@whosepoopisonmybutt

What are the reasons for your distaste?

One reason for my distaste is the scam of marketing mopeds as bicycles. Bicycles are two-wheeled vehicles that are propelled by muscle power. Mopeds that are propelled by a multiple of the power that non-athletes can provide are certainly not bicycles and should not be treated as such.

Hardly anybody wants to ride an analog bike.

This may be true in California, but it is different in Germany and other European countries. In Germany, most people want to ride a bicycle, because it is convenient and because it keeps them healthy. Most still do. However, some people have been led to believe that ebikes are bicycles and therefore share their benefits, including the fitness benefits. Here too, obesity is on the rise.

There is a slightly greater environmental impact from producing the food to supply the calories to pedal the analog bike than there is from producing the electrical power to charge the ebike.

Oh, that old canard. AFAIK, more than 60 % of the US population is overweight. "The prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults 20 and over was 41.9% during 2017–March 2020" <cdc.gov/obesity/adult-obesity-…>.

With the energy of the amount of surplus body fat that a very obese person carries around, I could do about 30,000 km (18,000 miles) by bike, even in hilly terrain. 😂

So much for theory. In practice, an obese person already needs more energy to move their weight around than a slim cyclist on a muscle-powered bike. And don't get me started on the time, money and energy people lose by driving to the gym to get what their “analog bike” would provide for free.

Funny term for something that people just call a bicycle, btw.

@whosepoopisonmybutt

Why an ebike?

Some sources claim it is actually the most environmentally friendly method of transportation, even when taking manufacturing into account.

I think we can stop right here. I don't doubt that using a low-powered electric motorcycle may be a more environmentally friendly method of transportation than using a high-powered ICE motorcycle, if it is suitable for the purpose. But that doesn't make it a muscle-powered bicycle, and it doesn't make it equivalent to and as environmentally friendly as a muscle-powered bicycle.

Riding this distance on an unpowered bike before and after work would fucking suck.

O RLY? I commuted 8 miles each way for decades. It was pretty tough at first. But the great thing about muscle-powered bikes is that the engine gets stronger over time with heavy use.

@brot

No, they are not motorcycles. They are bicycles with an electric support.

They are motorcycles with minimal pedal assistance from the rider, which serves as a fig leaf.

How much power do you think a bicycle rider needs for riding at a speed of 25 km/h? How much power would he or she need for riding with a speed of 125 km/?

@Takios Now we're getting closer to the heart of the matter. The only relevant difference between motorcycles and e-bikes is the exemption from regulations that previously applied to all motor vehicles, and rightfully so.

@Asinus I don't think it helps anyone to encourage people to switch from real bicycles to e-bikes, which are no longer bicycles at all.

@Takios I question the motorization of bicycles with engines that dwarf the performance and endurance of highly trained athletes, and in your view, that is equivalent to high-powered car drivers who get upset about real or imagined traffic violations by non-motorized cyclists?

Bizarre.

@Gerprimus Most studies used in that meta study are based on opinions people have about their own behaviour. These aren't reliable statistics.

@whosepoopisonmybutt

There is close to zero chance I would have used a non-ebike to have done the same.

For what reason? Ebikes essentially are motorcycles. So why don't you just use a real motorcycle? E-bikes combine the disadvantages of bicycles, namely comparatively low speed, with the disadvantages of motor vehicles, namely loss of fitness.

@Derpenheim

So go do a study of your own.

I just keep my eyes open while riding my bicycle, walking around or driving, instead of asking people what they do. Self-deception is very common when it comes to cycling.

@D_a_X I don't believe a single word. People are lying through their teeth to justify their behavior. E-bikes have replaced real bikes in bike stores. People are switching from bicycles to e-bikes. The marketing narrative is no longer aimed at old and disabled people, but middle-aged people and even children. I seriously doubt that children have switched from driving cars. The e-bike is the gateway drug to motorized transport from an early age.

@pmarcilus A few years ago, the Blender project decided to attract large commercial users as sponsors, not without success. The interests of small hobby users and developers, for example with regard to better documentation or a more complete Python API, became even more out of sight as a result. There are other people in need who need our donations more.