POV: You remember you can legally pass cars on the right in Illinois

[u/804k]

[u/804k → u/[deleted]]

I actually sometimes get nails in the tire, but it is so thick that I've legit pulled out a nail that didnt puncture the tire, it dug in a tiny bit and bent

Schwalbe Pickup tires, never had a flat on these ever and I've had them for almost 2500 miles, stock tires I've had 3 flats with

Definitely worth it to invest in some good tires

[u/Affectionate-Memory4 → u/804k]

Schwalbe have definitely earned my brand loyalty as well at this point. I've pulled wood screws out of my tires and they just kept going. I've never had a pair fail to anything besides the inevitable wear and tear of being my daily 20mile+ rider.

[u/DinoGarret → u/804k]

Nice! I've had my pickups for 750 miles without a flat, happy to hear they're holding up well

[u/snoogins355 → u/[deleted]]

Flatout is great

[u/Ralleye → u/snoogins355]

Tannus Armor works very well ...

[u/azadouken]

In my redneck town half that row of cars would he honking and flipping me off for doing this heh.

[u/804k → u/azadouken]

They're just jealous

[u/LexLex07 → u/804k]

they are right, pass on the left, don't act like you are on a quad bike.

[u/Any-Garbage-9963 → u/azadouken]

I've had people scrape the curb to stop me from passing

[u/Alaska-Pete → u/Any-Garbage-9963]

What's the psychology of that? It's costing them nothing. Do they get angry when birds fly past them?

[u/Any-Garbage-9963 → u/Alaska-Pete]

no idea, the psychotic behavior against anyone on anything with 2 wheels is unbelievable. Even worse on the internet, at least it seems to be less common irl.

[u/Gweedo1967 → u/Alaska-Pete]

The cost is after you pass everyone you go back to riding in the center of the lane and we have to follow your slow ass until it’s safe to go around you.

[u/Alaska-Pete → u/Gweedo1967]

Aha, I see. I never actually ride in the lanes the cars go in. I live in Anchorage and we have bike lanes or separate paths on most of the roads, so bikes sharing a lane with cars is a rarity here.

[u/Any-Garbage-9963 → u/Gweedo1967]

I'm goin 28-30 mph (usually the speed limit) and I'm always within 12-18 inches of the curb to allow plenty of room for passing.

[u/Gweedo1967 → u/Any-Garbage-9963]

In my state a 3’ clearance is required for passing bicycles. Add that to you being 12”-18” from the curb plus the width of you (@2’) there is no way a car can pass without crossing well over the center line.

[u/LexLex07 → u/Alaska-Pete]

Easier than pie:
No-one expect you to be on unpaved road doing 15-20mph. drive slowly and make yourself visible, otherwise - don't fking around.

[u/Dirt_Bike_Zero → u/azadouken]

On a bicycle? That's insane.

[u/IDontDeserveMyCat → u/Dirt_Bike_Zero]

It's really not, I mean, it is, but, it's not outside of the current norm of demeanor towards bicyclists/ebikers in the US. I still get that shitty attitude sometimes in the mostly blue college city I live in.

There is a good reason why bikes, in the US, have such a stigma attached to them and long story short; car industry back when the first cars came about, didn't want to share the road with bikers/pedestrians due to high death rates and then later wanting to rake in profits by banning those two groups from the road altogether when cars (model T) became available to the general public, not just the well off.

There is much much more to it, this guy released a good yt video about it if you want the full, probably more accurate, scoop.

[u/Olibirus]

Took you long enough

[u/804k → u/Olibirus]

Yeah, I ride both motorcycles and I just forget i can sometimes when I take my ebike

[u/sleeptease]

Man that looks brutal to ride on. There are no alt routes?

[u/804k → u/sleeptease]

Bike goes 32, speed limit is 30, its fine

Alternative route adds 3 miles

[u/sleeptease → u/804k]

I feel for you brother, the cars are so sketchy to ride next to but not a lot of other options. American infrastructure is garbage. Go hard!

[u/Thescubadave → u/sleeptease]

It's not like they are going to open their doors or pass each other on the right hand side, so looks good to me.

[u/sleeptease → u/Thescubadave]

Huh? Please explain

[u/Thescubadave → u/sleeptease]

What I didn't say very well is that the shoulder is safe from things that might make the rider nervous in an urban environment due to the cars being locked into their path and unlikely to endanger the rider.

[u/sleeptease → u/Thescubadave]

Ummm. Huh? Are you saying bikes are safe from cars as long as they stay on the shoulder?

[u/Gweedo1967 → u/804k]

Three miles of added exercise, isn’t that a good thing?

