tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6955311294411328562.post2741282375244567236..comments2023-08-18T11:40:19.852-06:00Comments on Los Alamos and Santa Fe Bikes: E-Bikes: The Future of City Travel?Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10105951751896463667noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6955311294411328562.post-802857186949771442013-01-27T08:04:54.561-07:002013-01-27T08:04:54.561-07:00Ian writes "electric assist is for the old, t...Ian writes "electric assist is for the old, the infirm and the morbidly obese"<br /><br />While I do not use an electric assist bike, it appears that Ian does not live in a location where he might want to haul cargo and it hits 100F+ for 20+ days at a time in the summer. When it hit 110F last summer, electric assist would have been nice on uphill stretches. Thermal wind heating would still have kept speeds down.Steve Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650405341304401203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6955311294411328562.post-61675660294853204912013-01-25T16:36:34.727-07:002013-01-25T16:36:34.727-07:00"electric assist is for the old, the infirm a..."electric assist is for the old, the infirm and the morbidly obese"<br /><br />I fit two of these categories and STILL ride my fixed gear as a commuter.Jerrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6955311294411328562.post-74005972802583815692013-01-24T12:43:25.938-07:002013-01-24T12:43:25.938-07:00Environmentally friendly is a relative term indeed...Environmentally friendly is a relative term indeed. In New Mexico, much of our electric power comes from the big, old, and filthy Four Corners coal fired power plants. They are politically protected. <br /><br />On the other hand as you say, the overall CO2 footprint of an ebike must be compared to that of what it replaces. If it is replacing an SUV, that should be a plus.<br /><br />In the long run, we have to depend on something other than coal and increasingly hard to obtain oil. Los Alamos, to its credit, now has our 2 megawatt solar array functioning and has invested in other diversified power sources**. That said, we are not much better than anyone else if one looks at McMansions and SUVs.<br /><br />http://www.abqjournal.com/north/0914659north08-09-10.htmKhalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11866897914538110672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6955311294411328562.post-63648889650681579872013-01-24T12:17:20.815-07:002013-01-24T12:17:20.815-07:00Good comment, although I'd take issue with the...Good comment, although I'd take issue with the idea that electric bikes are environmentally friendly. At this point, and into the foreseeable future, electricity in the US is generated primarily by coal, so any vehicle that is 'plug and play' essentially runs on a fuel which is (as I understand it) just as damaging to the environment as oil. Though I suppose if an electric-assist cyclist uses rooftop solar to generate his electricity, he could argue that his bike is indeed environmentally friendly.<br /><br />On the other hand, I suppose electric assist bikes use far less power than cars, so from that standpoint they are a better choice - less damaging to the environment.<br /><br />As for me, I'll stick with good old fashioned pedal power. In my view, electric assist is for the old, the infirm and the morbidly obese.Ian Brett Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11144195897514392433noreply@blogger.com