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Comment by bobbylarrybobby | Hacker News Reader

The $20k car is not elitist but the $2k ebike is? Interesting.

It's always hilarious to me when people driving $60k vehicles ask me how much the ebike cost and say "that's expensive". The ebike costs less than they pay in insurance a year, much less maintenance, gas, etc.

Some people have weird ideas about cars being "for regular people" while any money spent on a bicycle is a luxury.

I can't carry four other people on my ebike, along with stuffing a minimum of one duffle bag per person, and usually being able to squeeze two in, along with a cooler for drinks, snacks, and sandwiches.

My Telluride can do that though.

Even if I could somehow fit all that shit onto an ebike, I wonder how long it and I would be able to make it before we give trying to go the 125 miles from Fort Worth to Possum Kingdom Lake...

This site infuriates me sometimes at the complete and utter lack of understanding of most of the United States.

> This site infuriates me sometimes at the complete and utter lack of understanding of most of the United States

Most of the US in what capacity? Square miles? Because the majority of the population lives in Cities.

I love reading comments like yours. All throughout this thread you've vehemently argued that your perspective is the right one.

It's a reminder to me that close minded people like you actually exist! You're not here to discuss, you're here to argue. That's pretty unfortunate.

Saying the majority lives in cities is pretty BS though. They aren’t all living in walkable downtowns like Manhattan but rather are living in places like Houston, Phoenix, or Denver that have a few sq miles of what many would consider walkability, very spotty public transportation, and weather for part of the year that keeps all but the insane from wanting to walk to their destination.

Oh how the goalposts doth shift. We are talking about ebiking, not walking. Those of us who are mindful of ecology, climate, and urbanism know lack of walkability is a problem. It doesn't have to be, but it is. It is another issue worth addressing at the policy and funding level.

If people can walk for some of their trips 50-80% of the year and ebike for most of the rest, that is a huge win even if not everyone can adapt to the 'unbearable' sacrifices that go along with that kind of change. "But not literally everyone can do it so it's a terrible suggestion and you are an elitist." Ok cool.

You broke the site guidelines egregiously here. I've already scolded the other user in a different context, but it's not ok to break the rules regardless of how wrong/provocative another comment is or you feel it is.

If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.

I'll do better next time, thanks for the call out.

Appreciated!

As somebody who has lived in many parts of the United States, your comment is infuriating to me.

My family of four gets around great on bicycles, including when two of those members could not yet cycle themselves.

You simply buy a bike that allows easy carrying of little people and all your baggage. Instead of some silly road bike or mountain bike that is meant for sport.

You don't see me making up complaints about the impossibility of transporting a finally by car because a Lotus can't fit them all.

Or how a car can't go from SF to Hawaii. Why would you ever buy a car if it can't support that vacation, right?

These are ridiculous complaints not connected to reality or towards actually looking at the high value that various modes of transport can provide.

I’ve driven a $3k car for almost 15 years. It has needed 3 sets of tires, 2 sets of front struts, a brake job, new power steering lines and a timing belt. I did all of that work, less the tires, myself. I spend about $1000 a year on insurance and registration.

The utility I get out of the car, in absolute terms, is incomparable to my ~$1500 bicycle(that I purchased for utility and even commuted on for several years). I have slept in my car many times. My car has snacks, spare clothes and shoes, a blanket, a pillow, towels, pen and paper, bags for groceries, kick scooters, folding chairs, spare chargers and cables, amongst other things.

Regular people need to bring things they own with them and take them back home. Bikes are trash for that. When I’m on my bike, my credit card serves the function of space.

I agree that an ebike isn't a replacement for a car in all circumstances. However, it is a replacement for a 2nd car. We have kids, groceries, vacations, beach trips, etc and have to have a car for. My wife usually has the car

I use the ebike every day to commute, and for lots of groceries or coffee runs. I've ridden that (or my road bike) ~40k miles over the last 5 years. For the "emergencies" that I do need a 2nd car, I uber. I think I've done it 5 times in the last 5 years.

In terms of dollars saved, at this point an ebike almost costs me nothing. I just use miles traveled * .55 for cost savings over a car.

In terms of co2 saved, I don't know but I consider it a win.

In terms of life enjoyment, I'd MUCH rather be on my ebike than stuck in a box.

So you are not driving a $60k vehicle, living a life of luxury?

I regularly bring things with me on my ebike because it has plenty of room to strap stuff on, and baskets that are handy for throwing stuff into it. I have a cheap bike trailer for moving bigger things that would require, say, a trunk.

You were not the type of person who I am complaining about, but bikes are a great money saving device for most people, and should not be viewed as luxury items.

>The ebike costs less than they pay in insurance a year, much less maintenance, gas, etc.

Let me just get on my eBike and cruise the streets in the 4+ months we have snow, and 6+ months it's cold.

We don't all live in California.

I live in Toronto and, like many other people in cold areas, bike year round. Biking is warmer than walking, and the streets aren't exactly empty in winter either.

There are certainly regions where the weather is impractical to commute or run errands on bikes. But often all one needs is the proper gear and some willingness to change habits.

You don't even address a single aspect of my comment.

Why is my cheaper bike a "luxury" while it allows me to save tons of money in insurance and gas, while the elitist in a super expensive car considers a very practical piece of gear a luxury?

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