Best piece of advice I ever heard - when you're on 2 wheels, assume that everyone else is a moron until they prove otherwise

Been bicycling 56 yrs, motorcycling 47 yrs. Just act like they are out to kill you. Keeps you safe.

Good bicycle infrastructure makes the world of difference. Here in the Netherlands cars and bicycles are often completely seperated. In big cities the route you can take with the bicycle is often shorter then by car, which in turn makes people use more bicycles and clearing the roads, so that the people driving dont get stuck in trafic

Long time bicycle commuter, who took a break after knee pain on an e-bike here. It took me one month to realize I'm older now, and the danger of riding in my simi-urban town is too dang high. Got my first motorcycle last week, feeling much more stable, and seen.

As a cyclist, I've learned to never expect a driver to be paying attention or following rules. The risk is too high and the power is too imbalanced.

The thing which makes cycling safer and more attractive is good infrastructure like separated bike lanes etc.

As someone who loves feeling the speed travelling around the city via pedal bike and e-bike, I've recently realized that I really want to own and drive a motorcycle. It seems so fun. And the reason why it's "dangerous" for both cyclists and motorcyclists to commute are the big metal cages (cars), which are an order of magnitude or two heavier and usually don't provide much engagement with the surroundings.

One of the biggest differences on a bicycle especially one with disc brakes is how quickly you can come to a dead stop you have to be very conscious about it in my experience

Safest attitude possible: Whatever two-wheeler you're riding, assume everything, including pedestrians, I mean everything on the road or sidewalks is out to get you. Just you. Nobody else.

Humans: quick to innovate, slow to learn.

Here in Belgium (and even more so in the Netherlands) it's a very different story. The first major difference is that E-assist on bikes is limited by law to 25 km/h, not 32 like in North America. The second part is infrastructure and mindset. Much more separated bike lanes, and drivers are more used to looking for bikes. In the 5-10.000 km I do every year by bike (non-E but I ride on the faster side) I've only been hit once in the past 5 or so years. We do have 45 km/h E-bikes called speed pedelecs, but those require a drivers license (equivalent to moped, but car is also good) and registration. They are also a bit more regulated when it comes to equipment.

Around the time this video came out I was actually looking for an electric bike cause my commute to work was too much in Arizona heat for a traditional pedal bike. After seeing the price tags (3-6k) and licensing if you wanna go over 35mph, I decided to just buy a motorcycle. I’m now a daily motorcyclist and I love every day

But my mum wont let me ride a motorcycle

I have been road cycling my entire adult life, and I never fully understood how batshit crazy it was until I started riding a motorcycle again. I found myself riding my motorcycle down a canyon rode at 45mph, and I realized that I was traveling at the same speed I do on my road bike. Except I had big disc brakes... and a full face helmet... and an armored jacket, pants, boots, and gloves... and lights and turn signals... and a suspension, and tires that have larger contact patches, which weren't traveling through the gravel on or near the shoulder. Meanwhile, when I'm on my 16 lb carbon road bike, I wear spandex and a styrofoam hat. The motorcycle seemed safe AF.

This is an excellent video. I'm a cyclist and I see people on ebikes and escooters riding faster and more recklessly than they really ought to be. When you're 100% riding under your own steam you have (IMHO) a far greater feel for the conditions around you and the responsiveness of the bike. The electric varieties have the ability to make you go quicker than you'd be able to yourself (unless you're an elite level cyclist and at that point your bike control would also be elite) and I've seen quite a few close calls. People need to be way more careful on those things.

Thanks for the video. I'm a bike/ped planner, for a municipality in the US, and I found it very enlightening. The concepts you point out will help me to do my job better as we plan for more ebikes on the road, trails and sidepaths.

The biggest safety feature of my ebike is that I can ride it on bike paths

With gas at $5.50 in California currently, I looked at bicycling to work. My only problem was that the only 2 roads that go to my work, have a speed limit of 50 mph, those 2 roads do not have bike lanes, and are 2 lane roads, 1 lane in each direction. I could not see myself riding a bicycle on those roads with cars whizzing by at 50+. 3 days ago, I got my M1 permit and am in the process of becoming a motorcycle owner.

