It’s nice to see that our e-Bike Safety message is resonating with a younger audience. Check out this recent inquiry from a 15-year-old on the East Coast and our response:
Message: I hope you’re doing well. My name is Rohan, and I’m 15 years old. I’ve been interested in getting an e-bike, but my parents are concerned about safety and want to ensure I’ll be prepared for any risks. I live in a suburban town with many back roads that I regularly take, and I think an e-bike would be perfect for commuting safely through my area.
Could you please share any safety tips or strategies you recommend for young riders, especially for riding on suburban back roads? Any specific skills, precautions, or knowledge that could help reassure my parents would be much appreciated. I believe that with the right guidance, I can show them that I’ll be responsible and safe.
Thank you very much for your time and advice!
Thanks,
Rohan
Here’s how we responded:
Hi Rohan,
Thanks so much for reaching out.
You seem like a responsible young man with parents that truly love and care for you. That’s a great start!
Our website is dedicated to safety & etiquette for using e-Bikes on bike trails with lots of other riders.
So, our focus is primarily on improving e-Bike safety for city riding.
That said, I got my first e-Bike 1 year ago and just love it. I ride city trails and rural roads frequently.
I am happy to share my insights with you about safe riding on rural back roads.
I hope you have read all the tips that are listed on our website here: e-Bike Safety Tips – eBike Safety and Etiquette (and pasted below).
If you are riding at dusk or in low light, you need to be extra careful because many drivers do not see e-Bikers.
Some additional tips include:
- Install headlight on the front handlebars and taillight on the rear seat post – this will make you more visible.
- Install an additional flashing light to your helmet – use in the daytime and low light.
- Always ride with traffic on the shoulder of the road whenever possible.
- If you need to ride in the road, be sure to use your mirror to keep on eye on cars approaching from behind.
- If you are riding on gravel roads, slow down when you go downhill. It’s easy to hit a rock that jars your front wheel.
If you are riding at a reasonable speed, you’ll handle that fine. If you are going 20+ MPH, you may go down. - Hand/arm signals for upcoming turns – don’t assume that other riders and cars know where you are going.
When you approach an upcoming left or right turn, point your hand/arm in the direction that you are planning to ride. - Bend your elbows – some people ride an e-Bike with locked elbows to give them more control of the steering.
I support keeping your elbows slightly bent and loose.
By doing that, you will reduce strain on your shoulders and be better prepared to handle things that come up on a ride like puddles, holes in the road, railroad tracks, etc. - Keep one ear open while riding – if you listen to music or podcasts while you ride, remove the speaker from one ear so that you can hear what’s going on around you. This allows you to be considerate of others and be prepared for things that you cannot see.
In addition to these tips, I would suggest finding an e-Bike 101 class like this one: https://communitycycles.formstack.com/forms/ebike_intro
I volunteer and do some marketing work for Community Cycles in Boulder. Is there a comparable class where you live?
Maybe you could be a lead on sharing e-Bike safety tips with your classmates.
Please keep me posted on your progress and if I can help in any way.
Thanks again for reaching out Rohan.
Ride on!
Mark
Mark R. Wood
e-Bike Safety Advocate