclist nuts as even with the assist you're pedaling furiously and still going half as fast as I can on my road bike. I should sell it as I never use it. Rather self pedal myself around town.</p>
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<p>Electric bikes aren't allowed on the IPP (for that matter electric or gas vehicles of any type aren't allowed and that includes electric wheelchairs and segways). As far as gas bikes go -that was a popular thing back in the 1930's - 1950's. You can easily build one that will do 40 mph. They are noisy as all get out - and the home built ones I've seen offer a good way to get yourself a nasty manifold burn. They belch smoke and the handling is horrible due to the weight and placement of the engine. Not to mention that I've yet to see one that modified the brakes to handle the extra speed and weight of the engine. It also seems that the bikes themselves tend to be low end bikes to begin with. They are accidents waiting to happen IMHO. They will go like crazy though - just be prepared when something suddenly crosses your path - bad hilarity is likely to ensue. </p>
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<p>My first post on chainlink!</p> Fear? Pragmatic, rational pe…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-21:2211490:Comment:10516992017-04-21T23:59:00.774ZJon Mhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/JonM
<p>Fear? Pragmatic, rational perspective on the ability of most folks to control a 45 pound bike, under speed, in potentially unsafe conditions...</p>
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<p>E-bikes are motorcycles. Unless constrained to 15MPH, or under, they have no place on the LFP (and similar).</p>
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<p>And, as to the argument of, "well, I am a long-time cyclist and just happen to be getting older..." Bunk. If you are an aging cyclist, what supports your belief of being able to manage a heavier, faster bike…</p>
<p>Fear? Pragmatic, rational perspective on the ability of most folks to control a 45 pound bike, under speed, in potentially unsafe conditions...</p>
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<p>E-bikes are motorcycles. Unless constrained to 15MPH, or under, they have no place on the LFP (and similar).</p>
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<p>And, as to the argument of, "well, I am a long-time cyclist and just happen to be getting older..." Bunk. If you are an aging cyclist, what supports your belief of being able to manage a heavier, faster bike with worsening/decreasing capacity to react and respond? With less strength?</p>
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<p>Nope, sorry, that is completely irrational.</p>
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<p>Finally, as a point of reference, I do not care what you do to yourself (in an e-bike incident), it is the collateral damage of the amateur e-biker that needs some cover and protection.</p> There are Strava weenies that…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-21:2211490:Comment:10513432017-04-21T13:00:51.737ZBrian Marquishttps://thechainlink.org/profile/BrianMarquis
There are Strava weenies that ride at excessive speeds on the LFP. The only difference is that less skilled riders are able to ride faster with an eBike.<br />
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In both cases, I let them pass and keep my mouth shut. If the crash, I don't want to be on their wheel. The dire scenario that everyone rides eBikes inappropriately is unlikely. The argument which presents that outcome is fear mongering.<br />
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Is this any different than the idiot riding a motorcycle between lanes during rush hour, or Mario…
There are Strava weenies that ride at excessive speeds on the LFP. The only difference is that less skilled riders are able to ride faster with an eBike.<br />
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In both cases, I let them pass and keep my mouth shut. If the crash, I don't want to be on their wheel. The dire scenario that everyone rides eBikes inappropriately is unlikely. The argument which presents that outcome is fear mongering.<br />
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Is this any different than the idiot riding a motorcycle between lanes during rush hour, or Mario Andretti in his beemer weaving in and out of traffic on LSD?<br />
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I think we would be better served teaching cyclists to be better citizens on the trails. Or advocating for signage and PSAs to ride at slower speeds when the paths are congested. I assume the law refers to br…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-20:2211490:Comment:10515922017-04-20T20:54:20.825ZPaul Lazzarohttps://thechainlink.org/profile/PaulLazzaro
<p>I assume the law refers to brake HP, in which case they'd be more or less equally 'fast'. The electric motor would have much better acceleration from stop, though, because of it's much higher torque at low rpm.</p>
<p>I assume the law refers to brake HP, in which case they'd be more or less equally 'fast'. The electric motor would have much better acceleration from stop, though, because of it's much higher torque at low rpm.</p> Agreed, I used the word 'reas…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-20:2211490:Comment:10513262017-04-20T20:47:21.993ZTom A.K.https://thechainlink.org/profile/TomKrystyn
Agreed, I used the word 'reasonable' in the context of safe E-bike speed. It has always been up to the common sense of any type of rider of how they travel safely.
Agreed, I used the word 'reasonable' in the context of safe E-bike speed. It has always been up to the common sense of any type of rider of how they travel safely. Limited E-bikes are fine, but…tag:thechainlink.org,2017-04-20:2211490:Comment:10513232017-04-20T20:09:38.917ZBob Huffmanhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/BobHuffman
<p>Limited E-bikes are fine, but I am seeing ads for 6000 watt monsters, with a claimed top speed of 120 KM/Hr. There has to be some common sense limits somewhere.</p>
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<p>Limited E-bikes are fine, but I am seeing ads for 6000 watt monsters, with a claimed top speed of 120 KM/Hr. There has to be some common sense limits somewhere.</p>
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