Dave C
New member
Since I've started taking notes on everything as i get older, I know the exact date my eBIke life started. April 16th 2022 the lady that works at my local kite shop took me to the back to show me her new eBike. Let me test ride it and I knew that was it. Had to have one. April 24th ordered a Gen3 Groove fat tire foldable that was delivered 5 days later. Haven't been kitesurfing in over a year and a half, but eBiking still happens several times a week except when it gets too wet or too cold. I live in South Texas so luckily that doesn't happen much. To be exact, I live in Corpus Christi TX which is on the Gulf of MEXICO so this place is flat and big enough to have plenty of backstreets. If it wasn't for the worn out condition of many of those streets and dearth of bike paths, this town would be an eBike paradise.
That said... i RARELY see other eBikers. I am all about practicallity which is why i got the foldable. I drive a small pick up and my wife a small SUV and so in folded up mode is easy to transport and no rack necessary. Every small errand that is within a few miles, weather permitting... i am eBiking it. Bought a cargo rack early on and made my mother-in-law buy me some nice removable cargo bags that snap onto it. Probably best gift I've ever received ( course i had to send her the link to it lol ).
I am flabbergasted how little interest there seems to be in these amazing creations. Good for the environment, saving gas money and auto wear and tear and just plain FUN. All of this with no license, insurance or registration required !
Posssibly the greatest benefit to me is ... bar hopping. I don't have a drinking problem ( said every alcoholic ever ), but when i go out, i do like to have a few drinks. What i refuse to do is then get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Even after just one or two... i cannot justify the risk. I don't think I am truly impaired at that level, but IF i was to be in an accident or randomly stopped, there is just nothing good that will come out of it. Then there is the fact that when one or two becomes routine, at some point it will slip to 3 or 4 or more and then you ARE a liability and may truly hurt someone or yourself.
SOLUTION ... eBiking. As much as i refuse to drink and drive, i have little to no hesitation to saddle up 3 sheets to the wind. I know... I know... you can likely still get a DUI on an eBike, but that risk seems miniscule compared to when you are directing 3 thousand pounds of metal and glass. Drunken eBiking is almost excusively a risk to yourself. Granted if you are eBiking like a drunken madman and swerving into traffic causing other vehicles to avoid you, you could be the source of some serious damage and consequences, but this I can keep in check and my number one priority ( buzzed or sober ) is staying as far away from vehicular traffic as practically possible when on my bike. It's all about your handlebar mounted phone map and backstreets !
I want to say ' unfortunately ' no one near me seems to share this mindset, but it could be if everyone did it, the irresponsible ones would ruin it. As it is, I go to the bar with a parking lot full of cars and feel fairly confident that the majority of people driving those cars away at the end of the night are in no shape to do so. My own rides home from the bar are no longer full of fear or guilt or expense of a cab ride. They are usually quite fun !
Anyone else gotten a similar mindset or am i truly the only one ???
That said... i RARELY see other eBikers. I am all about practicallity which is why i got the foldable. I drive a small pick up and my wife a small SUV and so in folded up mode is easy to transport and no rack necessary. Every small errand that is within a few miles, weather permitting... i am eBiking it. Bought a cargo rack early on and made my mother-in-law buy me some nice removable cargo bags that snap onto it. Probably best gift I've ever received ( course i had to send her the link to it lol ).
I am flabbergasted how little interest there seems to be in these amazing creations. Good for the environment, saving gas money and auto wear and tear and just plain FUN. All of this with no license, insurance or registration required !
Posssibly the greatest benefit to me is ... bar hopping. I don't have a drinking problem ( said every alcoholic ever ), but when i go out, i do like to have a few drinks. What i refuse to do is then get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Even after just one or two... i cannot justify the risk. I don't think I am truly impaired at that level, but IF i was to be in an accident or randomly stopped, there is just nothing good that will come out of it. Then there is the fact that when one or two becomes routine, at some point it will slip to 3 or 4 or more and then you ARE a liability and may truly hurt someone or yourself.
SOLUTION ... eBiking. As much as i refuse to drink and drive, i have little to no hesitation to saddle up 3 sheets to the wind. I know... I know... you can likely still get a DUI on an eBike, but that risk seems miniscule compared to when you are directing 3 thousand pounds of metal and glass. Drunken eBiking is almost excusively a risk to yourself. Granted if you are eBiking like a drunken madman and swerving into traffic causing other vehicles to avoid you, you could be the source of some serious damage and consequences, but this I can keep in check and my number one priority ( buzzed or sober ) is staying as far away from vehicular traffic as practically possible when on my bike. It's all about your handlebar mounted phone map and backstreets !
I want to say ' unfortunately ' no one near me seems to share this mindset, but it could be if everyone did it, the irresponsible ones would ruin it. As it is, I go to the bar with a parking lot full of cars and feel fairly confident that the majority of people driving those cars away at the end of the night are in no shape to do so. My own rides home from the bar are no longer full of fear or guilt or expense of a cab ride. They are usually quite fun !
Anyone else gotten a similar mindset or am i truly the only one ???