[torpidor]

What you're missing is that bikes, and especially ebikes, are far more viable for transport than most Americans think. In Copenhagen for example bikes are actually the primary mode of transport, outnumbering cars on the roads. Bikes are literally the fastest way to get around in many places.

There are a number of reasons it doesn't work well in the States, but broadly it boils down to a) fitness levels, and b) cultural values, that is, spending on car infrastructure helps American car manufacturers, American dealerships, and American car owners, whereas diverting money to bike infrastructure benefits liberal hippies or something.

ebikes directly address the fitness problem, and there are various technical reasons why they have not been viable until now, mostly boiling down to an improved Li-Ion supply chain. That said, a good ebike is still very expensive, and the ridesharing model works here for the same reason that people spend $15 to take a Lyft downtown instead of buying a $25k sedan they own.

The infrastructure problem is harder, but perversely, these services may be able to crack that one too. Uber/Lyft are quite famously adept at strongarming local governments and just in general the political system is more responsive to moneyed interests than hobbyists. Were bicycling to go from liberal hippie pasttime to Real American Business™ that may resolve the political will to improve the infrastructure. Now adding a bikelane is supporting American innovation and jobs (somebody has to charge those bikes) rather than diverting resources from them.

[ams6110]

Copenhagen in the summer is about 75° F and fairly low humidity. Ok for a comfortable cycle to work. Many midwest American cities reach mid 90's temp and high humidity. If you cycle to work you'll need a shower when you get there, assuming you don't get heatstroke on the way.

Cycling is not viable transportation in many areas, and you can't cherry pick a place like Copenhagen and use that to support a claim that it works everywhere.

Where I live, the weather is amenable to cycling maybe 4 months out of the year, and it's far faster to drive than cycle in any case.

[jsemrau]

You could argue that in winter its getting below 40 in Copenhagen and in you midwest American cities it might not?

[analog31]

I live in the Midwest US (specifically southern Wisconsin). Our temperature generally ranges from maybe -10 to +90 F or roughly -20 to +30 C, with occasional weeks that go beyond this range.

I commute to work by bike throughout the year. Admittedly, I avoid the worst of the summer heat by adjusting my work hours so I leave for work before it gets too hot. Also, I'm kind of a freak in the sense that I don't sweat a lot.

If you're curious about this, the weather history feature for Weather Underground will produce nice graphs for most places worldwide.

[TheCoelacanth]

The midwest has some of the coldest winters of any region of the US because it doesn't have the ocean nearby to moderate temperatures. Most of the midwest would spend most or all of December, January and February well below 40 degrees.

[huntertwo]

In almost every Midwest city it is getting below 40 in the winter with a lot of snow.

[rhinoceraptor]

Commuting by bike is still doable in the 90s. You need a rack/basket on your bike so you don't have anything on your back, and you can't ride hard so you don't sweat as much.