3 years on the e-bike
I hear the whizz of a fancy road bike arriving behind me. A gray haired, bleached teeth, gentleman salutes my boy in the back as we are all squeezed between a right turn lane and the center lane, occupied by a large transporter truck, whose pipe is blowing at us all sorts of dust and gases. Roadie is grinning under is wraparound-techno-viking sunglasses. My kid is giving a grimace. I’m squinting hard. We are all having a typical “bike life” moment.
This is the signal I needed to unload the last 3 years as an e-bike owner.
We bought a cargo e-bike in late 2021 from a local shop in Berkeley in December 2021. The idea was to stay car free in the east bay for as long as possible. It was our first big purchase as a couple: $3700 for a tern p9. We got this specific model because of our narrow entryway that required us to carry the bike through a path designed for goats. It had to be not too long, and not too heavy.
It delivered on everything we asked of it: made groceries easier and got the wife on the saddle. Maintenance is cheap ($300/year rounded up). Charging is fast. All the technical hiccups have been very minor.
Everything was fine until my first kid was in age of riding in a baby seat. I then only occasionally appreciated the electric assistance. I could (perhaps would) do the same without pedal assist. Kiddo doesn’t like speed and generally feels uncomfortable in his seat. Our P9 model (and a few other popular bikes) offer a small rack, when combined with a seat, gets their head a few inches from the saddle. Staring at my butt, half strapped, oppressed by the traffic noise, and annoyed by his helmet strap, I can understand that it’s an awful experience. He clearly doesn’t like it but also realizes that it’s the way we get to some places he likes. In a nutshell, that’s what the bike means to both of us.
Beyond my personal struggles, the recent years of riding a cargo got me thinking about being a cyclist more than gear. Considering the US statistics, I don’t think we need more bikes, or fancier bikes, or a better bike infrastructure. If those were levers for increasing bike adoption or safety, America would be a cycling heaven. For some it is, for most it isn’t. Most people either don’t like it, can’t make it work and won’t ever be able to (due to distances and conditions), or are afraid (due to accidents with traffic). I don’t have a solution but I’d love to see the hardcore enthusiasts stop selling the idea that those separated bike lanes and incentives on e-bikes are the step toward broader adoption. Removing the problematic stuff (excessive car use, suburban sprawl, culture of low effort mobility) yields more than any positive additions, or incentives.
It’s time to try something else. Perhaps a bit more aggressive. Use the tech nag via notifications and labels, to force change, update mental model like UX people say. Incentives have mostly led to people hoarding bikes and under used infrastructure. It’s time to go the other way and start penalizing. All the fancy e-bikes could have a minimum mileage per year, let’s say 1mile/day symbolically. Since most fancy EV owners also own an e-bike, the car OS could shame the user when taking a trip shorter than 3 miles to a leisure destination, when the weather is good. With AI I can imagine some really annoying lifestyle comments. Connect watch, car, bike and fridge and AI for some real talk: “fridge is empty, below 5000 steps, groceries half a mile away, move your butt and don’t touch the car”.
When on the saddle in my flat and sunny, small town, I’m grossed out by what appears to be laziness. But I also have a car now. So many things in our modern world just can’t be done on bike only and as soon as a car enter the equation the efficiency and ease beats my degrowth ambitions. The cases in which a (e)bike only lifestyle are possible and desirable are so limited. There are many types of cyclist and mobility needs. I could (and often do) fall for the bigness of the question of mobility. There is a one size fits most but it is an even more thorny topic: public transportation… and gosh, walking.
That’s the kind of thoughts I have while riding my cargo around - on top of: how can I forget my sunglasses every time I get out?
← Index Published on 2024-12-15