This is yet another great example of giving cyclists more roads undisturbed by motorists. Since North America for that matter is extremely car dependent, it's basically a death sentence for inexperienced cyclists merging with high speed traffic. This of course applies to basically all places that are car dependent. Definitely a great idea on paper, but without way more city planning to keep not only cyclists, but general motor traffic as safe as possible, this will sadly end in fatalities. Great video! I never actually knew how well bike gear protects us. It's crazy to see what the can take! Stay safe out there, pal!

While stationed in Germany in the early 2000s, Mannheim was the best bicycle riding experience I have ever had. They have dedicated bike lanes and conscientious motorists. Don't know what it's like now but back then it was an enjoyable experience...Bamberg on the other hand, you take your life in your own hands!

I've recently started ebike commuting. Interfacing with car traffic on the street is exhausting, but the separated cycling infrastructure portions are relaxing and great.

I was a commuting cyclist for decades.I got tired of feeling like a target, so I bought a Zero FXS electric supermoto for commuting. Now I can keep up with traffic, and feel much safer. (I was already a motorcyclist, and have a gas bike for longer trips.)

I do both and so for my e-bike I wear a speed rated bike helmet that also has flashing red and white lights, my e-bike has tail and brake lights, an impressive headlight, and I added turn signals, mirrors, and a very loud horn. So as a friend said, it’s effectively a small motorcycle which is exactly the minimum I need riding in crazy suburban US.

I'm an avid pedal cyclist (road bike) and have been riding since I was 6 years old. I'm very good as controlling my bike in all types of situations. In 45 years of cycling I have only had one accident involving a car and two crashes from inattentive cyclists. With e-bikes, those people that ride them typically have not ridden pedal bikes and don't not have the experience of handling a pedal bike, let alone an e-bike that can go 35 mph. I've had several near misses with e-bike riders due to their poor handling skills and speed that is beyond their abilities. Numerous times I have been passed by e-bike riders where they are traveling at over 25 mph on a street with heavy auto traffic. As the number of e-bikes increase you will see a substantial increase in serious injuries and deaths as these cyclists don't have the requisite ability to handle the e-bike.

I've been a cyclist in Seattle since 1999. When I talk about motorcycles, people immediately worry about my safety. Yesterday, I did 30mph downhill on a narrow shoulder in basically my underwear. And y'all think motorcycles are unsafe?

Aside from regulating the speed of ebikes, a lot of the problems here come from the infrastructure. If e-bikes were limited to reasonable speeds, and riders were provided real bike infrastructure rather than forced to choose between busy footpaths or deadly roads, we could see a vast amount of improvement and allow ebikes to become a valuable transportation option

Locally (South Orange County, CA) drivers are getting used to the e-bikes more and more but our big problem is unskilled minors on their first serious powered vehicle with out the skills, knowledge, respect or maturity to to keep themselves or other out of danger. I’m in my 40s now but I can only imagine how bad I woulda wanted to get my hands on one of those things when I was that age and practically speaking I can understand the temptation of convenience for parents to give their kids a means of transportation in a very hilly area where pedal bikes are very difficult for people who are not serious bicyclists to ride practically. But on top of that some of the e-bike these kids are getting are really high performance rides even to the point that it’s essentially and electric motocross motorcycles with no pedals at all! Even when it is a peddled e-bike I’m seeing kids able to do power wheelies for 50 yards (sometimes not even wearing a helmet) and it’s pretty much a daily thing! I don’t want to shut them down altogether, but there should be some serious restrictions and enforcement on what they can have and ride without a drivers license… Motorcycles license.

I sometimes consider adding an E bike to my collection. Upsides, no parking tickets, registration or insurance. Downside. Easily stolen. Have to deal w locking up etc.

We hear you’re up for an Oscar this year.

There's a problem with definitions / nuance here, I think. E-bikes, as in, pedal-assist bikes max at 25 or 30kph (which would greatly, safely decongest urban areas) vs what we should call Electric Motorcycles - yours goes as fast as 60kph on flats.

I loved the analysis!! Excellent data there! Thank you for making this video.

