Why do you ride an electric bicycle?

My MAIN reason for riding an ebike is:

  • Economy (driving a car is too expensive)

    Votes: 10 22.7%
  • Pleasure (it's just another toy)

    Votes: 13 29.5%
  • Time (less traffic for bicycles in a city)

    Votes: 3 6.8%
  • Exercise (some anyway)

    Votes: 6 13.6%
  • Curiosity (what's an EV?)

    Votes: 3 6.8%
  • Green (save the planet)

    Votes: 2 4.5%
  • Legal (no driver license)

    Votes: 3 6.8%
  • Other (so what is it? explain yourself, but make it short please)

    Votes: 3 6.8%
  • I don't do poll (so why are you here, why are you clicking this choice?)

    Votes: 1 2.3%

  • Total voters
    44
  • Poll closed .
Your choices all presume that the e-bike is an alternative to driving a car or working out at a gym, not an alternative to riding a normal bicycle or walking for transportation.

Look at the question from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't have and doesn't want a car, and the range of reasons would be quite different, wouldn't they?
 
All? How do "Pleasure" and "Curiosity" have anything to do with "driving a car" or "working out at a gym"? But that's irrelevant. Is there another meaning for "Other"?
 
Other: Because it's just about all of the above.

Cheers, KF
 
There's not a main reason when it's a lifestyle, a vocation.
They're too many reasons to list.
It just happened to me for all the right reasons at the right time...
@ the Σ of my tiny Life :)

Let us be equal in this electric bliss...
Ω, KF
 
Other--because I'd rather ride a bike than any other form of transportation available to me, and I can't ride a regular bike very far or pull cargo with it anymore, so an ebike is the best alternative.

I guess "other" in the context of the title question "why do you ride an electric bicycle?" means, to me, "health reasons".
 
It's near the only exercise I gets and my main mode of transportation. People on the streets are safer when I am on a bike than in a car cuz some days I am not well/with it and could run them over. Hep-C and brain/inner ear damage makes me a dangerous dude although the driving thing is coming back two years after the assault so things are looking up. I can only choose one reason so things are not to accurate as there are several reasons I ride. Oops I almost forgot I have a serious addiction as well so it's difficult not to ride and fix and... :shock: One of the few moments in life I feel normal is while I am on the bike Very sick man I am.
 
Chose curiosity. With no electrical skills on my resume, I'm learning with each new modification or build.
 
biohazardman said:
It's near the only exercise I gets and my main mode of transportation. People on the streets are safer when I am on a bike than in a car cuz some days I am not well/with it and could run them over. Hep-C and brain/inner ear damage makes me a dangerous dude although the driving thing is coming back two years after the assault so things are looking up. I can only choose one reason so things are not to accurate as there are several reasons I ride.
Wow! Is that the reason behind your screen name?
 
This is surprising. With all the talk about saving (money and environment) and about the evil of internal combustion engines, I expected Economy to be first, followed by Green.

Did not expect Pleasure to be the main reason (it is for me) and by a comfortable margin. Legal was also surprising with only 4% of the votes.

Even more surprising is the total number of votes after 22 hours: 25 votes out of 15+ thousand members. I am guessing that the number of active members is only between 50 and 100. But that explains why dogman owns more than 3% of all posts.

And totally expected was the clown (one so far, more to come?) who voted for "I don't do poll".
 
SamTexas said:
Even more surprising is the total number of votes after 22 hours: 25 votes out of 15+ thousand members. I am guessing that the number of active members is only between 50 and 100. But that explains why dogman owns more than 3% of all posts.
The top 300 members have made over 500 posts, the top 500 members have made 250 posts, and the top 900 have made more than 100 posts. That's like 6% of the membership does 90% of the posting. Not surprising at all cos most people are lurkers and noobs. Given that there are 7 billion people on the planet ... less than 0.0002% are ES Members. Talk about unexploited market potential :wink:

Adding another post to my total... KF
 
I stated out with ebiking due to back problems making me unable to ride a regular road bike as I had done for many years in my youth. It also fulfills a childhood fantasy from that same time of having a bike with a motor. I have ridden motorcycles but they don't compare to the fun factor of an Ebike.
 
