Commuting to school by e-bike?

[Anonymous]

OP, I've read a bunch of your threads and now feel invested in your school search. (I know. I need hobbies.)

Let us know how it all turns out! Wishing you good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge e-bike proponent (the real e-bikes and not the electric motorcycles pretending to be e-bikes). I’ve ridden thousands of miles on DC city streets sometimes with my child on the back, sometimes alone, and increasingly now accompanied by my elementary aged child riding their own bike just in front of me. I accept that biking in the city is likely the highest risk activity we partake in. I still think it is worth it. I will say in 8 years of daily riding I’ve never been hit or even had a significant close call. I am cautious and pick my route carefully. I follow the rules of the road (not riding through lights etc) and when not in a bike lane I take the lane (meaning I ride in the middle of the lane so cars can’t miss seeing me or sideswipe me).

I fully understand people who don’t feel comfortable doing it but if you are interested in it I also recommend joining the dc family biking group and testing it out.

And yes my bike was expensive but I we still spend less money on it than our car (even though my bike gets more mileage a year than the car).

Your bike gets more mileage than your car because you live in the city and you are using it to replace walking and public transit trips. We live in the city with a car and no e-bike, and almost never use our car. Instead we walk and take public transit.

An e-bike is a luxury item. It's a great way to make a 20 minute walk into a 5 minute bike ride, and it is useful if you are towing small kids or groceries. But they are expensive, have relatively short life spans (compared to both cars and traditional bikes), kids outgrow them before they can safely bike on their own, and yes, they are more dangerous than other options. I'm glad you enjoy riding your e-bike but it's essentially a hobby for you. It's not a replacement for a family car, as you well know, since you still have a car.

My bike very much replaces car trips. I go grocery shopping and buy more than I can carry on my bike. I commute to work daily on it because it takes the same time as driving and is faster than public transit. I bike from DC to the Silver Spring YMCA instead of driving. I still have a car because I bought it in 2005 and it hasn’t died yet. I doubt I’ll buy a new car when it dies. I will definitely buy a new e-bike when it dies (though it is 7 years old and in great condition so that likely won’t be for a while).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge e-bike proponent (the real e-bikes and not the electric motorcycles pretending to be e-bikes). I’ve ridden thousands of miles on DC city streets sometimes with my child on the back, sometimes alone, and increasingly now accompanied by my elementary aged child riding their own bike just in front of me. I accept that biking in the city is likely the highest risk activity we partake in. I still think it is worth it. I will say in 8 years of daily riding I’ve never been hit or even had a significant close call. I am cautious and pick my route carefully. I follow the rules of the road (not riding through lights etc) and when not in a bike lane I take the lane (meaning I ride in the middle of the lane so cars can’t miss seeing me or sideswipe me).

I fully understand people who don’t feel comfortable doing it but if you are interested in it I also recommend joining the dc family biking group and testing it out.

And yes my bike was expensive but I we still spend less money on it than our car (even though my bike gets more mileage a year than the car).

I sometimes seeing people doing this when I'm driving and the first thing I do is find another route. I am terrified about driving by an elementary school student on a bike. They don't have the skills or reaction time or the presence of mind to deal with unexpected situations and, as a driver, I want no part of that. I am baffled as to why parents think this is a good idea. It seems spectacularly dangerous. I also don't know what the parent trailing behind them thinks they're going to do. If there's an accident, it will be over before you even know what happened.

So let me get this right. You see a kid riding a bike and you are terrified that you are not a skilled enough driver not to slow down, give them space, and not hit them? I’m glad you pick a different route to avoid riding by kids on bikes but I seriously think you should maybe consider giving up driving,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge e-bike proponent (the real e-bikes and not the electric motorcycles pretending to be e-bikes). I’ve ridden thousands of miles on DC city streets sometimes with my child on the back, sometimes alone, and increasingly now accompanied by my elementary aged child riding their own bike just in front of me. I accept that biking in the city is likely the highest risk activity we partake in. I still think it is worth it. I will say in 8 years of daily riding I’ve never been hit or even had a significant close call. I am cautious and pick my route carefully. I follow the rules of the road (not riding through lights etc) and when not in a bike lane I take the lane (meaning I ride in the middle of the lane so cars can’t miss seeing me or sideswipe me).