"E-bikes are more dangerous than Motorcycles" Nah, what the hell, no way "My E-bike goes at 60kph" Well that explains it. It's not an electrically assisted bicycle, it's an electric motorcycle

I think the most important point was the speed without experience. To get to 30kph with an "acoustic" bike means you'll have spent quite a while on it and will have the control and balance to go with it. Any slug can pick up an unlocked ebike and whizz by at 45kph. That being said, most of the problem faced are social and infrastructure and are equally problematic for pedal bikes and ebikes, but the pedal bike is more forgiving because you'll likely be travelling slower.

As a person who has moderate experience in various types of transportation I approve this video. I will say I've been hit more times on a bicycle than on my 150cc scooter or in the 49cc. That selective vision shit is no joke. 20,000 to rebuild my wrist after that last crash.

Really appreciate the kind of videos you’re doing! Amazing work!

“...Several stages of training... often spanning 2 years...” Me who got a license from 2 days of parking lot exercises... 😳

In the Netherlands, with a decent bicycle infrastructure/culture, most of these issues do not apply. Except for elderly who would otherwise not be able to cycle anymore - they've been falling and dying ever since the introduction of electric bikes at alarming rates.

One counter example: When I am on a motorcycle I am mostly in traffic. When on a bicycle, I tend to take back streets, sidewalks, alleys, parks, bike paths, etc. I DON'T try to be a motorcycle when I am on a bicycle. I take advantage of the slow speed to avoid problems, and relax.

In the US, roads are designed almost exclusively for cars and it is easy for any driver to momentarily lose focus and cause an accident. The big difference is that a car is easier to see and provides more protection in an accident. The difference in mass between colliding objects greatly affects who experiences the worst outcomes in an accident.

More abrasive than an Internet forum slayed me XD

In Finland, where I live, e-bike electric assist is limited to 25 kph (15.5 mph). Traffic design is also less car-centric and bicycle infrastructure.. exists. It's not great everywhere, but it's a thing. So this is one way to go. They are not motorcycle equivalents, they're what it says on the tin, electric-assisted bicycles, which go at bicycle speeds on bike paths and lanes. If you wanna go faster, electrically or otherwise, it's gonna be a motorcycle with all the associated licensing and standards.

Most of the clips showing e-bike accidents showed someone doing something really stupid, e.g. turning left in front of an oncoming car. That doesn’t show that e-bikes are inherently more dangerous, only that some e-bike riders seem to think they are invincible.

I like your presentation style. I have an e-bike, but it's looks like a small scooter. (Niu UQi+ Sport) To get better at riding regularly at 30kph (a speed I can't reach on my human-powered bike), and considering the accelerative power and shape of it, I look for motorcycle tips and tricks videos like this one. I was amazed at first that things like counter-steering or making tight U-turns apply to my situation. I overheard a cyclist pointing out my scooter-like e-bike and complaining that she now has to look behind her before over taking someone, for fear of a speedy e-bike coming from behind in the bike lane. I told her that bike, e-bike, pedestrian, motorcycle, or car, you ALWAYS have to look behind you before overtaking anything or anyone. I've been cut off waiting at a red light by a speedy cyclist burning that red light! E-bikers aren't the problem... dumb commuters are. 😜 Safety first! She grumbled and cycled away, still hating e-bikers... EDIT: Just realizing now that this video is over 2 years old. I just subscribed, so my feed is filling it with your older stuff... lol.

You make very valid points. The other thing I've noticed as someone who has cycled to commute my entire life, is that many people buying e-bikes have actually never really cycled before. As a child, I had my fair share of accidents and falls, and that has taught me a thing or two about what to avoid and what to expect from pedestrians, cars,... and so this acquired knowledge will be used to avoid unnecessary risks. A lot of these beginners on e-bikes have had no experience of misfortunes and are therefore completely oblivious to the risks they're taking. That being said, regarding all cycling (with the purpose of commuting), I think it must be said that most of these problems can be solved or mitigated through better infrastructure AND mandatory education for children on the behavior to adopt when cycling and on the things to which they should pay attention.

Funny thing is, in germany the faster ebikes actually require you to have a license by law. If the pedal assist allows you to reach speeds of over 25 kilometers per hour you need atleast a 50 CC License to ride them and they need to have a scooter licenseplate and insurance. If the eBike is faster then 45 Kilometers per hour its classified as a motorcycle and requires you to have a motorcycle license.

