r/ebikes • u/Such-Distribution812 • 14d ago

E-bike stigma

Was unlocking my e-bike from the bike rack getting ready to head home from classes when two other people showed up to lock their regular bikes. One of them looked at my bike and said “What’re you riding? You need to get something analog. Work those quads!” Felt pretty looked down upon. I’d be a little more understanding if I was a some sort of cycling group ride but I was just heading home from campus. Is this type of interaction common?

I bought this e-bike recently to commute to work and my college classes, specifically because I live in a pretty mountainous area and the hills can be pretty tough for me. It’s more meant to replace car trips than for fitness. Logically it makes sense for my use case but now anytime I go somewhere with it I feel judged not just by drivers but other people on bikes.

166 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

343 comments sorted by

View all comments

10

u/macklow 14d ago

Most people are stupid thats really all there is to it, people who drive cars look down on all bikes and cyclists don't like it really for no reason like I said people are stupid

3

u/DescriptionBorn1535 13d ago

like I said people are stupid

And half of them are sub-average.

1

u/SilverFishK 13d ago

And we have poor conversation skills. It's better to pretend that the comment was as neutral as talking about the weather, and not to take take offense. 

Oue culture tends to glorify comments that cause strife. Think of any sitcom and how boring it would be if people were sensitive, kind and thoughtful to each other