The Cult of Bike Helmets

The history—and danger—of a modern safety obsession.

By Marion Renault, Jan 16, 2023

Last year, health officials in Seattle decided to stop requiring bicyclists to wear helmets. Independent research found that nearly half of Seattle’s helmet tickets in recent years went to unhoused people, while Black and Native American cyclists in the city were four times and two times more likely, respectively, than white cyclists to be cited.

Whether people should wear helmets was not the motivation behind the repeal, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay said at the time. “The question is whether a helmet law that is enforced by police, on balance, produces results that outweigh the harms the law creates.” For lawmakers, the answer was clear: The potential benefits of a helmet mandate were not worth the harms it did to marginalized Seattle residents.

https://slate.com/technology/2023/01/bike-helmets-cyclist-deaths-do-you-need-to-wear.html

Happy Holidays

NY eBike Fire Problem

New York City Bill to Ban Reuse of Lithium Ion Batteries Is ‘Absolutely Crazy,’ Right-to-Repair Advocates Warn

In an attempt to do something about the horrific increase in battery fires from two-wheeled electric devices this year, the New York City Council has proposed a slate of legislation that would have the unintended consequence of hamstringing the right-to-repair industry for electronic devices, experts and advocates warn. 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy7eka/new-york-city-bill-to-ban-reuse-of-lithium-ion-batteries-is-absolutely-crazy-right-to-repair-advocates-warn 

eBike Batteries Wanted

With millions of electric bikes on the road, helping Americans replace car trips and reduce their personal carbon footprint, there are also millions of lithium ion batteries that will need to be disposed of properly.

Call2Recycle is here to simplify that process. The bike industry came together as the first transportation industry to establish a battery recycling solution and reduce negative impacts on the climate and our planet.

Help us make biking the most sustainable activity and transportation option by recycling your electric bicycle battery today.

https://ebikebatteryrecycling.peopleforbikes.org/

Li-Ion Battery Fire Prevention

Are you scared of increasing lithium-ion battery fire and explosion incidents? Well, you should be, as social media is flooded with the alarming news of battery explosions. For example, a laptop lithium-ion battery caught fire and injured a person, a smartphone battery exploded inside a student’s pocket, a vape pen explosion, and a lot more.

According to US research, almost 195 lithium-ion battery fire incidents occurred from 2009 to 2017. Undoubtedly, no one can deny the worth of lithium-ion batteries in electric devices, vehicles, and smartphones. However, there are some challenges that users still need to tackle carefully.

This article will hopefully help you in understanding the causes of lithium-ion battery fires.

Lithium-ion Battery Fire: Why It Happens & How to Prevent It?

https://etekware.com/lithium-ion-battery-fire/  

Fire Risk

'Fire! Fire! Fire!’ The Perplexing, Deadly Electric Bike Problem. 

Malfunctioning lithium-ion batteries in the increasingly popular form of transportation have been linked to numerous explosions, blazes, and deaths—and little is being done to reduce the danger.

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/electric-bikes/electric-bike-fires-and-lithium-ion-batteries-a4632489902/

When the lithium-ion batteries used in the bikes are poorly made, overused, or charged too long, though, they can cause fires. “It’s very violent, very fast, it’s hard to extinguish,” says Daniel E. Flynn, chief fire marshal at the Bureau of Fire Investigation in New York City’s fire department. “In the battery pack, when they do fail, they can shoot these cells as far as 60 feet, so multiple fires can be related to the battery failing,” he says

Bird eBike for Sale

Available for $1000 

Bird’s new electric bike combines the best features of commuter bikes, mountain bikes, and electric-powered bikes to create the ultimate ride. Built by the same team of vehicle designers and engineers who introduced shared electric scooters to the world, it's perfect for your everyday commute, leisurely riding, and everything in between. Thanks to its manual throttle for a fast recharge, an integrated backlit handlebar display, and a powerful 500w motor, you'll always get an effortless e-boost.

Storing eBike Battery

Several eBike owners were curious about how to store their eBike with winter approaching. The issue was how to handle the Li-Ion batteries. I have searched throughout the Internet and found no certain recommendation. The most informative came from https://www.dnkpower.com/lithium-ion-battery-storage/ Complete Guide for Lithium ion Battery Storage.

Short-term storage: Store the battery in a dry place with no corrosive gases and a wet temperature between -20℃-35℃, higher or lower temperature will cause the metal parts of the battery to rust or the battery to leak.

A new realm of e-bike adventures.

Trek hasn’t just changed our cycling vacation. They’ve changed how riders of different abilities can discover the world together on two wheels. With Trek Verve+ e-bikes, they’re proud to offer the newest, most advanced way to ride longer, farther, and faster than ever before. And the best part? Upgrading to an electric bike is available at no additional cost. So from the California coast to the vineyards of Tuscany, join them for an electric bike vacation in some of the most beautiful destinations around the world.

https://trektravel.com/trip-collection/ebike-tours/  

As a typical FOGBEE pp price comparison, here was our 14-day H2O ($2,200) vs Trek 6-day ($6,000).

- Lodging: Shared rooms - $1000
- SAG Van - $200
- Food (BLD) - $700
- Misc (etc. beer, snacks) - $300

Turbo System firmware release

New features and system improvements for your Turbo await in the latest SPECIALIZED Turbo System firmware release. This update includes battery enhancements to improve health and longevity, giving you the most accurate and reliable charge indication and performance. Battery updates need to be applied by an authorized Specialized retailer. Please contact your retailer to schedule an appointment. Nov 16,2022

America Has An E-Bike Problem

America Has An E-Bike Problem That Can’t Be Solved With More E-Bikes 

The lack of appropriate infrastructure for electric mobility devices is making biking in cities worse.
by Aaron Gordon,September 2, 2022

https://www.vice.com/en/article/88q54x/america-has-an-e-bike-problem-that-cant-be-solved-with-more-e-bikes?utm_source=bikebits&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20221102_BikeBits

On Wednesday, The Atlantic published an article by Ian Bogost (a writer, game designer, and Director of Film and Media Studies at Washington University of St. Louis) about e-bikes. The gist of Bogost’s take is that he bought an e-bike, which is a bigger, heavier bicycle with a motor and battery, and feels weird about it. He says e-bikes have an “identity crisis” because they do not fit within any neatly defined buckets in American transportation and therefore don’t pass on any identity to their users.

The article was widely panned on Twitter, mostly by the usual pro-bike, pro-active streets, anti-car constituency. To be clear, I am a member of that constituency; I bike and walk and take public transportation everywhere (I do not tweet, though). However, I broadly agree with Bogost’s general point about e-bikes, but for entirely different reasons.

Carey's Newsletter

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission bill, BL2022-1449 was deferred until February 2023 after we had a discussion with Diana Alarcon, Director of NDOT. She believes that the Vision Zero task force, which has not yet been appointed, will fulfill the same purpose as a BPAC.

Councilman O’Connell the lead sponsor agreed to defer the bill after Ms. Alarcon promised to create a sub-committee to the VZ task force for biking and walking that would include members who are not on the task force.

I am skeptical (as you might guess) but we agreed to the proposal to give NDOT an opportunity to prove they’re serious.  The first marker is who they appoint to this Task Force. I know several particularly good people who have applied and should be appointed.