I've been commuting on an ebike for a few weeks now, and I couldn't agree more. It's convinced me I'd love switching to a motorcycle as soon as I can afford it. At this point my bike is basically a 50cc scooter anyway. I added mirrors, turn signals, and even switched to a full face helmet after learning the hard way that rain hurts at 30mph

I'd totally agree with your conclusion if the media didn't paint ebikes with the same brush as motorcycles, some old man with 6 DUIs on an ebike gets smoked because he doesn't follow rules and the media starts ringing the "motorcyclist dead, raise the insurance rates" bell.

The ending speech is so adequate.

To answer a common question: yes, the e-bike in this video pedal assists up to 32km/h. It's possible to do that speed, even uphill, with minimal effort. Hitting 60.5km/h was not the result of illegal modifications or Herculean leg strength. Just downhill. ~RF9

This is why e-bikes here in the UK and Europe, are limited to 250w and 15.5mph. Any more than that, it’s classed as a Moped and requires licence, insurance, tax, mot, an actual motorcycle helmet etc.

As a teenager who never got his drivers license yet, the way I always traveled to places for around 4 years now, was via e bikes. Since I’m in a very very countryside area getting hit by cars is very low compared to a more urban area, but I do agree how it is more dangerous. With lower personal safety and drivers not looking out for bikers, I do agree that E bikes are way more dangerous. This is a great video !

In the EU, e-bikes are limited to 25 km/h for this reason.

In Germany, E-Bikes are limited to support you up to 25kph/15,5mph, beyond that it's muscle power if you want to go faster. That really helps in keeping the accident numbers down. There are practically no high speed accidents, just typical "normal low speed" bike accidents. [Edit: Speed]

I commute on an E mountain bike ,which is pedal assist only. With this arrangement you have total control of the bike, if you don't pedal you get no assistance. I believe it's the safest kind of E bike, because when you stop pedalling the motor stops.

I think another factor is that a lot of people who have taken to ebikes are people who would not have considered riding a pushbike, meaning there are now suddenly a whole lot of new, inexperienced riders out there who are in charge of relatively fast vehicles. Whereas if you've already been riding a bike for 30 years, you're probably a lot more sensible in how you ride an ebike.

I commuted on a MC for several - years. The answer is dedicated bike lanes that do not mix with traffic at all.

I ride with the thought that they don't see me and ride with that in mind.

Very good video! Thank you for putting this out here 👍

I got a friend who does Postmates deliveries on his e-bike every now and then. when he's riding through the city doing his deliveries he's wearing the same helmet that he would wear if he was doing downhill mountain biking. People look at him weird because it looks like he's just on a bike but when he takes off and he's keeping up with traffic if not blowing past them that crazy speeds they get it.

His filming style and production value are second to none.

In the Netherlands your ebike is allowed to go 25kmph otherwise you have to get a special moped license plate

I'm a postman - riding either a euro derived elec bicycle or a motorbike. On the elec bike, which is 'power assisted' -(so u gotta pedal to get power- no 'throttle'), I've made just over 50km an hour downhill freewheelin, so it can do the intown speed limit kinda,- and I regularly get passed on runs by elderly people not even pedaling on elec bikes- they just hoon thru intersections, race down paths across driveways- crazy. But probably the worst thing is as posties we're trained to use the elec bikes as motorbikes- ie:- take up a full lane on the road etc, basically act like a motorbike, yet have no indicators, no protective gear-, oh wait, we do get helmets ;) , the weird thing is I seem to get more people in cars not seeing me on a motorbike??....... there seems to be a huge gap in road safety when it comes to 2 wheeled elec vehicles.........on the elec bike you're seated quite high up- the amount of people I see driving along looking down at phones every day would scare the crap out of you, and don't even get me started on elec scooters doing at least 30-40km on pathways with pedestrians and driveways- mennnntal! The only solution is to imagine you're invisible and ride to counter that.

