Dr. Frankenstein's Bicycle

I heard it well before I saw it yesterday morning.  Then shortly after I saw it I could smell it.  The unholy union of bicycle and gasoline engine.  BEHOLD THE MONSTER!   (At least he wasn't in the bike lane or LFP and he seemed like a nice guy.)

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 26, 2018 at 3:26am

I've seen (and heard) these on State St. occasionally. Uggghhhh!!!!

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on April 27, 2018 at 6:03am

Fringe group of cyclists that I hope never grow large enough to become a daily nuisance.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 30, 2018 at 3:58am

+1

Permalink Reply by LJS on April 27, 2018 at 6:12am

There were a couple of these at last month's Critical Mass (March 2018).  Quasi motorcycle jackets too!  On one hand more people in the mass is good, but on the other hand aren't we supposed to be advocating for human powered transport and getting away from engine dependence?  I could see if the engines were used more for additional power (like electric bike assist) but I don't think those dudes were pedaling at all.

I wonder if I would feel the same way about an electric bicycle.  Probably a bit but less so, since the noise/annoyance factor wouldn't be so high.  Was behind an electric bicycle the other day going up the hill on Halsted from Erie to Chicago and felt jealous more than anything else, based on how fast he was able to get up the hill!

On a separate point, anyone run into the electric skateboards/single wheel boards in any bike lanes?  They seem like an annoyance, nuisance, and potentially quite dangerous.  They can get pretty fast too.  Yesterday I saw one going down the traffic lane on Kinzie, as he was going as fast as cars and much faster than the bikes in the bike lane.

Sorry for the ramble, but gets me wondering - where does the "bike lane" definition begin or end?  If they become motorized skateboard/hoverboard lanes what stops them from becoming any sort of multi use path? 

Permalink Reply by Filka Bean on April 28, 2018 at 11:38am

Seems like San Fransisco is grappling with this because of the electric scooters. I have the same ambiguous feelings about sharing the bike lane and have also been startled by how fast the electric longboards can cruise. I used to skate and the casual stance the riders i've seen taking (fully upright, feet close together) made me pretty nervous... But then i know plenty of folks who feel nervous about me cycling, too.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on May 8, 2018 at 11:20am

The electric skateboarders are a hazard if they are not courteous enough when passing. A group startled me as they whizzed by closer than I felt comfortable with on the Wells street bike lane.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on April 28, 2018 at 12:51am

Plenty of these on the road.  Just Google "Bike Gas Engine Kit".  You know you want to.  For $125 bucks you too can have a motorcycle.

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on May 1, 2018 at 5:35am
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on May 6, 2018 at 2:48am

At that point it is no longer really a bicycle, it is more a whizzer.

These have no place in mass or in the bike lane or really trying to portray themselves as a bicycle.  They are generally rolling hazards because they are often cheap bikes with barely sufficient brakes I stock form with an engine on them adding more weight to stop and allowing a greater speed from which to stop.

It is worth mentioning that many of the terrible Chinese engines they put on these have a per mile carbon emission that rivals that of a California emissions standard semi tractor.

Burn them all.

Or at the very least pull the valve stems of the tires.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on May 6, 2018 at 7:02am

Thank you, DUG.

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