Why Do Die Hard Cyclists Hate EBikes? Electric Bikes & Cyclists, Can't We All Just Get Along

Why do die-hard cyclists hate e-bikes? Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today we're gonna answer the question, why do die-hard cyclists hate e-bikes? All right, so got some e-bikes here that sixthreezero offers. But let's get into the question of why diehard cyclists hate e-bikes. Now, I'm generalizing. Not all diehard cyclists hate e-bikes. But what I notice on our YouTube channel, in particular, is there are a lot of negative comments that come out of people saying, just get a regular bike. Why do you have a motor, or you're cheating, or you can't lose weight? And it's these riders that say, I've been riding a bike for 20 years, I don't need a motor. And I think there's this animosity that somehow exists between cyclists and e-bike riders, the die-hard cyclists and e-bike riders. I also know that people ride their e-bikes around town and get yelled at by other people, or cyclists, that that's not a bike, Things like that. Now, don't get me wrong, I do think e-bikes are being misused by a lot of riders and there are a lot of e-bike riders out there being disrespectful. On the flip side, I think electric bikes have done incredible things for the cycling community and also just society as a whole.

It's gotten way more people off the couch and outdoors. It's provided a whole new avenue of exercise for people with disabilities and mobility issues. And so, the die-hard cyclists who have been riding road bikes or mountain bikes without motors for years and years and years love their bikes and think e-bikes are just terrible. And I think to some extent it's because there's this stigma that people who ride e-bikes are lazy or they're ruining maybe trails by taking the motors out there. And I do think one of the issues is, is the lack of respect right now that some e-bike riders have. And I think it's true of cyclists too. Some cyclists don't appropriately share the road, which makes cars angry. And some cyclists are going faster on their road bikes than most e-bikes are going, to be honest with you. Because a cyclist can, you know, a lot of cyclists can average 17, 18, 19 an hour on their rides, which is gonna be faster than a lot of e-bike riders go on their e-bikes. So I think in a sense for die-hard cyclists, they feel like e-bikes are ruining their culture or ruining the name that cycling has, and in their mind, it's not cycling at all. And I do think, and again, this is just my opinion, and what I'd like to say is if that you're a die-hard cyclist and you don't like e-bikes or you're an e-biker, comment below. I'd love to start a conversation. I want to hear everybody's feedback and thoughts on this topic as well. But, I think it's important for everybody, the e-bike riders, the cyclists, to just understand that it's not necessarily the same thing.

Now, the point is the same to get out on a bike, and enjoy the outdoors, but riding an e-bike has particular benefits for particular riders. Riding a standard bike, being a cyclist, has benefits for particular riders. That doesn't mean you can only do one and not the other. I would say there are a lot of cyclists that probably have e-bikes as well, and they can have different use cases and different purposes, each type of bike can be good for a different type of rider in different circumstances. Somebody with a mobility issue may only be able to ride an electric bike. Somebody who's perfectly able-bodied and is completely fit just thinks, you know what, I don't need an e-bike because I can get anywhere I wanna go on my bike without the electric assistance. And I think that's perfectly fine. I think it's just, that everybody has to admit now that e-bikes have their use case, cycling has their use case, and it doesn't mean that because e-bikes come, cycling is dead or it's ruining cycling culture. The reality is, is e-bikes are here to stay and now we're gonna find ways as a society to accommodate them more. Now, the one thing that's coming down the pipeline at some point is there is gonna be more regulation because there are a lot of riders abusing the privilege of having that electric assist on their bike, which creates problems on trails, in parks, in pathways. which unfortunately a lot of local jurisdictions have prevented e-bikes, whether it be on single-track mountain bike trails or, you know, regular trails, oceanfront trails here in California.

Sidewalks now are putting up local signs saying no e-bikes allowed. So the other thing too is when there's, I see a lot of, like I said, disabled riders or heavier riders that benefit from the experience of an electric bike because it gets them back into two wheels. So as a whole, electric bikes have done nothing but good for getting our society more active. Now, I think for everyone to coexist like I said, we need probably some better boundaries and rules for the e-bike space, but I don't think there's any reason for the die-hard cyclists to hate electric bikes. So, if you've got feelings about why you don't like e-bikes or why you think it's bad, please comment below. I'd love to hear it. And if you have any other questions, comment those below as well. We offer a 30-day test ride on your e-bike policy. If you don't love it in 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. We also warranty everything for one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we take care of its parts and labor. Lastly, two great ways to connect with our community. We have a Facebook group and an app. The sixthreezero Pedalers group on Facebook has thousands of members in there. Join the group to talk to existing members before you purchase so you can make the right decision. Then when you have your e-bike, host the group, and make friends. It's tons of fun. And lastly, download the app so you can track your rides, post photos of your rides, and make friends there as well. Also, track the leaderboard to see who's logging the most miles per week. So thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.