I voted for Time. Cause afternoon commute is a PITA with a car.

Economy can also be accounted for me when I ride my ebike to work. My commuter Toyota Camry gas lasted for 6 weeks, before filling it back with 17 gallons of fuel. That 17 gallons would of lasted me a 7-10 days worth of riding. So more or less $240 saved.

Pleasure is also a big one for me. I love riding bikes in general.

Exercise can also be considered when I take bike trails. This coming Friday I'm riding the Critical Mass in Houston. That is about 23 miles of pedaling a heavy ebike around. Mostly only use the power to cross overpasses or catching up with riders up front.
 
snellemin said:
I voted for Time. Cause afternoon commute is a PITA with a car.
Yep. Despite the new 249 going north from HP, traffic is still a mess. But riding an ebike there is quite an act of bravery.
 
SamTexas said:
snellemin said:
I voted for Time. Cause afternoon commute is a PITA with a car.
Yep. Despite the new 249 going north from HP, traffic is still a mess. But riding an ebike there is quite an act of bravery.

Is not bad really on the feeder. Cars give me the lane to myself once I'm in bumper to bumper traffic. I stay a few feet away from the curb and all the trucks take the other lane around me. The section I have to be most careful, is between Jones and Spring Cypress road. I peddle through the shopping center whenever I can.
 
When I rode an e-bike regularly, it was to accommodate forbidding steep hills on my commute and fatigue from long hard days doing physical work. It was the helping hand that made taking the bicycle instead of the motorcycle an appealing option.

But here are a few more possible reasons to use an e-bike:

Can be faster point-to-point than a normal bike

Much quieter and more peaceful than other motor vehicles

Compensates for physical weakness or disability

Allows easier towing or load carrying than pedal power alone

Resource-efficient/low carbon footprint

Too lazy to ride a regular bike

Enjoy the idea of an unregistered, untaxed vehicle

Low power demand works with off-grid systems

Allows slow, unfit riders to accompany fast, fit riders

No annoying/hazardous heat, vibration, or fumes

Allows rider to wear impractical clothes
 
snellemin said:
Is not bad really on the feeder. Cars give me the lane to myself once I'm in bumper to bumper traffic. I stay a few feet away from the curb and all the trucks take the other lane around me. The section I have to be most careful, is between Jones and Spring Cypress road. I peddle through the shopping center whenever I can.
Be safe.

There is an older person (in the 60s) who rides a regular mountain bike on Huffmith Kohrville between Spring Cypress and 2920 every weekday in traffic hours. That's a narrow two lane (one in each direction) road with no shoulder and a 45mph speed limit. I cringe every time I see him. He's very careful and constantly pulls himself to a stop almost into the ditch when he thinks it's too dangerous to ride. He's been doing this for at least 5 years. I wish him the best, but I fear for his safety.
 
SamTexas said:
snellemin said:
Is not bad really on the feeder. Cars give me the lane to myself once I'm in bumper to bumper traffic. I stay a few feet away from the curb and all the trucks take the other lane around me. The section I have to be most careful, is between Jones and Spring Cypress road. I peddle through the shopping center whenever I can.
Be safe.

There is an older person (in the 60s) who rides a regular mountain bike on Huffmith Kohrville between Spring Cypress and 2920 every weekday in traffic hours. That's a narrow two lane (one in each direction) road with no shoulder and a 45mph speed limit. I cringe every time I see him. He's very careful and constantly pulls himself to a stop almost into the ditch when he thinks it's too dangerous to ride. He's been doing this for at least 5 years. I wish him the best, but I fear for his safety.

I've seen him a few times. That is one scary road to be on and don't know how he does it everyday. I rode my regular bike and ebike a few times there and it was hella scary during traffic hours.
 
Thank you all (except the clown) for participating.

Total 43 votes in 7 days. The number of active members is tiny relative to the 15+ thousand registered members. Salemen take note, take your advertising effort elsewhere. Spammers too.

Final top 3 reasons:
Pleasure 30%
Economy 23%
Exercise 14%

And at the very bottom is Green 5%. Saving the planet was just hot air after all.
 
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