Who Rides More?
The following article was posted to a bike commuter group to which I belong. I am not fond of the fat shaming or reliance on BMI as a standard of health, but it is an eye opener.. The group itself has lost a lot if appeal as bike commuters like myself are seen less as road warriors and more as just normal (e-bikes haven’t helped ). Still, it is a valuable resource for anyone contemplating replacing any automobile trips with a bike.
NOTE: This week alone I have worked with three e-cyclists that were once over 300 pounds and have lost dozens on their e-bikes… https://shorturl.at/arQVX
I see these results a little differently, but every day, at Ruby’s. 85% of our business is e-bikes, but being a craft brew tap room, at the intersection of 400 miles of segregated paths, we see a lot of every type rider (our paths will take you to just about any type of destination you might desire).
When it is windy or hot, we only see e-bikes. Traditional cyclists, or rather, those who only ride traditional bikes, also tend not to ride when rain is in the forecast. They stop riding sooner when cold sets in and start riding later, when things begin to thaw. This makes sense. Higher performance tires don’t deal as well with slick conditions or road debris (it isn’t as much fun to ride off road bikes on pavement). We can view the busiest of trails from the shop or our patio. You just don’t see traditiinal cyclists much when conditions aren’t ideal. This from a guy who mostly rides traditional bikes and has been a bike commuter for 30+ years.
I just wish we saw more practical bikes as shown above or in the article. Too many of us, myself included, just ride for pleasure, social or to work. It is a huge improvement from just ten years ago, but short hops to church, the grocery store or big events make even more sense. No parking issues, and no traffic to speak of, most of the time. You can’t have much range anxiety riding only five miles at a shot. Why aren’t we riding for more practical purposes?