I fully understand people who don’t feel comfortable doing it but if you are interested in it I also recommend joining the dc family biking group and testing it out.

And yes my bike was expensive but I we still spend less money on it than our car (even though my bike gets more mileage a year than the car).

Your bike gets more mileage than your car because you live in the city and you are using it to replace walking and public transit trips. We live in the city with a car and no e-bike, and almost never use our car. Instead we walk and take public transit.

An e-bike is a luxury item. It's a great way to make a 20 minute walk into a 5 minute bike ride, and it is useful if you are towing small kids or groceries. But they are expensive, have relatively short life spans (compared to both cars and traditional bikes), kids outgrow them before they can safely bike on their own, and yes, they are more dangerous than other options. I'm glad you enjoy riding your e-bike but it's essentially a hobby for you. It's not a replacement for a family car, as you well know, since you still have a car.

My bike very much replaces car trips. I go grocery shopping and buy more than I can carry on my bike. I commute to work daily on it because it takes the same time as driving and is faster than public transit. I bike from DC to the Silver Spring YMCA instead of driving. I still have a car because I bought it in 2005 and it hasn’t died yet. I doubt I’ll buy a new car when it dies. I will definitely buy a new e-bike when it dies (though it is 7 years old and in great condition so that likely won’t be for a while).

You must have bought one of the higher end e-bikes. Is it a cargo bike? We know people who have had the Lectric Xpedition (around 2k) as well as the Xtracycle Swoop (around 5k) and I've never heard of one lasting 7 years without at least a battery replacement, and the batteries are so expensive that depending on the bike many people will just replace the whole bike. We also know people who have one of the above and purchased an extra battery so they can cycle them out, and that extends the life obviously because each battery is working half as much. Do you have a Tern? I have heard those are better, but 8k is a lot for something you can never take on a highway.

They are definitely luxury items.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge e-bike proponent (the real e-bikes and not the electric motorcycles pretending to be e-bikes). I’ve ridden thousands of miles on DC city streets sometimes with my child on the back, sometimes alone, and increasingly now accompanied by my elementary aged child riding their own bike just in front of me. I accept that biking in the city is likely the highest risk activity we partake in. I still think it is worth it. I will say in 8 years of daily riding I’ve never been hit or even had a significant close call. I am cautious and pick my route carefully. I follow the rules of the road (not riding through lights etc) and when not in a bike lane I take the lane (meaning I ride in the middle of the lane so cars can’t miss seeing me or sideswipe me).

I fully understand people who don’t feel comfortable doing it but if you are interested in it I also recommend joining the dc family biking group and testing it out.

And yes my bike was expensive but I we still spend less money on it than our car (even though my bike gets more mileage a year than the car).

I sometimes seeing people doing this when I'm driving and the first thing I do is find another route. I am terrified about driving by an elementary school student on a bike. They don't have the skills or reaction time or the presence of mind to deal with unexpected situations and, as a driver, I want no part of that. I am baffled as to why parents think this is a good idea. It seems spectacularly dangerous. I also don't know what the parent trailing behind them thinks they're going to do. If there's an accident, it will be over before you even know what happened.

So let me get this right. You see a kid riding a bike and you are terrified that you are not a skilled enough driver not to slow down, give them space, and not hit them? I’m glad you pick a different route to avoid riding by kids on bikes but I seriously think you should maybe consider giving up driving,

DP but I interpreted the PP to mean they worried that the child will do something unexpected, like swerve into traffic to get around something, and OP will hit them. I have this same fear when driving near kids, and it's also the specific reason we do not allow our 8 year old (who is great on their bike generally) to ride with us anywhere but bike baths, fully protected lanes (like with a lane of parking between us and traffic, the little plastic bollards are not enough), or on the sidewalk. A kid that age could be great 90% of the time but could be easily spooked by someone opening a car door or a dog lunging towards them from the sidewalk or something.

