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Getting around on a bicycle can be an excellent way to clean up our daily commutes and errand runs, but sometimes you need a little bit of a boost, which is where electric bikes come in. And sometimes you need a little more space to haul groceries and gear with you, which is where cargo bikes come in. Combine the two, and you've got an efficient and fun way to not only get from point A to point B, but to also get the shopping home in a single trip without having to stack boxes and bags on your rear rack until you're wobbling your way precariously down the road (been there, done that).
The capital of Norway, Oslo, is looking to get more of its citizens out of their cars and onto bikes, and more specifically, onto a set of wheels that is made to haul more than just a single person, in the form of grants covering part of the cost of an electric cargo bike. Last year, the city council offered residents a financial incentive toward buying an electric bike, up to 20% of the purchase price of an e-bike, capped at 5000 kroner (about $600). Now that effort has been extended a bit into an electric cargo bike grant program, which will cover part of the cost of purchase of one of these electric workhorses.
Is it the cost of cargo bikes that keeps people from buying them, or the lack of secure parking in city apartment buildings?
(Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Friday February 17 2017, @04:42AM
Hot weather is harder to dress for than cold weather.
I currently only cycle between the temperatures of -27 and 37 degrees Celsius (-18 to 101 Fahrenheit).
I calculated the upper temperature cut-off as the temperature where moving air no longer cools.
The lower temperature cut-off was kind of trial and error. My chain broke at -37C one cold day. If my bike is going to be out of commission for a week anyway, I might as well take the bus when it is that cold. Cycling is not as fun below -25C anyway.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 17 2017, @12:58PM
I currently only cycle between the temperatures of -27 and 37 degrees Celsius
I calculated the upper temperature cut-off as the temperature where moving air no longer cools.
Except it does. It's called evaporation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enthalpy_of_vaporization [wikipedia.org]
This is why humidity is very important factor, not just temperature.
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Friday February 17 2017, @04:39PM
I am aware of evaporation.
Practically, I don't have to worry about the upper temperature cut-off much because it never gets that warm where I live.
I did attend a summer camp that experienced those temperatures. You don't feel like moving at all.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday February 17 2017, @09:10PM
There are a number of factors. Some of it comes down to your personal preferences. I biked in all temperatures, but not heavy rain because soggy socks at work are no fun. In the heat (NYC gets hot and humid) or in the cold I'd wear sports shirts and shorts to wick away any perspiration. I'd change in the bathroom when I got to work; I worked for Bill Clinton so I wore a full suit every day.
It was faster and cheaper than the subway (saved a couple thousand dollars/yr on fares) and I lost a ton of weight doing it. After a while I figured that was my exercise and I wasn't really using my gym membership, so I dropped that too and saved more money. There seemed to be mental health benefits, too, because the exercise to work brought me in relaxed and focused; at the end of the day it was a good way to decompress from the corrupt evil insanity of the Clinton-verse.
But then, NYC under Mayor Bloomberg put in a ton of protected bike lanes, which helps a lot. Also, they salt the roads here so they're passable in the winter except in the middle of a blizzard.
I do kind of wonder about the niche of the cargo bike in particular, though. The people I see with them here haul lots of kids around. For everything else, groceries, etc., there's delivery.
Washington DC delenda est.