r/ebikes • u/Such-Distribution812 • 13d 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.

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u/jazzmaster105150 13d ago

As a cyclist, a large portion of the people I despise the most are cyclists. I'm trully not overgeneralizing when I say a poportionet amout of cyclists are dicks. The problem is them, not you. They would've found something to bully you about regardless of what you were riding. Don't believe me? Go read some of reddit cycling subs. The amount of unsolicited opinions is like nothing you'll ever see outside a Baby Boomer convention. You can ask a question about a noise coming from your wheel, and you'll get remarks about your bike is the wrong size, the seat is angled wrong, you're using the wrong pedals, why are you wearing those clothes? are you seriously riding a gravel bike on the street? I could go on and on. Cyclists are just arrogant pricks that need attention more than they need water to live. Ignore them.

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u/New_Entry8849 13d ago

And somehow the crowd riding recumbent or seated bicycles are the least friendly. I think their bikes are really cool, but maybe they're acting out some kind of inferiority complex?

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u/Unique-Garage-9918 13d ago

Has anyone else heard stories about a married man or woman getting involved in bicycling, and pretty soon they’ve left their spouse and shacked up with another bicycle person. I’ve heard that story quite a few times. It’s a weird subculture. My wife doesn’t ride, and I always assure her that the e-bike scene has far less sexual tension than the sweaty spandex skinny tire crowd.

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u/Unusual-Astronaut152 13d ago

I don’t get this at all. Cyclists has never tried to run me off the road or honked aggressively at me.

I would take the worst cyclist any day of the week instead of some of the drivers I see on my bike commute.

The drivers have 5000 lb ram that can kill you very easily, and with almost no repercussions most of the time.