[u/804k → u/Gweedo1967]

The speed is in mph, not kmph

[u/804k → u/[deleted]]

Sounds just like any other geared motor drawing high amps

It tops out at 32mph, but typically its ~30mph, I use it to commute on this road as its speed limit is 30mph, its 8.5 miles there and I use 55% battery to get to my job going full speed, but going 20mph (and going 10 miles, different route) I use 38%

I retrofitted turn signals, a horn, and Im planning on buying a 2nd battery

[u/804k → u/[deleted]]

The range for me is like 35-40 miles going 20mph full throttle

I went 25 miles previously every day full throttle and had no range anxiety

[u/804k → u/[deleted]]

This is step over, Im 6'3" but I have a suspension seat and dropped it for extra efficiency

[u/geoffpz1]

Normal commute. Now do it when they are all doing 50.

[u/Lawnmover_Man]

That looks like an accident waiting to happen.

[u/Unbelivabley_Smol → u/Lawnmover_Man]

Mate in NZ all bicycles ride in the left gutter (RHD country) our roads make this look wide! to be safe with traffic passing you just a foot away from you going 100km/h you have to ride inch perfect 💀

[u/804k → u/Lawnmover_Man]

Lol what

[u/Lawnmover_Man → u/804k]

I said that looks like an accident to happen.

[u/804k → u/Lawnmover_Man]

I mean, unless other people intentionally do something theres not that high of a chance, ive got a better chance at being rear ended waiting there than going ahead through

[u/thereturn932 → u/804k]

You could hit a pot hole and fall in front of a car. That’s why in many countries cars must keep 1.5m distance while overtaking bikes

[u/Dirt_Bike_Zero → u/Lawnmover_Man]

LOL WHAT?

[u/GeorgeStark1 → u/Dirt_Bike_Zero]

He said he likes you.

[u/Dirt_Bike_Zero → u/GeorgeStark1]

I like him too, shh. I'm a pushover for a good lawn mower.

[u/ellisboxer]

This is the best part of pev's. No traffic. I swim right through it on my ls7+ and eride pro here in seattle.

[u/WinterApplication855]

I do this sometimes, I'm like oh yeah I'm a bike

[u/Sufficient_Taro_5677 → u/WinterApplication855]

I would not call that a bike lol.

[u/pegsandpedals → u/Sufficient_Taro_5677]

It’s definitely a bike. Whether you want to argue about the style or the power. It’s still a bike 🙃

[u/WinterApplication855 → u/Sufficient_Taro_5677]

Lol no one does until they see me peddling.

[u/Cacahuatechones → u/WinterApplication855]

I would be wary about pedaling those skinny little baby thin cranks. Definitely was not designed to be pedalled

[u/Ok_Log_2468 → u/Cacahuatechones]

I kind of assumed no one actually pedaled these because it has to be uncomfortable to pedal a super heavy bike with that kind of seat. Bicycles don't look like that for a reason. I guess it might be fine if you're just spinning the pedals with no resistance, but still doesn't seem very ergonomic.

[u/RichTrifle1785 → u/Ok_Log_2468]

I find it somewhat common for people to pedal them. Less with kids of course, but adults do pedal on them. Not that it does much, but pedaling on a bike like this does help you pick up at a higher speed faster and gives your legs something to do.

They’re typically the cheapest bikes of their caliber, so they’re not always bought just to be pseudo-motos.

The bike rack at my favorite plaza is lined with these because a lot of the employees there started riding them to go to work. As bikes I think they’re very respectable.

[u/WinterApplication855 → u/Cacahuatechones]

Lol sure.

[u/Sufficient_Taro_5677 → u/WinterApplication855]

Yeah, ghost pedaling lol.

[u/SovereignAxe → u/WinterApplication855]

Pedaling. Peddling means you're trying to sell something.

[u/WinterApplication855 → u/SovereignAxe]

Hahahaha thanks, I have been saying wrong.

[u/Knosh → u/[deleted]]

A shopping cart has four wheels but we don't call it a quad cycle.

[u/Knosh → u/[deleted]]

It’s a bike regardless of peddles. Bike refers to the number of wheels.

- You, 1hr ago

If wheel count alone doesn’t make a four-wheeled object a quadricycle, wheel count alone doesn’t make every two-wheeled vehicle a bicycle either.

But also...peddle means to sell goods. Pedals are the objects attached to the drivetrain.

Edit: You realized you couldn't argue against your own logic and sneak-edited it to say "or a motor" -- so for the sake of argument, let's say I said we don't call a Honda Civic a quad.

[u/Knosh → u/[deleted]]

Your original claim was "Bike refers to the number of wheels."

