I can see both sides of the argument re: negative publicity.
While obviously we don't want to draw negative attention to ebikes and what they can do at the same time when it comes to marketing it's been demonstrated people want to see speed, excitement and dare I saw, a bit of danger. I'll happily admit that more than 50% of the time I go out riding my high speed ebike I'm just out cruising around. But if I'm making a video I dont bother including that because it's not interesting. The 3 minute video I post might be 5% of my total ride, or even less. There's recently been a bit of a stink on one of the purist mtb forums about ebikes, citing vids like these because apparently that's how all ebike riders ride 24/7. They claim they're destroying the environment and they refuse to share their trails with these 250w electric motorbikes (lol). Yet look at just about every promotional or professionally made mountain bike video and you'll see high speed antics, aerial acrobatics and guys ripping trials to shreds in clouds of dust and gravel. Does the average mountain bike rider ride like that ? Hell no, but it's what people want to see, and it's what sells. "If I had the skill, this is what my bike is capable of" So yeah, I don't really see an issue with Stealths marketing. If you've got the balance I'm sure you could hold a wheelie on a 200w street legal ebike. I do recall an amusing story when someone bought a stealth a while back and then took it back to the factory complaining it didnt do wheelies. "Hey Al, can you come test this bike for a sec ?" Nekminnit, bike goes whizzing past on the back wheel :lol:
You could say the same about car races, the largely Holden vs Ford V8 supercars and their predecessor race series are particularly ingrained in Aussie culture (I realise this is a global forum but stealth is Aussie mate, so deal with it
) Everyone has seen the Ken Block videos of him tearing it up. Granted it's on closed roads but it's still marketing for Ford. Will the average turbo hatchback owner drive like that ? Of course not. Will teenage P platers go out and drive like that ? No doubt some will have a crack, I was a hoon when I was a kid and I didn't need any encouragement
I did have the sense though not to do it around the public though...
And then there's shows like topgear. Again largely staged but people like the action and a little bit of irresponsible or juvenille behaviour.
And really as far as I can see that's what this whole wheelie drama is, it's the kid who used to skid and wheelie around on his BMX, grown up and still up to the same old tricks on an expensive electric mountain bike. Would I make videos if I could wheelie like that ? Totally! Would I do it past unsuspecting pedestrians ? No. But in court room talk, let's just call it an "error in judgement" on Peter's part
We all know that a 500w or 5kw or 10kw bike can be ridden totally responsibly on the bike paths along side kids on scooters and mums pushing prams. It's also true that someone being a dick on a normal mountain bike or some lycra clad roadie doing a strava run could seriously injure pedestrians. It's rider attitude and common sense, be it a skate board, push bike, ebike, motorbike, car or a bloody hang glider!
The bottom line though, as has been said over and over is that we don't want this good thing ruined for us. It's not the technology, it's not the wattage or the CCs or the ECU tune. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. And we all know how that played out in Australia - blanket bans. Ariderslife, basically people don't want you to be our ebike Martin Bryant!
So everyone, ride as responsibly as you possibly can. I know for some of us it's harder than others
Let's not give this parliamentary Mr Universe an excuse to flex his muscles.