Bike-loving Dutch grapple with illegal electric 'fatbike' craze gripping the Netherlands
Bike-loving Dutch grapple with illegal electric 'fatbike' craze gripping the Netherlands
Some 17,500 fatbikes imported from China have been held by Dutch authorities over concerns about speed manipulation and safety risks.
Some 17,500 fatbikes imported from China have been held by Dutch authorities over concerns about speed manipulation and safety risks.
But the fatbike fad — they are especially popular among teenagers — has triggered a myriad of complaints and prompted a call for new legislation aimed at restricting their use.
Apart from the humming noise made by the large tyres on the road, authorities are also concerned at the ease in bypassing software that restricts their speed to the legal limit.
I'm sure the same people complaining about fat bike tire noise have never once complained about the much louder sound of car and truck tires.
Wait, hang the fuck on...
the ease in bypassing software that restricts their speed to the legal limit.
As opposed to the insurmountable difficulty of pressing the car's accelerator pedal a bit harder?
the cars don't use the bike lane.
It's the Netherlands, the cars aren't automatic.
Fuck off mate. We have seperate lanes for bikes and cars. We've been hating on vehicles going too fast on the bike lane since their existance. Scooters, e-bikes and anything else that's a danger to other cyclists.
Both of you need to chill the fuck out: You can disagree and argue without the personal attacks.
Both of you get a temporary ban. In the future when you are here you need to win your arguments without attacking the person.
Firstly check your attitude, dick.
Secondly I'm a cyclist. I was only pointing out the absurdity of complaining about road noise from a bike that is at most 50dB when road noise from cars hovers in the 90dB range yet no one ever complains about car noise.
Thirdly, not every city has separated bike and car lanes. I personally have no issue with fast moving bikes in the same lane as me because I'm not a coward like you seem to be. I also know how to handle my bike properly and keep my head on a swivel which helps me avoid accidents.
It's the Netherlands, if you're a self-described cyclist, they like bikes more than you do. Your assertion is a bad one.
could it be possible that these bikes can go faster, and thus are louder, than the cars and trucks can go within city streets in the Netherlands?
Is it so hard for Americans to imagine that there could be places that are not directly next to a road? lol
I don't see anything wrong with the electric motorcycles, but they shouldn't be on a pedestrian or bicycle path, they should be on the street and you should need a license to drive them just like any other motorized vehicles capable of those speeds.
That's the issue. They aren't supposed to go that fast. It's an illegal alteration for a reason. And we are talking about teenagers.
They don't need a driver's licience to ride a bicycle. So people may not know how to traverse traffic safely if they go on the car lanes. Or not care about safety as teenagers tend to do.
This article reads like an awesome ad and meow I want one of these bikes.
Buy two so you can make an ebike chariot!
Mine is pretty sweet... The tires made it much more comfortable to ride in general and having the motor for the assist on hills is frikken amazing. Really helps prevent the deterrence against using it as a bike.
The motors have quite the kick too... I expect the urge to get into trouble is great.
Heh, I think I just got one of these types inadvertently.
1000 watt motor (2x 500), large batt etc... I think it does close to 35 mph if I try but I haven't even taken it out of pedal assist yet.
I'm in USA, so laws are more localized. I suspect this thing might be illegal, but it's gray area right now. Gonna just behave with it and hope for the best.
The concern I would have is that currently there isn't great established ways to get something like this clearly made legal... And I have a needed use case.
I weigh enough that clearly legal lower wattage bikes are all not rated for me... Barely. I'm using the bike to lose weight. In the interim, this is what works.
I hope they clear it in some capacity, like just age or "legal until you are stupid" like riding it on public sidewalks or such. A wattage limit overall is stupid unless there's a way to certify you will behave.
The way laws like this tend to be enforced is generally either someone has to report you or you have to cause a problem and then are also retroactively charged for the other infractions. So if you are already doing your best to be safe and not annoying, that's all you can do. Fly under the radar.
I'm using the bike to lose weight. In the interim, this is what works.
That ain't gonna help much, especially when you rely on a powerful motor to help move you. For reference:
That's fine except I'm not using it in straight power mode, and set my pacing by my heart rate. I'm using it exactly as my doctor advised.
If my heart rate is consistently maintaining elevated levels matching what the doc said, then the video is irrelevant.
An exercise you cannot control the pace of properly is counter intuitive and can be dangerous to certain health conditions. If used correctly, this only expands access to more users.
Key words "used correctly".
There are people needing this kind of assist not from being fat. In my case, I'm in a long haul recovery from a severe spinal injury. Trying to rebuild considerable loss of muscle.
Without the assist, cycling would literally be impossible.
Due to posture needed for long walking, that isn't possible yet for me either. Anything over half a mile destroys me for a full day.
My diet is already advised by a doctor. Your videos present like my food choices and lack of movement are 100% the problem.
That doesn't tell the whole story, yes, long term you don't actually burn more calories long term by exercising, but it's part of an entire way of life that makes you healthier and you will tend to lose fat.
And studies show that riding an ebike means you are more likely to use it and exercise more, which provides a lot of health benefits, including weight loss.
Mostly food delivery drivers in my city. They are a nuisance and make bike paths feel less safe and chill.
if there's a road accident and both riders are dutch, do they share the blame equally?
No, they share the blame proportionally depending on who was going the fastest.
My fat old ass is tired of getting passed by them on mbts.