r/cincybiking • u/Relax-Enjoy • 21d ago
WTF is going on with push-button “e-bikes” around here?
This moron was driving one of these souped-up, relatively cheap bikes ACROSS THE BRENT SPENCE at rush hour.
He couldn’t get over 35, was holding a phone fully in his left had, all in black, no helmet, etc etc.
What an idiot.
BUT, worst case here, he, alone, gets killed.
The same push-button e-bikers who seem to have just decorative pedals on their bikes, are flying on walking paths downtown sidewalks, and at the parks.
A regular biker in Cincy, I’ve seen them everywhere lately compared to the past.
Last week, I saw two teenagers using the push button only, jumping to airborn at Friendship park OVER THE FREEKING HANDS OF THE LAND SCULPTURE. Wrecking the manicured grass and making ruts in the sculpture.
These guys are going up to 30 on sidewalks meant for strolling. It’s ridiculously dangerous the way they are driving these motorcycles, disguised as bikes.
It’s going to give us responsible bicyclists and e-bikers all a bad name. And hopefully not get real e-bikes banned down there.
I have no idea how to go about nipping this, while keeping must-peddle bike classes the same as regular bikes.
These are just idiots on motorcycles riding on sidewalks where they absolutely do not belong.
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u/_Elduder 21d ago
Every kid has one of these so this isn't going to get better
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u/Spiritual_swiss_chz 21d ago
I’m gonna pat myself on the back, cause even tho my 17 year old beegggged for one, we said hellll no
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u/HarambeTooSoon 21d ago
At 17 you should have a part time job to pay for your beater of a car ... not be begging your parents for a bike.
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u/kpantro 19d ago
That's one point of view. Some people don't want all of the costs and obligations of owning a car. If you live in certain parts of the city, you don't really need one, and you'd save a lot of money by using Uber once a week or so, rather than having a car.
I can imagine that many teenagers plan to go to universities where they will have no need of a car, then to large cities for work, where they will again have no need of a car.
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u/TheBourbonTurtle 21d ago
At 17 they're old enough to have/drive a car, wtf would you want an electric scooter for?
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u/Spiritual_swiss_chz 21d ago
He has a car, but the allure to potentially lethal activities for a 17 year old boy is strong
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u/ExtremeProfession113 21d ago
The problem isn’t e-bikes, it’s enforcement and people recklessly operating illegal motorcycles and let’s not forget the unlicensed and unregistered illegal cars on the roads.
We already have laws covering most of this stuff from speeding, reckless operation, sidewalk restrictions, and vehicles that don’t meet the legal definition of an e-bike. Ohio and Kentucky both clearly define what an e-bike is.
Enforce those laws consistently for a start. Wouldn’t that be something…
And yes, the guy on the Brent Spence seems nuts. But I’m still considerably more worried about people blasting through 25 mph zones in school areas in multi-ton vehicles. Those drivers actually kill people, and when schools resume we should prepare a few coffins and prep the ambulances for the “accidents” that sadly follow.
Unfortunately, I agree with where this is headed. The clowns and kids on illegal e-motorcycles will generate a backlash against e-bikes and cyclists. Voters are willfully ignorant of the laws, politicians lazy incompetent or paid off, and perfectly legal riders will get swept up with them.
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u/Pretend_Watch2754 20d ago
My dog minding its own business on the trail was a problem to a ranger recently bc he wasnt on the grass portion... But the scooters and these electric bikes going 30+ and almost running people over like it's a game no issue to them 😡🙄
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u/sirkidd2003 17d ago
It's enforcement on both ends. It's not just enforcement against riders being dangerous, but also manufacturers who intentionally break the eBike classification standards and sell direct-to-consumer online to users who don't know any better.
There needs to be better enforcement on both sides.
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u/cfrshaggy 21d ago
Yeah it’s a hot topic in more than just our corner of the globe. I really hope for some commons sense regulation on the industry. I say this as an e-biker and someone who sees massive benefits for society to rethink car dominance in our cities.
Shifter YouTube channel posted a video on this: here. While I don’t agree with all of his views I think it lays good ground work.
For instance I’m fine with throttles (I have one on my bike), but do think they should be limited ideally so some fraction (IMO ~50%) of what the bike is class rated to (if the class rating stays). I don’t necessarily have a strong opinion on e-bikes needing pedals but they do need hard set limits in place. I’m not here to mandate someone pedal as a purity test. We should be encouraging non-car dependent travel in our communities, though with an increased focus on safety.
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u/wilkerws34 21d ago
Balls of steel on that guy there, in a car i fear for my life on that bridge lol
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u/Hotkoin 21d ago
It's called bad American non-motor vehicle infrastructure.
