4 comments

[ 2.4 ms ] story [ 16.0 ms ] thread
I think there's a solid argument that e-bikes are essentially motorcycles lacking a variety of safety gear.

That may be an advantage where you can ride e-bikes on dedicated bike lanes, but is probably a disadvantage if you ride e-bikes on roads shared with cars. They lack the speed to match pace with cars, forcing passing, and they are more prone to being hit from the side, since e-bikes tend to ride on the right side of the lane and drivers underestimate their speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM8Xli2KTzI

Motorcycles have a significantly higher top speed. Thus ebikes are somewhat safer, but they are not safe, wear a helmet. Probably should have a better helmet than a regular bike.
I have an ebike which is nice when I must go to the office. However for shorter around town trips a regular bike works great.
I live in a town that has some decent hills between my house and downtown. With an ebike, it's easy to and from downtown. But with an ordinary bike I would rarely get into downtown