I don't think OP was worried they would accidentally drive into a kid on a bike driving straight and staying in a bike lane, because if that were the case they would also worry about any adult cyclist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge e-bike proponent (the real e-bikes and not the electric motorcycles pretending to be e-bikes). I’ve ridden thousands of miles on DC city streets sometimes with my child on the back, sometimes alone, and increasingly now accompanied by my elementary aged child riding their own bike just in front of me. I accept that biking in the city is likely the highest risk activity we partake in. I still think it is worth it. I will say in 8 years of daily riding I’ve never been hit or even had a significant close call. I am cautious and pick my route carefully. I follow the rules of the road (not riding through lights etc) and when not in a bike lane I take the lane (meaning I ride in the middle of the lane so cars can’t miss seeing me or sideswipe me).

I fully understand people who don’t feel comfortable doing it but if you are interested in it I also recommend joining the dc family biking group and testing it out.

And yes my bike was expensive but I we still spend less money on it than our car (even though my bike gets more mileage a year than the car).

Your bike gets more mileage than your car because you live in the city and you are using it to replace walking and public transit trips. We live in the city with a car and no e-bike, and almost never use our car. Instead we walk and take public transit.

An e-bike is a luxury item. It's a great way to make a 20 minute walk into a 5 minute bike ride, and it is useful if you are towing small kids or groceries. But they are expensive, have relatively short life spans (compared to both cars and traditional bikes), kids outgrow them before they can safely bike on their own, and yes, they are more dangerous than other options. I'm glad you enjoy riding your e-bike but it's essentially a hobby for you. It's not a replacement for a family car, as you well know, since you still have a car.

My bike very much replaces car trips. I go grocery shopping and buy more than I can carry on my bike. I commute to work daily on it because it takes the same time as driving and is faster than public transit. I bike from DC to the Silver Spring YMCA instead of driving. I still have a car because I bought it in 2005 and it hasn’t died yet. I doubt I’ll buy a new car when it dies. I will definitely buy a new e-bike when it dies (though it is 7 years old and in great condition so that likely won’t be for a while).

You must have bought one of the higher end e-bikes. Is it a cargo bike? We know people who have had the Lectric Xpedition (around 2k) as well as the Xtracycle Swoop (around 5k) and I've never heard of one lasting 7 years without at least a battery replacement, and the batteries are so expensive that depending on the bike many people will just replace the whole bike. We also know people who have one of the above and purchased an extra battery so they can cycle them out, and that extends the life obviously because each battery is working half as much. Do you have a Tern? I have heard those are better, but 8k is a lot for something you can never take on a highway.

They are definitely luxury items.

Batteries are around $300. Tern electric cargos start at $3000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge e-bike proponent (the real e-bikes and not the electric motorcycles pretending to be e-bikes). I’ve ridden thousands of miles on DC city streets sometimes with my child on the back, sometimes alone, and increasingly now accompanied by my elementary aged child riding their own bike just in front of me. I accept that biking in the city is likely the highest risk activity we partake in. I still think it is worth it. I will say in 8 years of daily riding I’ve never been hit or even had a significant close call. I am cautious and pick my route carefully. I follow the rules of the road (not riding through lights etc) and when not in a bike lane I take the lane (meaning I ride in the middle of the lane so cars can’t miss seeing me or sideswipe me).

I fully understand people who don’t feel comfortable doing it but if you are interested in it I also recommend joining the dc family biking group and testing it out.

And yes my bike was expensive but I we still spend less money on it than our car (even though my bike gets more mileage a year than the car).

How fast do you ride, with your kid on their own bike? And what do you do about hills that are too long for the kid?

Because this is the piece OP's DH hasn't really thought through. Eventually the biggest kid is going to age out of being a passenger, and then how does this work? Inspired Teaching to Columbia Heights involves a change in elevation no matter what route is taken. It's very hard for me to believe the hill up Franklin from Lincoln Road to Michigan Ave, for example, is going to be easy for a kid. It will make it way more than a 15-minute commute.

Couple thoughts here-

1) you can get cargo bikes that kids won’t age out of. I’ve rented a bunch bike when friends came to town and carried an adult and 3 kids in it.

2) you can get a trail-a-bike set up that can the bigger kid can use.

3) how much your kid can handle is based on how much they ride and if they have a good bike with gears they know how to use. My kid is an outlier because they ride a lot because it is primarily how we get around.

