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by eikenberry 225 days ago
On a decent hill you can get a regular bike going >60mph. A dirt bike will let you ride off road at nice speeds over random terrain (no licensing required when not on public roads). In the realm of bikes, these are not an outlier. Limiters are easily overcome and speed limits are barely enforced on cars, let alone bikes. When you get a bike like this you deal with the danger and wear protective gear just like you would with any other bike (motorized or not).
3 comments
ghostpepper 225 days ago
> On a decent hill you can get a regular bike going >60mph.

This is not the same as being able to go > 60 mph anywhere, at any time, simply by pressing a button.

> When you get a bike like this you deal with the danger and wear protective gear just like you would with any other bike (motorized or not).

This only deals with the danger to the rider - it doesn't address the danger to pedestrians.

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eikenberry 224 days ago
Pedestrian danger is the real issue but is already covered as it is illegal to ride bikes on the sidewalk in most cities (and this probably needs to be expanded).

Bicycles have long needed a dedicated infrastructure as they are neither cars nor pedestrians.

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gambiting 225 days ago
>>On a decent hill you can get a regular bike going >60mph.

Yes, I've done this before by riding all the way up a local mountain on a road bike, clad in lycra, then on the way down I went over 60mph. It was terrifying and the physical fitness required to get up there in the first place required months of riding to actually do it. Meanwhile literal kids ride these on pavements, in between people, in cities where pedestrians walk - it's simply not acceptable. And I do own and ride an ebike(limited to 15.5mph) legally.

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umanwizard 225 days ago
Sure, there exist hills where some reckless people who refuse to brake can hit 60mph/100kph on a classical (non-motorized) bicycle. Unfortunately it’s difficult to prevent such stupid behavior, but thankfully, the places where it can happen are severely limited.

Therefore, we should count our blessings that it’s not more common, rather than allowing devices that enable it.

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