[Apfel]

Sidepoint but they're also a complete gamechanger for the elderly and infirm.

My 70 year old, double-ankle replacement mother who I don't remember ever walking very comfortably bought an ebike a couple of years back.

The sheer joy on her face watching her whizz up a hill made me realise just how transformational these things can be.

[_DeadFred_]

I had a 67 year old lady shoot in front of my jeep last week on one of these while listening to iPods, obviously flying into a crosswalk full speed. She ended up flipping over her handle bars when she saw me, had road rash from head to ankles and her calf separated from her leg bone. She's never fully recovering from that spill. Lucky she wasn't on blood thinner or she might not have made it.

Our local bike trails allow them in certain sections and it's wild to see old people just zipping around. Our paths are single track but traffic both directions. Not sure what's going on, they have zero awareness, especially for someone that's made it to 70.

[cadamsdotcom]

Glad she’s alive - sad she got hurt. Now for the unserious part:

She learned at 70 a lesson she never got to learn as a teenager! She probably has some badass scars.

[AaronAPU]

It’s a weird experience having a grandma in front of me on the trail, and at my normal pace I’m not passing her.

That’s on my slow mountain bike, which I ride for comfort some days. But it’s still a weird experience.

[rychco]

Agreed. E-bikes have gotten my elderly relatives moving too. From essentially sedentary to active on a daily basis.

Teens + other able bodied people are inactive for reasons unrelated to ease of pedaling.

[tim333]

Yeah, I'm 60+ and the ebike is good fun and also pretty practical as transport in cities. When I was a teen I was fine with pedaling but have slowed a tad.