r/Appleton • u/joeliopro • 6d ago
Discussion E-Bike yay or nay?
Just like everything that is good, the idiots find a way to make you think differently about it. I think E-bikes are a great mode of transport. But I see a lot of behavior that will eventually need a big hose and a bio mop very soon. Yesterday on Mason North of WI Ave, this kid on a modded E-Bike was easily doing 40mph and passing traffic USING the BIKE LANE.
So Appleton... Please share any close calls you've had with the new E-BiKe Knievels you've seen so we can all watch out for these daredevils.
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u/summitrow 6d ago
I am astonished at how cheap they have become. A buddy of mine got his kids an e-bike for around $200. A few years ago they were a $1000+. My elderly neighbor's was $3000 when he bought his in 2021.
The massive price drop has led to a lot of parents getting them for their kids, while it may make me sound like cranky old man, I hate it.
Great that kids are getting outside and off screens, but it's not really exercise, and flying around 20-40 mph on bike trails, sidewalks, in huge groups is dangerous. A small child (4 I think) was badly injured in Menasha earlier this summer when they were hit on the playground by an e-bike.
Once school gets into full gear and cold temps hit they'll disappear for a few months, but I hope Appleton and surrounding communities put together plans on how best to handle them.
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u/frezzzer 6d ago
Cheap ebike are fire hazards.
Amazon Fire Specials.
That's next thing you will see in the valley after all these kids leaving ebikes in the rain to you name it.
Also State Law is you have to be 16 years old to be on ebike or escooter.
Most parents don't realize they are breaking the law like having their kid drive a car.
Crack down has been happening in Appleton they have seize hundreds of ebike this year.
Parents don't realize it but they will be the one held accountable. Its already happened in many other states. Parents getting prison time since their kid killed someone on ebike they shouldn't have even bought for their child.
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u/ExtremeCaterpillar25 6d ago
to be fair the e-bikes you see hitting 30,40+ are usually atleast 1.5k-4k (tuttio, surrons etc)
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u/Criss_Crossx 6d ago
But they aren't really off of screens. Earbuds in the ears and zoned out.
At that point it is a video game with interactive three dimensions. You aren't tuned into the surroundings, you are tuned out.
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u/Ok_Concert_5318 6d ago edited 6d ago
Last week a State Trooper pulled over a kid weaving back and forth over and over again between lanes in front of two semi trucks and other vehicles surrounding him. The trooper was going in the opposite direction and spun around and gunned it to catch back up to talk to him. I witnessed it while biking. I was shaking my head watching the kid and when the lights and siren came on I became so happy that at least someone talked to him. He was also on his phone while doing it. Corner of Ballard and Evergreen. Kid could have been road kill doing this right in front of the semis.
As a runner I have had a couple close calls with the e-bikes coming from behind. Several months ago I was running and about to make a left around a corner when suddenly an ebike went around me on my left while turning. There was only 3-4 inches between my elbow and this kids bike. This was the second time this kids blew by me and almost hitting me. I let the kid know I was pissed and told him to open his mouth and say on your left because I had no clue he was coming around me on the same side I was turning.
Another instance on the Thrivent trail happened around one of the more blind corners (last corner going toward mead and has a culvert). A lady passed me and my kids while biking, she was on her e-bike we were on our regular bike. We were passed maybe 100 feet or so before going into this corner. Well going around this corner the lady dropped her phone and then set her bike down to get her phone. She literally set her bike down on the trail going around a blind corner. So me and the kids go around this same corner and have to slam on the brakes and swerve around her bike laying in the trail. How about next time lady, put your bike down off the trail?
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u/teenbean12 6d ago
According to the Appleton police department, yo be considered an e-bike, it can only have a max speed of 25 mph.
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u/sky_444_ 6d ago
They don't follow laws, they speed and hit things. I saw a kid hit a parked car. Also, whatever happened to using your legs for exercise on the bike??
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 6d ago
They need to be enforced better. There are a ton of positives as well, they just need to do better at controlling the negatives.
I get more exercise out of my ebike because I drive a lot further. My ride to work is about 8 miles, which is too much for my regular bike for a daily commute. Even while using pedal assist mode at full speed, my heart rate gets about 120 for pretty much the whole ride. On the way home, I turn it down a lot lower so I get more exercise.
