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< Advocacy ~ Should Mopeds be allowed on the Greenway? |
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slowpoke
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 Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:02 am |
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| Detests rusty chainsJoined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:37 amPosts: 480
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a slippery slope to E- fix gears!
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FreeRangeZombie
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 7:05 am |
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 Thinks Carbon Fiber is a dietary supplementJoined: Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:37 pmPosts: 825Location: Your mom's house
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I saw some dude in a elec wheelchair cruising (and I mean he was passing the bikers, who were not going slow) around Lake Harriet yesteday. It gave me a good laugh
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slowpoke
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:39 pm |
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| Detests rusty chainsJoined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:37 amPosts: 480
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Are you sure it want a combustion engine wheelchair?
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phaedrus
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| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:16 am |
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 Regularly rides in ShelbyvilleJoined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 10:08 amPosts: 1261Location: Minneapolis
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I _want_ to see this electric bike on the greenway: liquified from the woman driving in the MNPass lane with a dummy thread wrote:
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- phaedrus |
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oldsid
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| Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:35 pm |
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| WheelsuckerJoined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:42 pmPosts: 4
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dasunt wrote: It would be rather cool if there was a lightweight, electric power assist unit that used regenerative braking for recharging itself. Something that would only be used for brief acceleration, for example, on a fully loaded bicycle. Say 15 to 30 seconds of run-time. I don't think I'd be angry if I passed one on the Greenway. Heck, I could almost see myself using one on a utility or touring bike, except that I'm cheap, and it's cheaper to include a few very low gears on a bike than convert it to electric.  Trek makes an electric assist bike, the FX+ which is just what you are describing. i know because I have one. It is strictly electric "assist.'" If you stop pedaling, the motor stops assisting. It also has regenerative braking to help charge the battery. I also stops assist at 20mph which complies with Federal law. Bottom line is, if you look at the bike and don't know what the big rear hub really is, you wouldn't know it was an electric assist bike. It has a 9 speed cassette on the rear wheel and a 3 speed front sprocket. You could ride it all day with the motor turned off if you are strong enuf. In my case, I am 81 years old, with COPD and bad knees. My days of riding my mountain bike on anything other than level ground are over.
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ChrisAdyNelson
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| Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 3:33 pm |
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 Regularly rides in ShelbyvilleJoined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:04 pmPosts: 1249Location: Wild Wild West
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From Facebook: Quote: Big steps forward for bicycling in Minnesota. The Senate just passed the combined transportation policy bill 61-5. This morning the House passed it 128-2. It is expected that the Governor will sign it. When signed the bill will authorize a state Safe Routes to School program (but not fund it) and the Mississippi River Trail State Bikeway and make legal studded tires and blinking headlights on bicycles. The bill also redefines low speed electric assisted bicycles as bicycles instead of motor vehicles and makes them legal to ride on trails.
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I didn't say it's your fault, I said I'm blaming you, there's a difference. |
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jim_h
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| Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:45 pm |
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| Could use a bike fitJoined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:53 pmPosts: 1016Location: Old Cyclists' Home
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ChrisAdyNelson wrote: From Facebook: Quote: Big steps forward for bicycling in Minnesota. The Senate just passed the combined transportation policy bill 61-5. This morning the House passed it 128-2. It is expected that the Governor will sign it. When signed the bill will authorize a state Safe Routes to School program (but not fund it) and the Mississippi River Trail State Bikeway and make legal studded tires and blinking headlights on bicycles. The bill also redefines low speed electric assisted bicycles as bicycles instead of motor vehicles and makes them legal to ride on trails. LOL so the politicians just changed the definition of "bicycle" to include a motor. To be consistent, they'll also need to edit the Wikipedia entry and delete the "human powered" part. Or did they declare that electric motors aren't motors? It's confusing. Either way, bike trails are no longer "bike trails". It had to happen eventually, the lobbying pressure must have been intense, as there's obviously significant money to be made in selling and renting mopeds, once the bike trails are opened up to them.
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Probably too old to be posting here but what the heck... |
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bc3
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| Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 11:54 pm |
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 Secret: wants a tall bikeJoined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:06 amPosts: 422Location: South Minneapolis - Central
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Low speed electric assisted bicycles are not mopeds and I personally have no problem sharing the road or path with them.
Jerks on bikes will be jerks. I don't think low speed electric assisted bicycles will have any impact on the jerk factor.
Bill.
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ChrisAdyNelson
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 8:11 am |
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| Regularly rides in ShelbyvilleJoined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:04 pmPosts: 1249Location: Wild Wild West
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bc3 wrote: Low speed electric assisted bicycles are not mopeds and I personally have no problem sharing the road or path with them.
Jerks on bikes will be jerks. I don't think low speed electric assisted bicycles will have any impact on the jerk factor.
Bill. I'm interested to see how the state defines the "low speed" electric bike. All production electric-assist bikes are slower than the TT and Tri riders.... I don't have an issue with intent of this change in law, it just feels like it could be slippery slope (I hate myself for say "slippery slope")...
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I didn't say it's your fault, I said I'm blaming you, there's a difference. |
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Nickel
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 10:20 am |
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 Doesn't like shants but wants to fit inJoined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 1:16 pmPosts: 3158Location: St. Paul
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ChrisAdyNelson wrote: I'm interested to see how the state defines the "low speed" electric bike. All production electric-assist bikes are slower than the TT and Tri riders....
I don't have an issue with intent of this change in law, it just feels like it could be slippery slope (I hate myself for say "slippery slope")... The definition will match the federal definition: Quote: The new law assigns the governance of electric bicycles to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and will define a bicycle that has pedals, (and is capable of being propelled by those pedals) an electric motor of no more than 750 watts, and a top speed (on motor only) of 20 mph as a "bicycle."
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jim_h
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 10:53 am |
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| Could use a bike fitJoined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:53 pmPosts: 1016Location: Old Cyclists' Home
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So now 20 mph on a bike is "low speed"? Looks like they redefined "low speed" too.
I assume these things are now legal in bike lanes, too? So what's really happened is, the state has created a new class of motor vehicles, and allowed them to use to the (formerly) bike lanes and trails.
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Probably too old to be posting here but what the heck... |
Last edited by jim_h on Tue May 08, 2012 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Monty
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| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 11:44 am |
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| Sheldon WannabeJoined: Fri May 11, 2007 4:19 pmPosts: 160
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It is not clear to me that anything has changed with respect to electric bikes as a result of this legislation. I believe this is in line with Federal Transportation law, which allows vehicles it defines as "electric bicycles" to use bike lanes. Even with that a state/county/city could specifically outlaw an electric bike in their jurisdiction.
I do agree with you Jim, that it is really poorly worded. I think they wanted to change the bike laws to cover electric bikes and just got lazy and just called a bike an electric bike.
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omgmrj
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| Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:38 pm |
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 Dances on the pedals in a most immodest wayJoined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:15 amPosts: 7206
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Don't let this knowledge and opinions cornucopia of a thread die!  C'mon, I'm sure everyone has a lot more to say on the subject.
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JenNastix wrote: You guys ever wonder if we're over-thinking this bike riding thing sometimes? |
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jitterjepp
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| Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:33 pm |
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| Super DomestiqueJoined: Sat Dec 16, 2006 8:24 pmPosts: 2269
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omgmrj wrote: Don't let this knowledge and opinions cornucopia of a thread die! C'mon, I'm sure everyone has a lot more to say on the subject. You found it next to this guy? 
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slowpoke
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| Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 5:35 pm |
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| Detests rusty chainsJoined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 12:37 amPosts: 480
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 Bwa ha ha ha!
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