My apologies for yet another unexcused absence, as I continue to struggle with the transition to insulin for my diabetes.
Hopefully, they’ll get it dialed in soon, because I’m sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time.
So if you’re at risk, get tested and do whatever you have to avoid becoming diabetic. Because you seriously don’t want this crap.
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The Bike League says ebikes are electric vehicles, and should receive the same incentives as the four-wheeled kind.
They’re urging you to contact your representatives in Washington to support the new Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act, which provides up to a $1,500 tax credit to buy one.
Or will if it passes, anyway.
Because it faces long odds in the GOP-controlled House, as Republicans push for cuts in federal spending.
Meanwhile, longtime Orange County bike advocate Bill Sellin stakes out a contrarian position in an open letter he penned in opposition to the bill.
I was excited when I first saw this – but this looks like just a way to hand out our limited tax dollars (& line the pockets of the bicycle manufacturers), not help establish any standards or safety for people who ride electric bicycles.
Will the proposed legislation get Class III ‘speed’ electric bicycles added to the responsibility of the Consumer Protection Safety Commission like Class 1 & 2 “low speed” electric bicycles currently are?
Will we get the regulations to require electric bicycles to be UL certified to prevent burning down homes when cheap and unregulated charge systems fail?
Will the cash hand-outs be limited to actual legitimate E-Bikes or will they also be given out to the over powered and over speed out of class electric vehicles – that have never been submitted for certification by the NHTSA to be allowed on streets as mopeds or motor driven cycles or electric motorcycles, but are sold by some manufacturers as “electric bicycles”?
I am shocked that Class 2 low speed throttle bikes are being sold to and driven by children under 16, while Class 3 are restricted – and worse, that the industry is doing little to stop the blatant sales of vehicles that clearly exceed the 20 mph throttle ‘assist’ or have over 750 watts of power but are marketed as eBikes.
These out of class electric vehicles are illegal to drive on bikeways or public roads and their operators are giving electric bicycles such a bad name that I fear they may be banned before I can enjoy buying one…
I will ask my representatives to FIGHT this boondoggle unless some standards are implemented as a result, and certainly only for credit towards a legitimate actual electric bicycle.
He has a point.
As much as I support ebike incentives — or any incentives to get more people on bikes, electric or otherwise — it’s long past time for US government ebike standards to replace the current unwieldy patchwork of state and local laws.
It’s true that some two-wheeled vehicles sold as ebikes are little more than low-speed motorbikes and mopeds, and there’s a legitimate question whether that’s what we want to promote through federal spending.
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Shortly after I received Bill Sellin’s letter, I received another email featuring a Dutch approach to ebike speeds.
For the past few years, as ebikes have exploded in popularity, I’ve seen dozens stories about the problems caused fast ebikes on crowded bikeways in the Netherlands, including bikes hacked to exceed the EU’s 15 mph speed limitations for regular ped-assist ebikes, or 28 mph for so-called “speed bikes.”.
D-J Haanraadts forwarded news that Amsterdam is dealing with the problem by reducing ebike speed limits on city bikeways.
According to DutchNews.nl,
Amsterdam officials want to set a 20 kph speed limit on electric bikes within the city’s boundaries to improve safety for other cyclists.
E-bikes can often travel faster than 30 kph, boosting the range of speeds on cycle tracks and endangering children and elderly cyclists, city transport chief Melanie van der Horst has told city councillors.
However, national legislation would be required to legally reduce bike speeds and Van der Horst says she is now lobbying for change in The Hague.
In the meantime, the city is considering using technology known as ‘intelligent speed adaptation’ which warns cyclists they are entering a lower speed zone via an app. It is also planning a pilot to shift fast e-bikes from cycle paths to the roads – if the cyclist wants to continue at high speed.
You can also read the story in the original Dutch, if you prefer.
Assuming you can, of course. Which I can’t.
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Streets For All offers their endorsements for Westside neighborhood councils, such as Mar Vista, Venice, Palms, South Robertson, Del Rey and West LA-Sawtelle.
You are eligible to vote for NC candidates in person this Sunday “if you live, work, have a kid that goes to school, worship, own property, or otherwise have an ongoing and substantial connection in the neighborhood.”
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on rolling.
Chicago residents says tickets and signs aren’t stopping drivers from parking in bike lanes, even after the deaths of two people riding bikes.
No bias here. A Chicago hardware store blames the failure of its business on the three-year old bike lanes in front of the store, and not, say Covid, online sales, or any of the other factors hammering mom and pop stores.
A road raging English car passenger was convicted of chasing down a bike rider and beating him with a crutch, in anger over the way the rider passed by as he was getting out of the car.
The Alliance of British Drivers argued there can be “extenuating circumstances” for some close passes, apparently forgetting that it’s possible to slow down and wait until it’s safe to pass someone on a bicycle.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A Chicago bike rider was caught on video hopping off his bike to steal packages from a local residence, then getting back on and riding off with them.
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Local
Only slightly off topic, LAist has the best cheap fast eats in Koreatown after dark. Because everyone knows bike riders gotta eat.
London’s Daily Mail tells Dick Van Dyke to get a bike, after the 97-year old actor’s car skidded in rain and crashed into the gate of his Malibu home.
A Westlake Village equestrian says trail etiquette dictates that bike riders yield to hikers, and everyone yields to horses.
State
A new bike seat cushion from Newport Beach-based Ergo21 redundantly promises to improve blood flow and circulation in your nether regions.
The death of fallen bicyclist Nelson Esteban in Palm Springs last week provoked a community outcry for safer streets, along with the installation of a ghost bike.