Sorry I'm so late to the party but I thought I'd share that in late 2021 here in the not so great State of NY, I learned that ebike regulations were so strict, that I ultimately bought a motorcycle instead. Federally, ebikes are considered non-motorized vehicles and require the minimal manufacturing safety requirements. Those requirements vary in many of the 50 states where they generally fall into three classes of e-bikes based on motor size and/or speed capability. Here in NY they are ALL legally allowed to be operated SOLELY on streets or roads with speed limits of less than 30mph. That leaves me breaking the law if I leave my driveway as my road's limit is 45mph. The even bigger nut kicker in NY is that the fastest Class 3 ebikes, or those capable of reaching speeds of no more than 28mph are only allowed in towns or cities with populations of more than 1,000,000! According to census data the most recent 2022 DMV Traffic Law means that outside of NYC, being Manhattan and the four outer boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx, which is the most populous city in the United States, with a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2), you cannot explore the rest of the 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2) area of of the State. That's about 12 million other people unable to legally ride a Class 3 e-bike on the thousands of miles of 2 and 4 lane highly rural sparsely occupied roads with posted speed limits of up to 55mph other big but less popullated cities like Albany and Rochester, even though some $2,500 moped style bikes come with full motorcycle sized and DOT rated headlights, taillights, brakelights, turn signals, mirrors, tires and electronically locked speed limits! Some of them will give you the unlock codes if you promise to only speed on private property and stay off public roads entirely. I learned California was pretty much the same when I got in touch with a locally designed but Chinese built ebike company. It's even worse for the already booming electric scooter market!! I can confirm that New York doesn't care that your $5,000 8000kw to 12000kw ride has DOT approved lights, mirrors, brakes, tires, VIN tags or that the manufacturer has met all the Federal regulations to be issued a 17 digit VIN to become a fully registrable vehicle in the United States if it can reach speeds above 40mph or if it is only capable of reaching speeds less than 40mph which would then categorize it as a limited use motorcyly or moped. New York further forces the manufacturers to provide that Federal documentation and makes them jump through any other additional hoops they see fit regarding but not limited to physical inspections and any modifications they need necessary and expect before it will add them to the database of vehicles approved to be registered with the NYS DMV in any of the 3 classes for Electric vehicles under 40mph. I may be off on the speeds and exact language but I think the classes are below 15mph, and above 15 but below 25mph, and above 25mph but below 40mph are categorized as mopeds or limited use motorcycles. Anything capable of speeds above 40mph is simply a motorcycle that meets all Federal requirements, has a 17 digit VIN and not subject to the other hoop dancing or limitations. They also specifically state that you cannot modify, reconfigure or simply remove the pedals and increase the size of the original electric motor of any other company's pre-manufactured and publicly sold fully electric, or electric assist aka e-bike to circumvent the regulations and attempt to register it as a limited use or fully registrable motorcycle! It even took several phone calls and emails to the State DMV offices before they agreed to send me a copy of the paperwork necessary for manufacturers to apply for the privilege of being added to the database because I wasn't connected to any company or an "officially recognized" journalist. But I pressed on. Through a small scooter website I was able to get a phone number that got me an email address where I was successful in requesting a blank voided copy of their Certificate of Origin explaining that I wanted to take it to my local DMV to see if I could get it legal. They literally sent me a sketchy document with a blurred Manufacturers Name and a vehicle identification number that had only 6 alpha numeric characters followed by Zeroes filling the rest of the legally required 17 digits for a Federal VIN to be issued. Those 6 digits led me to true manufacturer's documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, who oversees all things vehicle related at the Federal level and makes all that available online as public information. From those documents I got the company owners name and address and phone number in China which I wasn't yet prepared to call. That info led to more digging and led to a fully Chinese text only site with links to low resolution scans of internal document showing inventory movement that after running through scanner software and Photoshop gave me the the address and phone number to a warehouse in Sacramento California for one of if not the biggest Chinese scooter manufacturer that sells direct online under several brand names and also wholesales to anyone who buys X amount of products to become licensed to market them re-branded under their own name in any combination of online or at physical locations. By this point I was physically exhausted and super pumped, but after an countless number of attempts from 7am to 6pm for a week with no answer or voicemail I finally gave up the fight. A few days later I got a call at 3am from an English speaking man who turned out to be the 25 year old representative for the company who handles inventory here in the States but who was in China that wanted to know why I had been calling him in the middle of the night! It turned out the number was an unpublished inside line ported directly to his whats app account in China! We spoke for several hours about the legal situation here, how he could help the company could corner the huge NY and ultimately other markets if they jumped through the hoops that would ultimately let them advertise their electric scooters as "guaranteed road legal NYS or your money back". He was enthusiastic but disappointed that I had the foresight and done the legwork, but not the financial means to become a dealer either solely online or brick and mortar. With the latest craze of free for all "ride-outs" of any and all type, size and displacement of 2, 3, and 4 wheel vehicles taking over the streets of NYC and other metropolitan cities across the country, the NYPD is so under staffed and with ill-equipped vehicles to round them up that they've pretty much abandoned stopping electric scooters because of the literal thousands of legal and illegal Grub-Hub and other local delivery scooters. The inside scoop is that if they can't hear your wide open exhaust they won't bother you unless you're really out of line or showing no respect for traffic lights and signs in their presence. I learned all of this over hundreds of hours over 2 months on the phone and digging online that I thought would ultimately get me all the information available before I spent several thousand dollars on a vehicle that could wind up in impound or potentially lost through seizure if I couldn't afford legal assistance to recover from some small town whose judge decided to make an example of a 57 year old disabled guy trying to lose some weight on a pedal assist ebike or enjoy a slow moving scooter that doesn't require plates or inspection but must be approved by the State for public road use. When I asked how they justified allowing the fastest electric bikes in the most congested city in the nation and ban them in the rest of the state i got a bunch of huffing an puffing about supposed safety concerns and no-fault insurance liabilities the state might have to eat for victims and blah blah blah so until the laws change I'll be on my treadmill! I'm nor ready to hit country roads the old fashioned way leaving me more likely to get hurt unable to avoid the real threat of charging bear, deer, racoon and loose dogs or being showered by the wonderful aroma offered by a frightened skunk. I went as far as offering that if the company wanted to sponsor me and cover any legal issues, I would consider riding any of their 40mph+ scooters across the country and do promotional stops at all their dealers but I haven't heard back or followed after I bought the 2022 CFMOTO 700 CL-X Heritage that I've put over 6,000 miles on since October 14, 2022!! It later became motorcycle.com's Best Lightweight/Entry-Level Motorcycle Of 2022 which was very cool but a bit unfair. While it does fit the lightweight category at 193 kg or 432lb wet, I really don't think that 693cc motor putting out 77hp @ 8500rpm and 50.2 ft-lb @ 6,500 rpm with Sport and Eco modes is a beginner's ride! Anyway, please keep the great videos coming and the odometers turning!!

