Another ban (effectively) on all bicycles on city streets was defeated for the short term recently as the city of Waukee. Iowa had a proposal in front of the city council to consider a new ordinance unfriendly to cyclists.
It's just one example of many scenes in city government buildings across the nation which exemplify the issues with electrified bicycles and scooters which are proliferating in numbers and are popular with under age kids.
While solutions remain in debate, and fairness to those who need assisted bicycles or are using bicycles from the "3 Class" system are considerations, my concern is how any of this will be enforced.
Yes, putting laws on the books more clearly defining e-moto from assisted bikes is an admirable and actionable thing to do, my sense is there are no more means to enforce any ordinances or laws making effectiveness of such measures questionable. Resources for law enforcement, ways to monitor trails, and ways to enforce the uses of electric bicycles on streets is not being addressed. A law on the books means nothing without enforcement and real consequences. Do any of these municipalities have the appetite to budget more labor and resources for backing up such laws? No one seems to be thinking about these things.
If the backing, resources, and consequences are not real, neither will be any bill or ordinance providing for clarity on e-moto/e-bike usage. Signs mean nothing. Social media promotion is hot air. These cities and towns need to consider reality when looking at this problem.
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| Spanish component maker seeks investments to avoid bankruptcy |
Industry Turmoil Continues Into 2026:
The woes of the cycling industry which were predicted to have been overcome by now are still hanging on. In some cases, brands are folding up shop. Lynskey, a titanium frame manufacturer based in Tennessee, recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy according to recent media reporting.
Rotor, the Spanish component manufacturer, is seeking out investors to avoid bankruptcy. Giant and Shimano recently reported declines in sales over the first part of 2026. It seems as though the economic footing for many companies is still tenuous.
It's been too many years now to blame this on the pandemic oversaturation in terms of inventory as most of the glut has been worked through by now. One has to wonder about what other things are holding consumers back from spending on cycling as more time goes by.
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| Image courtesy of Assisting Force (Yes, that is really the name!) |
Over the past several years I have started to pay more attention to shows like the China Cycle Show which has been going on this week.
The trends in cycling are now being set, in part, by what is going on with China's cycling scene. There are many brands there, who have been making stuff you've ridden or heard about, under brand names you know. Now these companies are eyeing the foreign markets, (foreign to China) as places to make their own name directly.
Take for instance the "Assisting Force" brand. The name may sound goofy, but the company is a serious one, having made frames, forks, and other components for other brands for 20 years now. Instead of selling to a company who slaps a brand name on the down tube and has to hike the price to make a profit (to support Western lifestyles and Pro teams, influencers, marketing, etc.), they now are seeking to sell direct. And since the profit necessary to make this work is only going through one set of hands, so to speak, the retail prices are lower. In some cases, alarmingly so.
Frame sets, wheel, and even group sets are becoming better, more well known here, and are making inroads which the traditional brands are going to find hard to compete with. The future will be interesting to watch as consumers look at Chinese brands versus traditional brands. Which way this goes will determine a lot of people's futures.
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| Image courtesy of Singular Cycles |
Singular Offers New Drop Bar 32"er Pterodactyl Model:
At the recent Cycle Show in the UK, Sam Alison brought a new model which is now on offer in Singular Cycles range to show. It is a 32"er called the Pterodactyl which will slot alongside the already notable 32"er offering Singular has in the Albatross.
The Pterodactyl is a drop bar design in titanium. Singular is offering it now on pre-order through this month only, for now. It features a Super Boost 157mm wide rear hub spacing for the best in wheel stability. A Columbus Futura full-carbon fork handles the front wheel holding job. The hubs spec'ed for now ar from Hope. The rims are a Willow branded aluminum tubeless ready design. Tires will be the Maxxis Ardent 32 X 2.4" although the claimed max clearance is rated at 2.5".
Rolling chassis pre-orders are due by the end of May and are priced at $4,619.00USD. See more on the Pterodactyl HERE.
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| Image courtesy of Otso Cycles |
Otso Cycles' entry in the "Fargo-eque" bikepacking range is the Fenrir. This bike was traditionally only available in titanium or stainless steel. Both materials which are nice, but on the pricey side.
Otso has helped this situation out a little by making the Fenrir available in steel now. The Fenrir Steel is available as a frame set for $1,950.00 or in a few complete build configurations.
The Fenrir Steel can handle both 650B and 29"er wheels with 650B X 2.8" or 29" x 2.6" tires being the maximum allowable. You can check out all the builds and finer details on Otso Cycles' website for the Fenrir Steel HERE.
That will be a warp for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Now get out there and ride those bicycles!
Extremely simple fix: Define a bicycle as a two wheel vehicle that is solely powered by the rider(s). (Change the definition to reflect tricycles and unicycles as well)
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in the Detroit area, bicycles modified with various motors were surprisingly common (this is before e-bikes). It led most municipalities & trail builders to post "no motorized vehicles" or "pedal power only". Many paved trails in Iowa have either a "no motorized vehicles" sign at crossings, or a municipality created 10mph speed limit. None of these solutions make *much* difference with the lack of enforcement g-ted mentions.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wild how few of those motorized bicycles you see lately because of electric bikes?
DeleteWhere I live here on the left coast of Iowa we have very little enforcement of any traffic laws including drivers license's or insurance and absolutely no enforcement of anything on sidewalks, crosswalks or bike paths. Sad state of affairs and dangerous too ....
ReplyDeleteI was riding to work on Wednesday afternoon when I noted an e-scooter rider on Park Avenue. Mind you, this is a street with protected bike lanes on both sides and a separate crossing on each side from traffic over the Cedar River.
ReplyDeleteThe e-scooter rider was not only NOT on the bike lane, but on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. The e-scooter rider crossed the Cedar in the main traffic lane and went out of sight of me.
As I said, you can do all the pontificating, signage, painting of lines, passing of laws that you want, but if the people DON'T CARE, it all means nothing without enforcing rule of law with CONSEQUENCES that are real and come quickly.
All brands should void the warranty of derailleurs equipped on a 32 wheeled bike. There is no excuse possible for damaging one. What are the riders going to say, something like, oh I was slaloming between mountains casually when all of a sudden K2 came out of no where clipping the cage?
ReplyDeleteThis is humour.