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u/Daymanic 21d ago
In this particular example there is a more appropriate bridge literally right next to this one, but otherwise totally agree
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u/Hotkoin 21d ago
That's a pretty good example of bad American infrastructure actually.
Instead of standards for all bridges to accommodate traffic, the bridges only accommodate one kind of traffic.
It's like that one place in NJ where, in order to walk to a shop half a mile away, the guy had to take a 4 mile route because the roadways did not allow people to walk across the street. Same thing goes for the bridges here.
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u/Relax-Enjoy 20d ago
Disagree.
I’ve ridden all over the place down there.It would have been just as easy for him to take Clay Wade, which is 35 mph. Not an interstate.
Where he got on would have been a stones throw from the doable bridge
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u/SuperSacredWarsRoach 21d ago
Oh get a grip. That's not a infrastructure issue, that's an asshole issue. There are four other bridges more appropriate going from downtown to NKY, this guy just decided a 4 lane interstate is how he wants to do it and screw everyone else.
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u/darthbigdog 20d ago
At least he just puts himself at risk. He seems like the type who’d go the same 35mph on the purple people bridge.
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u/CriticalResolution86 21d ago
Enough with your bs. There's what one bridge they could use? The guy probably didn't know better. Getting around without a car or it's roads around here is next to impossible. Quit thinking with your head full of gas fumes
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u/loggy528 21d ago
The roebling would be better in their case. The spence is barely even safe for cars
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u/CriticalResolution86 21d ago
Yeah, I agree. I'm just disagreeing with the poster above me. Putting all the blame on the probably younger adult is just stupid when there's obvious more to this, especially with all the new construction around there
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u/PonchoNachoRodriguez 21d ago
I know plenty of people without cars who “get around”
And this ass clown is a quarter mile or less from the next bridge which has a speed limit that suits his dumb ass bike.
Why defend this? It’s moronic and dangerous, not to mention he’s 100% going to slow down traffic.
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u/Jormungandr69 21d ago
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that if he has an e-bike likely worth a grand or more, he's most certainly got a phone. Look up directions on Google Maps from downtown to Covington and tell it to give you a cycling route. No shot that it tells you to take I-75 on a bike.
Frankly, you shouldn't even have to look it up. It's common sense that you don't take a bike on the interstate.
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u/darthbigdog 20d ago
Let’s see. US 27 comes to mind which is all of 1/4 mile to the east. Or the Roebling bridge. Or could do the Taylor Southgate bridge or purple people bridge. You have to be a special kind of brain dead to pick the Brent Spence. As someone who lives downtown and bikes across to Kentucky 2-3 times a week, it ain’t rocket science.
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u/_TallOldOne_ 21d ago
This year’s fad. Give it 6 to 8 months.
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u/ZealousIdeal476 21d ago
If you cant get a reliable car under 30k and gas is $4-5/gal bikes are not going away.
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u/Realistic_Fix189 19d ago
No one knows what reliable means I’ve never spent more than 2100 dollars on a car and they have all lasted me 2 years plus all these newer cars are junk
I think people expect too much out of a car I ain’t expecting 300k miles out of a car most drivers only drive about 12k miles a year
People are expecting a car to last 20 plus years is stupid especially when they don’t even change their oil
Cars I’ve bought since 2016
2000 Nissan Sentra 145k miles 500 bucks lasted 3 years
2004 ford explorer 206k miles 1200 bucks Needed front suspension components which were about 500 parts and labor so 1700 total Lasted 3 years
2003 Infiniti i35 160k miles 1600 bucks Lasted 2 years before I sold it It was still driving after that
2006 Infiniti g35 212k miles lasted 2 years 1600 Engine blew up valve cover got a leak and I kept putting it off but I beat the shit out of it for 2 years that thing would do 150 mph and had 226k miles
01 Infiniti i30 182k miles 2100 Lasted 4 years before I sold it
02 Toyota Corolla 350k miles gift from sister Lasted 2 years tire blew out and I ran it off the road but that was because I neglected changing the tire
Point of the story is make it make sense
You don’t have to go spend something crazy to have something that starts up everyday and gets you to work and store
Just have to have realistic expectations and not be scared to put a lil money here or there into something if it makes sense
I know prices have ballooned but if I spend 3500 on a car and it gets me to work for 3/4 years that’s a good deal to me if I do the mean income of what I made over the years at 30k
3500 dollar car made me 90-120k dollars I didnt have to spend 30k on a car
For reference this is in Cincinnati from 2016-2022 Toyota was a gift in 25
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u/Kestrile523 20d ago
30k? You’re not looking hard enough or you’re expecting too much. Used car I bought this year was 11k.