As a RTW motorcycle rider and a professional Down Hill mountain biker I love Ebikes for what they can offer us competent riders BUT..... I have also working in a Ebike shop for the past 2 months in New Zealand (where there's no speed limits for Ebikes and you can use throttles) and 80% of the clients are over 65 years old. The crashes our customers have are very common and usually very bad. Yet when I say I ride motorcycles they also say that I should stop as they are dangerous. So this video sums up my life atm, well done shain FortNine

Can we just appreciate how consistently good these videos are?

I’m not an Ebike rider, but I do ride both a pushbike and a motorbike. In New York and Chicago before that. I think one issue is that Ebikes are neither fish nor fowl. They can’t keep up with street traffic, yet when they use the bicycling infrastructure they often become a hazard to slower folks pedaling their bicycles. I think Ebikes are very cool if you have health or age related issues that would otherwise prevent you from bicycling, they’re also excellent for food delivery, when you’ll be riding all day for a full work shift. I’d love to see some city streets closed to normal street traffic and repurposed as MUP through cities, more space would help immensely. e-cars are just a lie. Trading a power source while continuing to build 4 person vehicles is a dead end. We really should build vehicles for how we travel, and for the most part, that’s alone.

My ebike of choice is slow chopper. Motor provides 1000w, but top speed is only 18 mph. Where ebike makes real difference with motorcycle is parking. You can't drop motorcycle wherever you want, but you can do it with ebike, and you also can take it home with you (which is now biggest problem for me - no safe parking space near home).

