As a daily ebike commuter, I hate ebike riders more than when I drove a car

Posted by 20indacan@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 36 comments

I genuinely believe some of you guys never even rode a bike before and that an ebike is your first time on a two wheeled vehicle. Of course I have more daily issues from cars, but I am also having weekly occurrences and close calls with ebike riders

Here are a couple:

Cruising at 5mph on the edge of the sidewalk, about 100meters ahead of a hill. Random guy comes speeding down the hill, doesn’t brake at all until within 20ft of me and nearly loses control when trying to pass me, yells “WUT DA FUQ IS YU DOIN MANG?!” because I guess I was the one who was supposed to swerve out of the way

Going on the bike lane down a main road at an intersection and the light is green. A ebike rider is coming down on the sidewalk perpendicular to me. Light is green so I go ahead, I guess the ebike riders sees no cars and doesn’t register me so decides to come off the sidewalk as soon as I pass it. He does absolutely nothing to avoid a collision, just does a genuinely autistic screech like he sounded like he was having a scared orgasm I swear to god. Being a master e-BMX Olympian, I skillfully and gracefully maneuver to avoid a collision without even letting off the throttle.

Am leaving for work in the morning, residential speed limit is 10mph. I am literally just exiting my driveway and don’t even have the motor on so I am probably going 3-5mph and the road is dark and empty, just as I pull out an emoped rider is absolutely storming down the road at least 30mph with no headlights. Busts his ass and ends up eaten up by the road but no real injuries. Cusses me out and says I almost killed him and insists I wait on the police. I wait and smugly show them my bike dashcam and my front yard camera footage. He is told that if in a car, he might have been arrested for going 20 over the speed limit.

Anyone else have frustrating interactions with fellow ebike riders or commuters?

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20indacan@reddit (OP)

A school zone

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SeanMonsterZero@reddit

School zone speed limits are 15-25 mph, not 10.

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AMC2Zero@reddit

I've seen a 45mph one, but never 10 unless it was inside the parking lot itself.

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Composed_Cicada2428@reddit

Interesting. What country?

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20indacan@reddit (OP)

Have you never slowed down to answer a phone or reach in your bag? Or do you still go full throttle no matter what the distraction

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SeanMonsterZero@reddit

No, i pull over and stop for that. You shouldn't be talking on the phone and riding at the same time, that's dangerous to yourself and others.

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20indacan@reddit (OP)

pulling over and stopping constantly

Just walk, bro

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Bermnerfs@reddit

In here talking about neglegent riders while answering phone calls and digging through your bags while riding? Isn't that distracted driving?

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SeanMonsterZero@reddit

I'm not doing it constantly, that's you apparently. Riding/driving while talking on the phone is illegal in most places for a reason: at best it's rude, at worst it's fatal. If YOU are constantly ridiing while on your phone, i completely understand why others are ask "what the fuck are you doing, man!"

Get off your phone and ride

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placeholder5point0@reddit

In states with hands free laws, that applies to everyone on wheels, not just cars. Not sure why you're getting downvoted when you are correct. If you need to dig around or answer your phone, pull over.

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20indacan@reddit (OP)

Thanks for noticing :)

Transfem-love@reddit

This reads like ur the problem tbh.

tein_Structure4030@reddit

People are stupid no matter which mode of transportation they use.

snoogins355@reddit

Freaking people walking like zombies and on their phone. I call them phoneys

dreamaliddledream@reddit

Commenting on As a daily ebike commuter, I hate ebike riders more than when I drove a car...The audacity of you to just come on in here, and say the truth!

Worried_Document8668@reddit

around here it's not about sidewalk riding or overpowered bikes(since those don't really exist here), but general riding fitness.

lots of middle aged or older people get e-bikes to enable riding, but don't haveany business going 25 km/h on a bike since they haven't really ridden in ages and have no idea abput road etiquette

lack of spacial awareness and reaction speed, no helmets in sight, riding side by side through blind corners posong a danger to oncoming riders, barely able to keep a straight line, riding in groups going just under assist cut-off, blockif everyone else...

as a daily commuter and recreational rider i sometimes really hate e-bikers for how oblivious they tend to be. But the same goes for families with kids, even without e-bikes

I don’t have any of your problems.

What retirement community do you live in with a 10mph speed limit on streets?

aikijo@reddit

Most of the poor emotos I see are kids on the sidewalk.

Harlemboy128@reddit

I live in nyc.. I'm taking my life in my hands on these streets everyday and i got a new story everyday so i get it 😆

jim914@reddit

Not one similar incident for me with other e-bikes it’s usually the Fred’s on their racing bike pedaling like they are on the last leg of a race and they need to finish strong! Had one almost hit me from the rear in a bike lane and I’m doing the 20 mph speed limit for Chicago bike lanes he’s almost passing cars that have a 35 mph speed limit and complaining about me being too slow, the bike lane limit applies to all bikes not just e-bikes and the rules of the road say not to pass other cyclists inside the bike lane. They are supposed to exit the bike lane to pass when it’s safe to do so but not exceed the limit which is intended to protect other riders that have a regular bike which may be going slower. I find people riding regular e-bikes rather cautious but the ones riding an e motorcycle yes are dangerous but it’s rare to find them using bike lanes.

"Cruising at 5 mph"

Just walk.

BoringBob84@reddit

Today, I was walking my dog and I came around a corner on the sidewalk. Some young jackass (no helmet - not pedaling, of course) on an e-moped came flying straight at me head-on (on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road) at high speed. She looked surprised to see another human being in a city and jumped the moped off the sidewalk and into the road (without looking for cars in the road) to avoid me. She didn't slow down, apologize, or even look back as she blasted through the intersection without stopping at the Stop sign.

Strict enforcement cannot come soon enough.

Melt-Gibsont@reddit

To be fair, I kind of hate you after reading about half of what you wrote.

DirtyoldTurtle@reddit

This is the grumpiest sub.

No I don’t have any of that. My ride home today was lovely. Bicycles, pedestrians, dogs, car drivers… all polite. Birds were singing. Flowers blooming.

xJadusable@reddit

It’s a given considering there’s such a low barrier of entry (no license, low cost) but damn. I ride probably 2-3x as much as the average person (damn near 100 miles a day) and I don’t see as many incidents like you’ve mentioned. People in your area must be a special breed.

OP is the special breed here.

If everyone else is the asshole...

brotasmo@reddit

This feels like e-bike circle jerk content...

Octavio_belise@reddit

Yeah, it's mostly new idiots to the sport that make everyone look bad.

Knosh@reddit

No, and I can't help but notice you repeatedly frame yourself as the only competent person in every interaction. Everyone else is an “idiot,” “autistic,” reckless, blind, etc., while you are magically calm expert hero “skillfully and gracefully” avoiding disaster every time.

fuck_all_you_too@reddit

You people start eating each other when you get bored of bitching about emoto riders and im here for it.

BadgersAndJam77@reddit

Only the ones that post shit like this in this sub...

josh101911@reddit

I'm in Australia I mainly find the E moto (teens) riders to be a problem The older people on them are fine for the most paet. The people on pedal assist e bikes are generally fine. For the most part e scooter riders and fine. I do sometimes get teens on BMX bikes that don't know what they are doing. But motorists are definitely the worst.