I’ve read this article several times over the years. This time, the photos of you two riding on the stone steps through the village struck me as jarring enough to warrant comment.
In what universe is that behaviour going to be considered polite or couth? Would I do that in my home country, let alone as a guest in another country?
Is it possible that some objectively harmless behaviours are simultaneously offense or simply rude?
The discussion about biases related to the perks and pleasures associated with the press junket have been deep and wide (above). Thanks to all who chimed in.
Yes, I’ve read “Drunk on Press Junket Lemonade” several times. While I admire the efforts at introspection there, my position is that there’s no way I would be objective about the product after experiencing it in that manner.
You easily convince me that riding the e-bike was fun. I’ve raced motocross and rode several years on an ‘07 KTM 525 EXC.
I’m not as easily convinced that these so-called eMTBs are to be considered acceptable where non-motorized \_bicycles\_ have been used for decades.
It is deeply embarrassing to me if electric motorcycles with pedal-regulated throttles are welcomed onto trails that were built with the provisio that they’d be used with human power only.
I cannot escape the feeling that this acceptance is an enormous blunder
I wonder if bicycle media are making an error by reviewing them (“eMTB”) at all.
Sure, everything is fairly calm now (2021/2022). I lived through the dirt bike boom of the 1970s. A million dirt bikes sold per year in USA. And it wasn’t long before land access was denied in, what, 98%, 99%, more(?) of the areas than before the dirt bike boom.
Sure it’s tough if someone disabled wants to ride a motorcycle (as I see an eMTB) on bicycle trails and is denied that pleasure.
Let that person ride in an Off-Highway-Vehicle (OHV) area, and funnel all the electric motorcycles there too — even if they have 230 watt motors, and the throttle is auto-regulated by crank rotation.
I’m grateful for your careful and considered journalism — and for the opportunity to express myself in your publication. Thanks! And good luck.
Feb. 1, 2022, 6 p.m. - Larrabee
I’ve read this article several times over the years. This time, the photos of you two riding on the stone steps through the village struck me as jarring enough to warrant comment. In what universe is that behaviour going to be considered polite or couth? Would I do that in my home country, let alone as a guest in another country? Is it possible that some objectively harmless behaviours are simultaneously offense or simply rude? The discussion about biases related to the perks and pleasures associated with the press junket have been deep and wide (above). Thanks to all who chimed in. Yes, I’ve read “Drunk on Press Junket Lemonade” several times. While I admire the efforts at introspection there, my position is that there’s no way I would be objective about the product after experiencing it in that manner. You easily convince me that riding the e-bike was fun. I’ve raced motocross and rode several years on an ‘07 KTM 525 EXC. I’m not as easily convinced that these so-called eMTBs are to be considered acceptable where non-motorized \_bicycles\_ have been used for decades. It is deeply embarrassing to me if electric motorcycles with pedal-regulated throttles are welcomed onto trails that were built with the provisio that they’d be used with human power only. I cannot escape the feeling that this acceptance is an enormous blunder I wonder if bicycle media are making an error by reviewing them (“eMTB”) at all. Sure, everything is fairly calm now (2021/2022). I lived through the dirt bike boom of the 1970s. A million dirt bikes sold per year in USA. And it wasn’t long before land access was denied in, what, 98%, 99%, more(?) of the areas than before the dirt bike boom. Sure it’s tough if someone disabled wants to ride a motorcycle (as I see an eMTB) on bicycle trails and is denied that pleasure. Let that person ride in an Off-Highway-Vehicle (OHV) area, and funnel all the electric motorcycles there too — even if they have 230 watt motors, and the throttle is auto-regulated by crank rotation. I’m grateful for your careful and considered journalism — and for the opportunity to express myself in your publication. Thanks! And good luck.