This is actually such an important message to get out there. There are so many things that individuals and city planners etc could be doing to help.

Been riding bikes and ebikes for years. I avoid high traffic areas and hardly ever travel on the side of a busy road. I cut through industrial areas, neighborhoods, parking lots, trails.

This is a great video, and interesting food for thought. Of course this analysis assumes riding an ebike in mixed traffic with motor vehicles. As soon as you introduce Dutch-style infrastructure and an EU 25km/h limit for ebikes, the equation is completely different, and ebikes come out very far ahead in safety (though not as safe as acoustic bicycles). This definitely applies for what the Dutch call "spoed pedelecs", but more than anything, this is just more evidence that safe cycling infrastructure is what's needed in cities more than anything else.

Don't have a bike yet but it's nice to see anything here on the subject that is thought out thoroughly and calmly.

Here in central Japan, ebikes are all over, and ridden by ages 20 through 90. They mostly mix in with traffic, apart from stroads with high speed traffic and separated rights of way for pedestrians and bikes. Penalties for striking a bike are severe, and that makes drivers careful for the most part. Helmets aren't mandatory but a lot of people wear them. A difference from the US is that ebike motors are limited to 250 watts, to keep them behaving like bicycles.

60.5 kph seems really fast for an ebike. In California, Class 3 ebikes are required to cut off assist at 28mph (~45 kph). Above that you enter the category of 'motor driven cycle' that requires a Class M2 license and is forbidden on bicycle paths. EDIT it looks like the bike in your video is a Norco Scene VLT which tops out at 25kph- have you done something naughty to your controller? ;)

As a motorcycle instructor finally i can show this video to people when they ask me what is more safe

To me this just highlights the dangers of cars and car infrastructure over the danger of ebikes. Most of the accidents could have been avoided with better bike infrastructure, especially protected intersections where most intermodal conflicts arise.

In Denver, cyclists like to act like cars and demand space on the road but then turn into pedestrians and try to run stop signs and red lights. Of course they get mad if you already happen to be going through the intersection when they get there and have to stop.

The video title should be, "Why Stupid People are More Dangerous than Others."

When people in cars see a bicycle approaching, they're not expecting it to be going 30 mph.

In New Zealand most recreational cyclist wear high visibility vests. They don't cost much and may save you from an accident.

i just recently got a peddle e-bike and I treat it like a regular bike. I ride on side streets or sidewalks when I have to because I live in America. I refuse to compete for space with cars. separate infrastructure (and proper regulations on the speed of and types of e-bikes) are what is needed to decrease injury rates. a throttle only e-bike should probably be treated like a motorcycle, while a peddle assist 20mph max e-bike should be treated more similarly to a regular bicycle, but bikes are not seen as a legitimate mode of transportation by most local governments.

I rode an ebike to work a few months. It was so much more scary than a motorcycle. I had so many close calls almost every day but I'd arrive at work happy.

In many countries, e-bikes are only allowed to assist you up to ~22 km/h. After that, it's on you to go faster. This is no doubt effective, but probably sucks for those who can safely go faster (people in rural areas etc)

Whether I’m riding my motorcycle or e-bike,or flying my drones, the few always spoil it for the many!

You hit 60 k on an e-bike and average 30 k an hour? Heck. I recently sped up to 51.8 kph on a road descent (!!!) on my CX bike, my new all-time high (before that, was 46.5 kph on a descent in the woods). I barely max to 40 kph, and averaging 25 is outstanding for me. I know my bike is far from being the limiting factor. I must be doing something *seriously* wrong. (Disclaimer: I am *NOT* overweight by far.)

The one exception I would take to this assessment - and it is a very context dependent one at that - is that some cities have good bicycle infrastructure separated from cars. Mixed use trails through parks or on former rail corridors. If you're able to do a significant portion of your commute on that kind of route, the e-bike becomes the much safer option. With the very important caveat that you keep your speed to the reasonable level of a normal bike, and just enjoy the benefit of assistance for getting started and going up hills. Whether we're taking about e-bikes or e-scooters or more novel mobility solutions like the One Wheel, there's no question that we're in an awkward transition phase and unfortunately it's going to take a lot more people getting hurt and killed before we sort out how best these vehicles can share the road with cars.

