cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/16133154
Link to original Tweet: https://x.com/DavidZipper/status/1795048724021862898
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/16133154
Link to original Tweet: https://x.com/DavidZipper/status/1795048724021862898
I used to do 14 miles one way in Chicago, year ‘round. (I stopped because I moved to Georgia, and now my commute involves about 2000’ of elevation difference, which is likely around 4000’ of elevation change.) If you’re not fit, well, that’s a pretty good reason to start riding then, isn’t it? NYC also has a fantastic public transit system, one of, if not the best in the US, and it’s readily accessible by people with disabilities. Much more so than an electric bicycle.
New York’s public transport is heavily focused on getting people in and out of Manhattan. If you’re going between the other boroughs it can be very lacking. A bike can save you a lot of time in certain cases.
If you’re not fit, an ebike is a great way to get started because it allows you to start cycling for your commute before you’re at the fitness level needed.
In my experience in Chicago, a bike was almost always faster than public transit, period. Even before I was fit, when it was painful to ride my bike in to school, it was faster than the train during rush hour.
…Then riding an e-bike isn’t going to make you fit, because you aren’t going to pedal it. An e-bike isn’t going to make you fit, any more than my Triumph Speed Triple is making me fit. Sure, I’m still on two wheels, but I’m not getting any physical fitness out of it.
I was–briefly–a personal trainer. I saw a lot of people avoiding putting in the work using almost every excuse they could. People that tried to ease themselves into getting fit were still going easy months later. The only people that made progress were the people willing to do the work, even when it was difficult and uncomfortable. For myself, I don’t like making excuses for people that won’t put in the effort, and that’s pretty much everyone that uses e-bikes. If you want a motorcycle, just do that, pay for insurance, and obey the rules of the road, rather than riding on sidewalks and bike paths while putting in zero effort.
The term ebike generally refers to a bike with pedal assist, not an electric motorcycle. Pedal assist means you are still exercising and you can set the level of assist you want.
Many–most of the ones that I see in Atlanta–do not require any pedaling at all. They’re functionally speed-controlled electric motorcycles that people ride on sidewalks.
So no, most people aren’t exercising, any more than they’re exercising on electric scooters.
Again, you’re talking about something different. I’m talking about electric pedal assist bicycles (often called an ebike), not electric mopeds.
@HelixDab2 @mondoman712 you’re wrong. An actual ebike, with assist rather than a throttle really does get you to exercise because you are pedalling, but you’re not adversely affected when going uphill. It’s cycling, it burns calories, but it doesn’t have the tiring bits.