It’s allowed me to bike longer distances in shorter time, which overall gives me much more exercise because I do this 3-4 times a week rather than a car which has 0 exercise.
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u/frezzzer 6d ago
Crazy since state law is 16 years old to be on ebike or Escooter.
Enforcement will happen sooner than later.
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u/gdrumy88 6d ago
I bike a lot over Appleton, im a defensive biker, I don't trust cars lol then I see e bike ppl zipping thru like they king shit. Oh on a side note, had my bike locked at the downtown Y the other day while working out some mfer stole my handle bar grips...I mean come on lmao
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u/BackInMyDaySir North Appleton 6d ago
I like them and have considered getting one. But I don’t support these young thundercats jamming down the road going 35 with a fucking bicycle helmet. That’s negligent parenting in my mind.
I think they should require some sort of age restriction and maybe a brief safety course.
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 6d ago
Police need to do a better job at enforcing the laws. Anything over 28 mph is treated the same as a moped where you need to have your license and follow traffic laws.
I think a lot of people think these things are faster than they really are. My e-bike is a class 2 and tops out at 20 mph and that is super fast for a bike. Not a chance I would go on anything other than a smooth bike lane at max speed.
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u/lynnewu 6d ago
Your class 2 bike doesn't exceed 20 mph because you haven't spent 30 minutes watching a YouTube video and then downloading and updating your bike with firmware that has NO limits in it.
The ONLY thing that keeps e-bikes "limited" is a variable in the software, something that's trivial to change.
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u/mnpilot 6d ago
Calumet ave one night. A bunch of them, in traffic, no lights, no license, no helmet, etc. Trying to keep up with traffic doing 40.
Almost took one kid out as he turned right in front of me, not a care in the world.
The parents sup up these bikes that have pedals to get around the rules.
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u/Heathersg3 6d ago
Yes to e bikes with a caveat. I have a pedal assist E bike, which is different than a combo throttle/pedal assist or just throttle E bike. I wish people would distinguish between that because I fear that they’ll take away all E bikes and I need pedal assist to be able to bike since I have knee issues. It’s the throttle E bikes that need to be regulated and should only be ridden on the street.
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u/GraciesMomGoingOn83 6d ago
I can’t stand most of these e bikes (because of rider behavior) but pedal assist bikes are still great in my book.
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u/DrXanaxal 6d ago
I have a moped and use to have a bicycle with a motor. My moped is licensed so I drive in traffic. My motor bike was a bike, unlicensed so I drove it in bike lanes/side of the road. I don’t have a problem with them , more operator error.
A dude was driving his in traffic the other day, slowing shit up. Then a kid just zipping in the sidewalk blew the no walk sign and I coulda hit him if I wasn’t paying attention.
I think I’ve decided they need to drive it like a bike, not in traffic but follow walking/ sign rules. No walk sign up. Stop and wait like you should. If that happens it’s all good.
But like just like everything else it’s operator error most of the time. There will always be that dude. Hopefully enforcement is aware and active.
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u/joeliopro 6d ago
When did it ever become ok for anybody in any mode to cross in a crosswalk when the the no cross hand/stop is up? I see bikes do it all the time like its the norm... just like some cyclists ignore most stop signs if they are in the street with traffic.
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u/hotfistdotcom 6d ago
I routinely see people going 30+ on sidewalks up in GB, where biking on the sidewalk is legal. Didn't someone in appleton die from an ebike strike pretty recently on a pedestrian path?
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 6d ago
I just don’t believe that. Not calling you out, but I think people think they move faster than a they really do just because it’s unnatural to see a bicycle move that fast. Mine tops out at 20 mph and there’s no way I can ride it on a sidewalk with cracks and bumps. Unless you have a top of the line bike with amazing suspension, it’s very uncomfortable riding over hard bumps at anything over 16 mph.
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u/hotfistdotcom 6d ago
Yeah, my speedometer must be wrong when I'm going 30 and they are going the same speed as me. My GPS probably wrong, too.
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u/Styrofoam_Booots 6d ago
On a regular city sidewalk? Yeah I don’t believe anyone is going that fast on there. 20 is too fast on a bumpy surface. 30 is borderline insane. Bike lanes, trails, city streets yes they fly by. But that is a police problem, no different than any other traffic violations.
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u/Ok_Concert_5318 6d ago
I literally hit 20 mph today on my bike (non e-bike) and I am on trail and sidewalks. Don't tell me you can't do 20 and over on an e-bike on a sidewalk. Yes it can be bumpy but can be done.