"I'm not going to tell you to be safe, just leave us alone" Is not what I was expecting.

As one who commuted into the big city (~40 miles daily) on a medium sized mc, it was interesting to hear your list of advantages. It's changed a bit in 40 years!

Here's why I want an E-bike. • I want access to bicycle infrastructure, the further I can be from cars, the better • I don't think I have the means to store a motorcycle. • Insurance is expensive! Ideally I'd like to rid myself of car ownership & vehicle insurance as a whole. • I haven't investigated how practical a motorcycle could be for shopping. (I want an Electric Bakfiets specifically) We definitely need to do something with respect to the accountability and training of high-speed cyclists.

"The UK has a culture of commuting on two wheels" really, that's not my experience, you should look to the continent for bicycle culture

This deserves a mandatory national broadcast.

And still my parents get a heart attack whenever I mention that I want to get a motorcycle license but have no problem with me riding to school with no helmet at 7 am on my e-bike

it is more dangerous based in the premise that you can go as fast as 60kph, in all europe, e bikes are caped at 25

As a guy who has commuted on both a motorcycle and a bicycle, you hit the nail on the head with this one.

As a long time commute by bicycle guy, who shifted to motorcycles after being hit from the rear on my bicycle by a car doing over 50MPH, I have lots of painful thoughts about both two wheeled worlds. After the car v bicycle incident in 2008, i stopped commuting to work on my bicycle, ending a 40 year love affair. I thought certainly the motorcycle would at least fulfill my need to feel the wind in my face. Fast forward to 2022, I am returning, for health reasons, back to bicycle commuting via a Riese Muller Superdelight Ebike class 3 pedalec (speed assist up to 28 mph). I still have my two wheeled HOG of thunder but i have decided i would rather die doing what i love, getting to work on a bicycle, than live in fear of what if's. My time on a motorcycle makes me a better bicyclist and my time on a bicycle makes me a better motorcyclist. If your gonna die and we all are, die doing what you love.... just don't be stupid and premature about the whole damn mess. Cell phones in cars are evil to anything on two wheels.

Great comments. However, It’s getting tiresome sharing the walkways with folks on ebikes, e skateboards, one wheels, e scooters all zipping at full throttle, on the sidewalk, boardwalk, cutting across foot traffic etc… On the actual street it’s no biggie, I like seeing folks with their e machines, reduces congestion, cleaner, etc. Thanks for posting the video and stats.

Apples and oranges referred to in the video...: Well, the legal definition of an ebike is very different between the US and Europe (and many other jurisdictions). US mostly allows a 750W motor with a top limit of 32km/h (20 mph), while the EU allows a 250W motor with a top limit of 25 km/h. Another differentiator is use: there is more of a bicycle culture and infrastructure in many European cities than in most US cities.

ride as if everyone on the road is trying to kill you. Edit: wow didn't expect this to blow up. I guess you all can relate XD

As an ebike commuter, I’ve taken a lot of advice from this channel and treat my bike more like a motorcycle than a regular bicycle. Especially given that since it’s a RadRunner Plus with a controller upgrade and planned 1000w motor swap in the near future, at this point it basically is an electric motorcycle with a lower top speed.

To be honest, that's a problem of infrastructure in NA. If the government would allow for appropriate infrastructure to accommodate bicycles in a safe manner, you'd actually be safer on a bike. If you're interested in how that would look like, check out the "Not Just Bikes" KZfaq Channel and its comparisons between infrastructure in the Netherlands and NA. (I'm from Germany and even though our infrastructure is several magnitudes better than NAs infrastructure, I wish I lived in the Netherlands every time I watch NJB YT Videos)

Modified an ebike for my 7yr old boy. He has good traffic sense and awareness. I egg him to go faster but he tells me he only wants to go up to 20km per hour. I communicate with him via bluetooth headset, giving constant instructions. We've started to hop on to the road occasionally and will teach him how to indicate soon. I Modified the lighting for high visibility day or night. I believe starting young will build experience and confidence until his ready for a motor vehicle.