4) Maybe this is not a great solution for the OP but I think it is a viable option for many families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge e-bike proponent (the real e-bikes and not the electric motorcycles pretending to be e-bikes). I’ve ridden thousands of miles on DC city streets sometimes with my child on the back, sometimes alone, and increasingly now accompanied by my elementary aged child riding their own bike just in front of me. I accept that biking in the city is likely the highest risk activity we partake in. I still think it is worth it. I will say in 8 years of daily riding I’ve never been hit or even had a significant close call. I am cautious and pick my route carefully. I follow the rules of the road (not riding through lights etc) and when not in a bike lane I take the lane (meaning I ride in the middle of the lane so cars can’t miss seeing me or sideswipe me).

I fully understand people who don’t feel comfortable doing it but if you are interested in it I also recommend joining the dc family biking group and testing it out.

And yes my bike was expensive but I we still spend less money on it than our car (even though my bike gets more mileage a year than the car).

I sometimes seeing people doing this when I'm driving and the first thing I do is find another route. I am terrified about driving by an elementary school student on a bike. They don't have the skills or reaction time or the presence of mind to deal with unexpected situations and, as a driver, I want no part of that. I am baffled as to why parents think this is a good idea. It seems spectacularly dangerous. I also don't know what the parent trailing behind them thinks they're going to do. If there's an accident, it will be over before you even know what happened.

So let me get this right. You see a kid riding a bike and you are terrified that you are not a skilled enough driver not to slow down, give them space, and not hit them? I’m glad you pick a different route to avoid riding by kids on bikes but I seriously think you should maybe consider giving up driving,

Is it really that hard to imagine a child on a bike on a busy street who suddenly decides to do a U-turn, despite all traffic around them, because they saw a $10 bill on the ground and wanted to pick it up? Kids do crazy, unexpected things and they don't think about the consequences of their actions because, you know, they're kids. It's funny you think the driver who is worried about that is the one here who is the danger. I'd say it's the parent who put their child in that situation who is the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I've read a bunch of your threads and now feel invested in your school search. (I know. I need hobbies.)

Let us know how it all turns out! Wishing you good luck!

OP here. Lots to think about on this thread, and it’s been really helpful.

But I just want to say this warms my heart. Nice to know some random internet person is rooting for me and my fam.

[Anonymous]

I give y’all, the bike bus. Maybe not this many kids going from Columbia Heights to ITDS but there could be a few, and critical mass can make it safer and fun for everyone.

https://youtu.be/4AVj4vRMNPo?si=zyfInqrGLIavUSd4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I've read a bunch of your threads and now feel invested in your school search. (I know. I need hobbies.)

Let us know how it all turns out! Wishing you good luck!

OP here. Lots to think about on this thread, and it’s been really helpful.

But I just want to say this warms my heart. Nice to know some random internet person is rooting for me and my fam.

I am on your side!! NOT your husband's side! Please post a picture of him crying sad tears after he tests the commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I give y’all, the bike bus. Maybe not this many kids going from Columbia Heights to ITDS but there could be a few, and critical mass can make it safer and fun for everyone.

https://youtu.be/4AVj4vRMNPo?si=zyfInqrGLIavUSd4

There’s a bike bus from Capitol Hill to YY, I think. And almost certainly one from Petworth. I’m pretty impressed

[Anonymous]

Oh, there’s also a guy who rides a fixie up the catholic hill to YY pulling a trailer, which is just impressive.

[Anonymous]

OP I just want to throw my hat in the ring for pro-e-bike. Irving is a dream, but I’d want to see what 4th looks like there and back beforehand. See how you feel about the route without kids first. A garage or somewhere to park the bike at home is critical.

I bike half the year and drive half the year 3 miles, love the biking half and hate the driving half. Much of that I did with 2 kids but that became more difficult when the oldest was in 4th.

Some of the comments here are pretty uninformed (the cost ones especially - my bike costs $100 to repair, my car $2000 and a good e-bike is thousands less a car, not to mention gas!); I def would search the archives on DC Family Biking on Facebook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not safe enough for my kids.

Source: ER doctor brother.

It's not safe at all. My kids will never, ever ride on an e-bike. When they're adults, they can make their own decisions, and hopefully they will know better.