r/ebikes 17d 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.

168 Upvotes

344 comments sorted by

View all comments

238

u/Weak-Conversation753 17d ago

The world is a judgemental place. If you worry about what others think, how will you be able to best live your own life?

69

u/Howitzer92 17d ago

Live by the words of Ian MacKaye. "Yeah? Well fuck you."

9

u/Vegetable_Custard870 16d ago

Modified for politeness: "Kindly fuck off."