Streetsblog accuses the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition of blinking in the fight for Dutch-style protected bike lanes on Valencia, as the site examines the dangers of center lane bike lanes like the ones planned for the street.
National
Trek is hopping on the cargo bike bandwagon. I’ll take the longtail, as long as I can add a front corgi carrier.
TechRadar says a new $3,500 3D-printed ebike from Superstrata looks cool, but it costs too much and “the ride’s not up to scratch.”
CleanTechnica offers advice on how to reduce the risk of ebike fires. Although the easiest solution is to just ride a regular bike.
An Idaho tow truck driver was convicted of vehicular homicide in the death of a well-known triathlete as she was riding her bike; he had smoked weed before crash, and still had meth in his system from the night before.
Houston mountain bikers are up in arms after the Howard Hughes Corp shut down unauthorized trails on their property, which they say is unsafe and not open to the public.
This isn’t the least bit confusing. An Illinois website says “do not drive, park, or stand in a bike lane,” even if there’s no one on a bike present. Then in the next sentence, says it’s okay to park in a bike lane as long as there’s not a No Parking sign nearby. Glad they cleared that up. And someone please tell them that bike lanes and sharrows are two different things.
An Indianapolis Catholic charity is collecting gently used bicycles to provide much needed transportation for immigrants and refugees.
New York will finally lift its ban on ebikes in city parks this summer.
This is who we share the road with. Six Maryland construction workers were killed when one motorist sideswiped another, sending the out-of-control car smashing into the victims working on the center of a freeway; the workers were protected by k-rails, but the car went through a gap in the protective barrier.
Time Bicycles is building what they claim will be the nation’s largest carbon fiber bicycle factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
A new design is being finalized for a bike and pedestrian bridge over a busy eight-lane street on the campus of Florida International University, five years after the disastrous collapse of a previous bridge killed six people and injured ten others.
International
Just keep pedaling. A new European study says high fitness levels can reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in men with high blood pressure.
Cyclist takes a deep dive into how frame geometry affects handling.
A writer for We Love Cycling talks with an AI chatbot, which suggests naked bike commuting and riding on worn-out mountain bike tires.
La Prensa calls Uruguay’s capital of Montevideo a no-man’s land for people on bicycles.
A Toronto letter writer responds to fear mongering by a mayoral candidate, saying they prefer to travel on foot or by bicycle — which is also where they feel most unsafe.
An Ottawa cop commandeered a bystander’s bicycle to chase down an unlicensed driver who fled on foot to avoid arrest. And yes, he did get his man, and the bystander got his bike back.
A new children’s book focuses on a longtime Montreal bike activist to let kids know “how you could be a little crazy and yet may be right.”
London’s mayor will consider the safety of the city’s new floating bus stops, as blind bus riders complain crossing bike lanes to get to the buses puts them at risk of collisions with bike riders.
He gets it. A former Deputy Leader of the London borough of Lambeth says forget all the 15-minute city conspiracy theories, and just focus on making every neighborhood a great place to live.
A Dutch gardener is embarking on an epic 18,640-mile bicycle ride from London to India to raise awareness about soil degradation.
Your next bike could pay homage to the landscapes and colors of Norway. No, really.
Vienna, Austria plans on building a modest 12 miles of bicycling infrastructure this year, after just ten miles last year.
We may have to deal with LA’s feral drivers, but at least we don’t have to cope with wild elephants, like the one that stormed out of an Indian jungle and attacked a father and son sharing a bicycle, killing the older man and injuring his minor son.
Tragic news from Jenin, Palestine, where a 14-year old boy was shot and killed by covert Israeli forces while he was riding his bike outside the shop operated by his parents; he appears to have been collateral damage as the Israelis targeted a pair of men on a motorcycle. Thanks to rafe ebike crazy guy for the link.
Competitive Cycling
Cycling Weekly has more information on the cyclist knocked down by a female spectator at Spain’s Vuelta a Extremadura as she was attempting to film the action. Yet oddly, no one has yet identified the rider who was taken out.
Speaking of Cycling Weekly, the magazine considers how the field for this year’s Tour de France is shaping up with 100 days to go, and provides a guide to gravel races near you, if you happen to live near one.
A 46-year old trans cyclist with the LA Sweat team won the women’s Randall’s Island Crit, saying she felt like a superhero in the team kit; her win came just days after a former women’s ‘cross champ angrily quit the sport after finishing between two riders she derisively called “men.” Meanwhile, conservative media seemed none too pleased with her victory. Or her existence, for that matter.
A local paper looks forward to next month’s five-stage Redlands Bicycle Classic, although the paracycling race has been cancelled this year.
The three stage Victorville Stage Race will result in road closures around Victorville and the Cajon Pass, starting today.
Mark your calendar for May’s Pasadena Senior Games, which will include cycling competitions.
And that feeling when you faceplant trying to keep up with the peloton.
"Ne courez pas à côté des coureurs" pic.twitter.com/rJZvFmAZUa
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) March 23, 2023
Finally…
For anyone who’s been waiting with bated breath to swap batteries between your ebike power tools, your day has come. If you need a new bike, Jim Carrey says just pray to the Virgin Mary.
And that feeling when SEO spammers urge you to protect your “brian.”
Oh, and “snuggly” has two Gs.
Thanks to Marc for the catch, which I missed until he called it out.
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Let me offer a special thanks to Nathan F for his generous donation to help support this site, and keep all the best bike news coming your way every day.
His unexpected donation helped lift my spirits in the midst of a very depressing day, when the problems with my diabetes and the seemingly endless drumbeat of bad news was more than I could take.
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Ramadan Mubarak to all observing the Islamic holy month.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin, too.
