submitted 11 months ago by alphabetsheep@lemmy.world to c/micromobility@lemmy.world

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I live in the USA and if I want to get rid of my car I would need to be able to cover 70 miles round trip with moderate exercise in a reasonable amount of time. I think if I could cruise at 35MPH (56 KMH) that would be enough to make the switch.

It may be stupid, but I'd like to try to avoid an electric motorcycle - those need insurance, registration fees, real parking spaces, and a special license. Also, I enjoy getting some activity while riding. FWIW I'm not worried about legality, but I do plan to stay off bike paths/sidewalks to avoid endangering pedestrians and other cyclists.

My idea so far is to start with a gravel bike frame for aerodynamics, efficiency, and sturdiness in case of a pothole or rogue curb. From there I'm thinking about a 1500w hub motor, dual batteries, higher gears, bigger brakes, and permanent lights for visibility. Also a good helmet of course, crashing at that speed can be pretty bad.

Has anyone done something like this and had it go well/poorly? Anything I'm clearly missing in my plan? Also feel free to tell me if I'm an idiot, but I already know that bit.

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[-] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Anything that goes over 28mph is no longer an ebike in the US and would need to be registered as some sort of vehicle. Sorry.

You could get an e-moped or scooter maybe, especially if you don't care about legality but keep in mind at higher speeds you'd want to wear better protective gear rated for those speeds (DOT rated in the US).

Also, keep in mind, motorcyclists are often referred to as organ donors because they die a lot, so if you ride be careful as fuck.

[-] alphabetsheep@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Legally speaking sure. I've never seen that enforced though so I wouldn't be particularly concerned about the legality of it.

[-] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Yeah, probably some sort of moped or scooter or something

this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023

16 points (90.0% liked)

micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility

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Ebikes, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, longboards, eboards, motorcycles, skates, unicycles: Whatever floats your goat, this is all things micromobility!

"Transportation using lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones that may be borrowed as part of a self-service rental program in which people rent vehicles for short-term use within a town or city.

micromobility is seen as a potential solution to moving people more efficiently around cities"

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