←back to thread

Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable

(www.ifixit.com)
207 points LorenDB | 1 comments | 14 Oct 24 19:27 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
taeric ◴[14 Oct 24 19:54 UTC] No.41841233[source]▶
Can't get past the intro sentence without getting triggered. No, most people cannot fix a bike. As evidenced by the horrid shape most bikes are in. Heaven help folks that get the brakes so that they need to replace pads. You are as often to see people that ruined rims as you are to see people that did that correctly.

Don't get me wrong, there is something there. Everyone can be trained to fix older mechanical things. This is true. And I, for the life of me, cannot understand why people get bikes that need apps to run. That is just baffling.

So, change this to "ebikes are not being designed with repairability in mind" and I think I lose near all of my complaint. I do have worries about people not realizing how powerful ebikes are. Reminds me of early dirt motorcycles you could work on back in the day. Didn't take too many kids getting hurt before people took those seriously, I don't think. Odd to see us go right back down that path all because a lot of parents assume the battery tech is the same as it was a decade or so ago.

replies(3): >>41841479 #>>41841503 #>>41846281 #
taylodl ◴[14 Oct 24 20:20 UTC] No.41841503[source]▶
> Didn't take too many kids getting hurt before people took those seriously

The kids in my neighborhood are zipping around on these things at 30 MPH. In my state it's illegal for these kids to be riding around on these things, but the law isn't being enforced. Probably more of a hassle for the officer than it's worth.

And safety? Bwahahahaha! Kids are riding these at 30 MPH in shorts, t-shirt and maybe a bicycle helmet. Just the other day I saw three girls who appeared to be middle school-aged hop on an e-delivery type bike and ride 3 up! All they were wearing were those super short and super thin shorts girls like to wear, and a t-shirt. Not a single helmet. Yet there they were riding 3 up on this e-bike on public streets just after the peak of evening rush hour.

It's insane! I'm continually amazed we're not seeing more news stories of kids getting hurt on these things. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're not seeing these news stories, but I'm amazed we aren't.

replies(1): >>41842404 #
hotspot_one ◴[14 Oct 24 21:51 UTC] No.41842404[source]▶
I'm wondering what insurance companies are going to say. I have a feeling they will be the driving force at least in the US, since they are the ones picking up the bills.
replies(1): >>41842618 #
1. taylodl ◴[14 Oct 24 22:12 UTC] No.41842618{3}[source]▶
I'm wondering how the law is going to be applied in the event of an accident. In my state, if you hit a minor riding a bike then you're automatically at-fault and the burden of proof is on you to prove that the accident was unavoidable.

Will that same law apply when the kid is operating a motorized vehicle? Especially if they're operating that vehicle illegally?

TBF, it hasn't been a problem so hey, maybe these kids have a lot more sense than we give them credit for? Maybe I should just be grateful that those girls were outside playing instead of being in a screen and were feeling a little "dangerous" and rode 3 up on an e-bike?