Friday, September 22, 2023

Ebikes? Quiet...well, not so much.

I've been selling Class One E-bikes for a half dozen years now...no throttle, you have to pedal and 20mph tops. This has helped to keep our shop profitable. The buyers are excited and enthusiastically wanting to get back into cycling. All good and we all think we are enhancing the quality of the environment. We were camped at Cave Lake, Nevada when a couple of families from Alberta, Canada pulled into the sites on either side of ours. Big Trailers, but once they got situated (level and unhitched), they pulled out four E-assist bicycles and donned helmets and launched for a short ride. I said, Oh great, our kind of people... Low-impact recreators. They returned an hour later as we sat down to dinner, all giddy about their outing. Things deteriorted quickly when they pulled out a large generator on a dolly and said, "Everyone bring your bikes over here and we'll get them charged up for tomorrow." Loud and stinky and not fifty feet away. This could take four hours...are you kidding me? I wasn't happy. It was quite a realization...Yes, bicycle people, (ebike people) can be a huge drag on the environment and negatively affect their neighbors...who only seek peace and quiet and a pleasant smelling camp dinner. I've sold a couple dozen of these in the last year...am I responsible for ruining the peace and quiet and air quality of others who seek what I seek?