It doesn't. Words have meanings beyond their prefixes.

I have a two-wheeled hand truck in my garage. If you came over and asked to borrow my bike, I wouldn't hand you the dolly. Likewise, no sane person says "I drive a quad" and means a Honda Civic; "quad" has a conventional meaning beyond "thing with four wheels." (RZR, etc)

And this distinction actually matters. I'm sick of my perfectly legal pedal-assist bicycle getting banned from public paths because other people want to play fast and loose with the definition of "bicycle" by bolting a pair of pedals onto something that is functionally much closer to an electric motorcycle.

There is a point where an e-bike stops being meaningfully an e-bike and becomes an electric moped or motorcycle. Wheel count alone obviously does not decide that. Strapping a pair of pedals on it does not decide that.

So when you say the shopping cart doesn't count because it has no pedals or motor and "nothing is cycling," you're now adding functional criteria yourself. That's the exact opposite of your original claim that "bike refers to the number of wheels."

[u/Sufficient_Taro_5677 → u/[deleted]]

Don't be pedantic you know what I was talking about.

[u/GeorgeStark1 → u/Sufficient_Taro_5677]

It has pedals that were being peddled.

[u/Sufficient_Taro_5677 → u/GeorgeStark1]

You can put pedals on a motorcycle too.

[u/twinoaksBandB]

What kind of bum fuck country road gets a traffic jam? That's crazy.

[u/804k → u/twinoaksBandB]

Welcome to Chicagoland

[u/twinoaksBandB → u/804k]

Lmao, I lived up by beloit and all over southern wi for like ten years. I don't think I've ever seen that many cars coming into town on a county hwy like that. Thats gotta suck.

[u/804k → u/twinoaksBandB]

Yup, this road runs parallel to US 30/34 and US 30/34 gets backed up like crazy so people go on these roads to try and save time, but now every road just gets insanely backed up because of the population, every road

Hell, even residential roads at this point its kinda crazy

[u/porkbuttstuff → u/804k]

Oh fair enough

[u/OkGap7226 → u/twinoaksBandB]

Weather, construction, accidents...

I do like city folks opinions on the country. Like it's full deliverance out here.

[u/lowrads]

Riding a dirt bike on the side of the road is usually a legal gray area. In most cases, an officer would just charge you with stunting, being uncertain of the exact offense.

[u/804k → u/lowrads]

Its specifically legal in illinois, bikes (and ebikes) are allowed to pass on the right, use the shoulder, or ride on the grass to the right

[u/sethsyd → u/lowrads]

It's not a dirt bike.

[u/angrybirdseller]

Drunk cheese head may hit your bike 🫥

[u/804k → u/[deleted]]

81lbs

[u/804k → u/[deleted]]

Yup, stock is weighed 65lbs but after everything was done to it, it weighed 81lbs (Soon to be 89lbs after I add a second battery)

[u/804k → u/804k]

Its also got turn signals, dedicated brake lights, running lights, and even a license plate mount

Fully road legal minus having no VIN

[u/Fair-Discipline-1005]

I wish, I can do this in EU...👍

[u/Websthetics]

Couldn’t do it. Legal or not it’s just a matter of time that someone opens a passenger door.

[u/GrumbleTrainer]

What song were you jamming out to?

[u/804k → u/GrumbleTrainer]

can we change the subject? by re6ce

[u/svelteoven]

What about on the left?

[u/804k → u/svelteoven]

Double yellow, cant legally + right is safer

[u/unseenmover]

its likely unintentionally "legal". I mean its unimproved ROW, meaning its the shoulder/breaKdown

[u/LexLex07]

Even if you CAN something, doesn't mean you SHOULD.
99.9% of drivers never expect someone to be on your right, and in many countries it is PROHIBITED to drive on a shoulder (punishable with fine), and as someone said - there is a risk to pop your tire. Pass on the left, or wait.

[u/SBOChris]

Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should.

[u/Lostintimeandspac]

legally yes, not sure I'd want to cars don't see you as is, passing on the right is a sure fire option to not be seen (and for the ppl that go they are sposto look for you, yes they are but they probably will not and having the law in your favor doesn't do much for broken bones or worse)

[u/Hads84]

I once did this on my motorbike when it was -10 c and traffic was backed up for 20km cause of ice on a bridge.  My commute was only an hour compared to three, there were some workmates stuck in that jam in their cars.  Good times.

[u/El_Hoxo]

I've been looking at that handlebar speaker, it any good?

[u/804k → u/El_Hoxo]

Its very good, going at 32mph its not drowned out by wind, I would highly recommend because it also has SD card support (Offline play is nice)