Friday News And Views

New York City Seeks To License eBikes and eScooters:

In a recent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article online it was reported that there has been an ordinance introduced the the N.Y. City Council to require eBikes and eScooters to be licensed and registered with the Department of Transportation. 

The proposed law was introduced after a resident had died from injuries inflicted when the person was struck by another person operating an eBike in the city. 

Proponents of the measure say that enacting registration and licensing would help reduce law offending riders of motorized bicycles and scooters. Opponents of the law cite a lack of cycling infrastructure, a system set up to promote higher speed vehicle usage, and a lack of concern for low-speed vehicle users and pedestrians. 

Comments: Situations like this were predicted to happen several years ago on this blog. Seems since now we are at the point of this reality, my bet is that cities and states will take the current system of car/truck infrastructure and side with this embedded way of doing things instead of taking this chance to jump-start a move to get away from car/truck domination of cities and urban areas.  

While there was  no mention of tax/licensing fees and insurance in the article, one might assume these interests would also prefer a licensing/registration scheme for electrified bicycles, cargo bikes, and scooters over the more expensive, slower to realize solutions involving the separation of pedestrian/cycling traffic from other vehicular traffic. 

I mean, when you think about it, we do not allow freight trains to use the same roadways as cars and trucks because the danger to cars and trucks, and their operators, would be high. So, train tracks don't run down the middle of six lane highways. It's kind of like that, despite the fact that trains require rails. You get the picture... 

The Last "FN&V" of 2024!.

This will be the last FN&V of the year, and since this is the case, I wanted to say, "Thank You" to you - the reader. 

Nearly every week of the year the "FN&V" is the most read post on this blog. So, that is something to be thankful for, and it also encourages me to continue doing the work required to post this 52 times or so a year. 

If you are at all curious as to the history of the "FN&V", or why it landed on Friday, I did a post on the history in 2020 which you can read HERE. You will find out there that the "FN&V" started out as a regular item on the blog around 2011 or so. This makes it going on 14 years that there has been a nearly weekly post about news and views on Fridays. 

Of course, the "FN&V" will continue on Fridays. As long as the blog continues and I can write posts, I do not see this changing anytime soon. Thank you again for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

GT Grade frame set (Image courtesy of GT Bikes)

GT Bikes Put On "Pause" For 2025:

Recently a report was published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" which gives details on a common theme from the past couple of years. The problem seems to be regarding inventory and how it is not moving in the bicycle industry in a way that companies want to see it move. 

GT Bikes owner is Pon Industries and the article in "BRaIN" states that, while for 2025 the brand will continue sales of bicycles, only the current inventory stock will be what is offered. No new 2025 models will be offered at this time. 

Perhaps more worrisome is news that GT Bikes will see some layoffs before the new year as well. According to reports, GT Bikes had planned to expand employee numbers last February. 

Comments: Again, certain segments of the cycling world are not doing well. If the consistent deep discounting of accessories, components, and bicycles, seen since mid-Fall 2024, continues, it would be safe to assume that cash flow is stunted and many companies might be in similar straits as GT Bikes finds itself in now. 

One thing that traditional cycling media has done with this story is to layer it in a thick sauce of "click bait" by intimating in headlines for the story that GT Bikes might never return. That's simply not going to be the case at all. The worst case scenario here would be that GT Bikes would be shuttered by Pon and then sold as a brand name to another company that would resurrect the brand as something new. But that probably won't happen. Pon will most likely strip the brand down to essentials and reestablish it with dealers as a core MTB/BMX line without the gravel, road, or city/urban parts. But we'll see....

GCHoF'ers (Image by Taiki Sakamoto)

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Voting In Progress:

Current electors for the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame are busy returning their ballots for up to five nominees to the 2025 class of "GCHoF'ers". Ballots are to be returned by the electors by January 8th, 2025. 

According to the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame site:  "There are over 50 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Electors. These electors are made up of athletes, promoters, media professionals, gravel enthusiasts, the 7 members of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Board, and the current members/inductees of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame."

I've said it a LOT of times on this blog that because the GCHoF relies upon each elector to do their own research (which they do not HAVE to do), that a strong possibility exists for recency bias and lack of knowledge of events predating 2015 - 2018 in the gravel world which could lead to the exclusion of important, relatively unknown stories, figures, and events to get into the hall. 

 We will see how it all shakes out soon, as nominees for 2025 will be announced early next year. When the new class gets announced, I will have more opinions to share at that time. In the meantime, if you want to understand where it is that I stand on the hall, see THIS post. 

Oh.....and yes - I voted. 

That's a wrap on this year's FN&V! See ya next year! Get out and ride a bike to next year!