Can't argue with the base premise. But here in Toronto it's the ebike wild West. Where no law is enforced.

Folks are ripping by in the bike lanes on 100lb electric mopeds with throttles and fold away pedals. I've seen bikes where the chain is rusted off but the "bike" happily zips past a grandma on dutch bike at 35kph.

Recently the transit commission finally banned ebikes on the subway because they were lighting trains on fire.

All I ask is that ebikes are limited to pedal assist and have a weight limit. But I think the genie is out of the bottle.

Anyway. I've got opinions.

Only semi-related but: The only people I've heard say e-bikes aren't real bikes are people who don't own bikes of either kind.

every time i see e-bike discourse it's some of the most inane nonsense i've ever read, without fail the people who complain about e-bikes are doing the exact same thing drivers do to cyclists as a whole and somehow they are incapable of self-reflection to realize this.

small electric vehicles are good, being a dick to others on the streets is bad, it's not fucking rocket science. I don't give a singular fuck what you're riding in the bike path so long as it's small enough, quiet enough, and you go a reasonable speed.

Here in sweden it's become quite normal to have small electric moped cars (yes that's how we define them) use the wider bike paths when convenient and like.. it's a slight annoyance at worst, because they're work vehicles and the drivers know they're being a bit cheeky by using the bike path and thus they try very hard to be considerate.

They're real and they're spectacular

Oh my god these comments.

You assholes would gatekeep oxygen if a fat person was breathing it next to you.

Shut. Up. Let people have fun.

What’s the point arguing what’s “real” cycling.

Are people out and about on a bike? Are they having fun? Are they avoiding driving heavy vehicles?

Then who cares.

Honestly, even light electric motorcycles are a huge improvement over cars. My ebike-from-a-kit goes about 30mph and runs off a throttle. I generally ride on the road (city streets) and avoid sidewalks when at all possible. It's fun to ride, doesn't need gas, and is super-efficent when it comes to electricity (far more efficient than an electric car). I can park it way more easily than I can park a car, and it's great for short trips where taking the car is unjustified but it's too far to easily walk. 10/10 would recommend. Would also do whatever training/registering/licensing is required, but right now I live somewhere where regulations either don't exist or exist but aren't enforced.