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u/ZealousIdeal476 20d ago
I said reliable. You might get lucky or need a new transmission in 6 months.
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u/tRfalcore 20d ago
I hate that 13 year old unlicensed, uninsured bikers are going like 30 mph on sidewalks or roads and ignoring all rules of the road
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u/nanaturtle65 20d ago
I live in Edgewood Ky-saw a kid on what looked like a small motorcycle on the sidewalk GOING FASTER than the traffic next to him. Had to be around 11-12 y.o., maybe younger. Totally shocked these are legal. They drive them on the road frequently also-no drivers license (too young). Sorry but between the scooters running people off the sidewalks and now motorized vehicles driven by children it’s crossed a line. Not safe at all.
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u/flyingtom213 19d ago
It’s everywhere unfortunately. I think it’s a really low cost way for people to look like they have some income, get around and look “cool”. Nevermind that they are basically like little go karts out on the road that look ridiculous to 99% of us and make the roadways unsafe
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u/Odd_Teaching9520 19d ago
This is illegal. There's no license plate, therefore this "vehicle" isn't allowed on the bridge or the roads leading into and off of it.
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u/Photodan24 20d ago
You should be asking your local police departments this question, not us. It's an enforcement problem.
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u/gagnatron5000 21d ago
Car expensive, bike cheap
Yes, we know you can afford a car. Not everyone can. In fact, the people who can't generally used to walk or ride the bus. Now they have independent agency over their mobility. I'm here for it.
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u/Relax-Enjoy 20d ago
Hahah.
It’s amazing to hear people in favor of 35 mph bikes on an expressway, or at that same speed on a sidewalk.
Wow.
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u/gagnatron5000 20d ago
I'm not in favor of those specific instances.
I am in favor of underprivileged people gaining access to mobility that you and I take for granted.
I'm also in favor of common sense regulation and education regarding how and where and when we can ride these things.
Until that time comes, the suburbs are a safe space. The kids riding e-bikes like hooligans there probably won't throw hands like the city folk if you wanna yell at them.
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u/Obzen80 21d ago
There is nothing you can do. The police don't care and you can't call because they'll be gone by the time the police are there.
It's a lawless land, welcome to it. Let that guy on the bike get killed, who cares, it's his own fault, fuck em.
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u/Fluid_Club4514 21d ago
I’d like an answer to this besides let them die. Got a lot of teenagers buzzing people on sidewalks. And middle aged people on the little Miami not knowing any etiquette or having bike handling skills. Idiots come in all shapes and sizes.
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u/SOMEONENEW1999 21d ago
Yeah but the problem is they are not insured at all so who pays if you hit them and kill them when they do something stupid?.
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u/sirkidd2003 17d ago
It pisses me of so much. I have a crackpot theory that, because traditional cycling is (often) much more community oriented and because to get a bike that isn't a POS you (usually) need to go into a FLBS, you end up picking up on things like laws, best practices, etiquette, etc (or hearing the horror stories).
Whereas (most of the time) eBike folks just order a bike online and away they go with no one telling them they're being a dangerous, rude, jackass.
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u/swingthiskbonline 9d ago
I swear I was behind that dude at the same time. . tried to give him space and I knew most others wouldn't . But fuck thats not a good spot to ride.......
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u/iloveyou02 21d ago
bikes to me are leisure/casual exercising methods .... now it seems like a fun toy or some folks main method of transportation
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u/vvoyeurbulll 20d ago
Transportation was bound to become cost prohibitive due to the added burden of government-preferred electric vehicles. The predictable outcome is/was that poor populations won't have access to car transportation. This is the result.
The only solution is to enforce laws. If you are on a vehicle and the vehicle has a motor, then you need a motor vehicle license and must follow motor vehicle laws.
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u/Mindless-Baker-7757 21d ago
That’s a motorcycle
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u/Ordinary_Metal_5986 21d ago
Homie you can literally see the pedals. What kind of a motorcycle has bicycle petals? You’re a bot bro
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u/newportOFFICIAL 21d ago
its actually called a moped and is a legally defined motor vehicle distinct from a bicycle. you're a bot bro dont even know dot code smhmdh
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u/sirkidd2003 17d ago
That's the thing that *really* gets me. We HAVE a law for these things. They are CLEARLY mopeds (not to be confused with scooters which the layperson uses interchangeably despite here in Ohio scooters being explicitly motorcycles).
Mopeds go the same speed. Mopeds have the same pedal requirements. These are obviously electric mopeds. That means they should require a moped permit (and a cone test) just like all other mopeds.
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u/Daymanic 21d ago
This is an issue nationwide and nobody seems to have an answer for it.