So at the beginning of 2020 I pledged to myself to bike (ordinary 21-gear bicycle) (or walk) instead of taking the car unless it was nigh impossible.

It was actually really easy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's enlightening and my perspective and way of seeing things continues to change due to cycling.. It's funny how, in the early days, you initially automatically think "I have an appointment so I'll leave at..... " only to realise that's for if you were going in the car, and that you're not, so you need to work out the timing for walking or biking instead. There are far fewer days where the weather is a nuisance than I expected. If you get a couple of pannier bags for your bike, you can carry a lot. It's fun to discover the myriad ways you can avoid busy roads - all the little lanes, quiet streets, alleyways, you can duck through instead. All our supermarkets have bike stands and it's rewarding to park your bike next to a couple of other bikes that are obviously used for everyday cycling as well (mirror, bell, lights, panniers, mud guards...) We're a little team quietly going about our business. It's a privilege and an honour and I'm grateful for the opportunity and realisation it brings.

So now it's a way of life and for the better - it's a joy. I hope this inspires someone else to get their bike out of the shed for 2021.

I'm considering getting an electric bike and not replacing my car. Surely we can get by with just one car, especially with Mr Griz being made redundant soon.

I really like cycling and yes Griz I too would like an e-bike. My only hesitation is our urban lifestyle. Auckland traffic is bad enough being the metal of a car but I would feel very vulnerable cycling around our streets. Conceptually though I think the idea is great.

I cycle everywhere, and have been now for about 20 years. Most of my riding is in Auckland and now there are so many cycleways around you don't need to be scared. It is like driving, you have to be defensive and expect the unexpected but there is nothing better than a lovely bike ride.
If you are thinking about e bikes, they are very heavy so if you have to transport them, lifting them onto a rack is hard. They also go much faster than pedal power so if you fall off the damage is worse.
My biggest fear, as a cyclist, is being taken down by an out of control e bike rider on the cycleways. Car drivers have become much more cyclist aware over the years.

Well done, Stephanie! Fantastic. I'm with you on the common bicycle versus the e-bike. I love the exercise side of it as well and my thigh muscles are no longer weaklings. Like you, I bike defensively. I grew up biking miles to school every day and was taught by my parents to keep as left as possible and be particularly careful passing parked cars, etc. The modern cars that have the wing mirrors that fold in when the car is locked are a wonderful visual safety clue to cyclists as it tells us it's highly unlikely anyone's in the car, about to open their door onto us.

Would someone please explain what is behind the current fascination with e-bikes?

If you are out cycling then one would assume you are doing it for health reasons so what is the point of an e-bike if it just makes the ride easier? Why not just get a 50cc scooter?

It would be equivalent to me hopping on a lime scooter halfway through my morning jog when the track takes me uphill i.e. zero benefit. Surely if it is too difficult you could just walk that section?

I think e-bikes are the purported next best thing for all the people who take their cars everywhere, when they don't need to. The default of many humans (and my cat...and lots of other animals) is to accept the way of least effort. It's been decided (and proven) that people will use their cars if the alternative is to walk or use a bicycle or some other, more effortful, method. Cars are being phased out (e.g. new cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will be banned from sale in the UK from 2030). Scooters aren't a replacement option because they still use petrol (and therefore are part of the climate change problem), pollute the air, create noise, etc (and also require a driver licence and vehicle registration).

Also, bikes (including e-bikes) can go a lot of places scooters can't. Scooters are essentially bound to the roads.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2020 12:15AM by J1.

As I understand it you don't have to use the electric aspect of it, I'd just like to have the option for the odd hill, or when it's blowing a gale and I'm heading into the wind, or if I'm exhausted at the end of a busy shift it could be nice to have some assistance to get home. I would be using the bike to get to work and back, and as I work 12 hour shifts the weather can be quite different at each end of the shift!
And yes, I'm not keen on a scooter because of the fuel.