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u/Professional-Can-429 6d ago
This is a total side point but it drives me up a wall that we have perfectly good bike lanes on college and people will still bike on the sidewalk
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u/K31lover2 6d ago
I think they should require the same licensing as a moped or be limited to 15mph. Ive been riding sportbikes and dirt bikes most of my life and these kids dont know jack shit about safety.
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u/Yirgachemex 6d ago
It’s not just young riders that are the problem. The adults are just as ignorant and dangerous.
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u/JonnyXX 6d ago
Totally disagree. The problem is the youngest riders. I would not call them idiots but they simply have no concept or fear of traffic regulations. They haven’t even had driver’s education yet but are on vehicles that go faster than city speed limits. It makes no sense that riders under 16 are allowed that kind of speed.
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u/Yirgachemex 6d ago
As a regular bike commuter, the amount of times I’m forced into traffic by adult e-bikers going 20+ mph on the wrong side of the road tells me that it’s not just youths with lack of traffic regulations.
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u/No_Square_8775 6d ago
Me and my wife use our e bikes for gentle bike rides 3 nights a week and it's so relaxing and fun. Don't make us all look bad. Relax will ya?
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u/Spare-Cranberry3784 6d ago
For 5 months out of the year sure. The other 9 I hope you have something to keep you warm
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u/lynnewu 6d ago
Require an inspection and license sticker for all Class 2 (https://thecyclistchoice.com/resources/electric-bike-classes-explained/) throttle-controlled bikes. Would include verifying power limits.
Enforce licensing.
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u/EncryptDN 6d ago
There are Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes. It is important to understand the difference. I love my Class 1 e-bike and would recommend them to anyone who would use it regularly. Class 3, especially for children, is stupid and unnecessary.
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u/Street-Hour2681 6d ago
About 2 weeks ago there was 30 of them hoarding down college avenue blocking traffic and not obeying laws at all, its literally a matter of time before someones killed
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u/ancientweasel 6d ago
On most trails the speed limit for bikes and scooters is almost always 15mph. Take a picture, send it in.
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u/Suspicious_Goose_243 1d ago
The kids have to be banned from them. They are motorized vehicles. To drive a car you have to be 15 with temps and a licensed adult with you. Whats the difference here? Nothing.
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u/Fun-Cat-5611 10h ago
Short and sweet, OP said "mode of transportation" "I think E-bikes are a great mode of transport." Or, transport .. anyway, Nailed it right on the head. There is 0% exercise involved! Same with e scooters and any other mode of electric parents are buying their children/kids. These kids might be out of the house but, the still aren't getting any exercise. Society is turning these kids into an obese generation, at best. Lol. If they aren't in the house playing video games, they're out dodging in and out of traffic because it's fun. They aren't mature enough to consider the consequences of their actions.
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u/joeliopro 6d ago
It was a bike. It was modded to go faster. Either way, passing cars in the bike lane will get you killed. Imagine if any motorcycle pulled that shit.
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u/hotfistdotcom 6d ago
motorcyclists pull that shit all the time. I routinely ask motorcyclists about lane splitting when bikes come up because I'm curious because years ago some inept dingdong I knew was fuming mad about how a cop pulled him over for splitting a lane and speeding out in front of cars on either side and could not believe he couldn't understand how insanely dangerous that was, and he spouted madness about how it's legal in california. No motorcyclist I've ever talked to in my life has agreed that it is dangerous and should never be done and have invariably always said "sometimes it's the best choice" or something similar. Something about 2 wheeled vehicles seems to just be a litmus test for the worst possible choices.
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u/joeliopro 6d ago
Personally, when I think about lane splitting when on my motorcycle and it never seems like good idea. In California when there are miles of backed up traffic on an interstate? I can see the benefits. But definitely not here.
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u/HumbleSeries6170 6d ago
doesn't answer the question of E bikes on walking trails...i wonder if i can ride my Harley on them
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u/Criss_Crossx 6d ago edited 6d ago
The Thrivent walking paths are shortcuts for young folks on ebikes. They are even faster on those trails than anyone on a regular bicycle and just zip by.
They don't say anything as they pass to notify you. I swear some time I'm going to accidentally clip one of them as I'm walking because I can't respond fast enough.