Is the SUP industry tanking?

[mrbig]

I participated in a brutal race yesterday.

A little recovery paddle in a local pond.

Ran into a guy who was paddling for the first time. His daughter has one and he took the plunge. On giant Costco no less. He was stoked never fell and was having way more FUN than I did yesterday on my 14' 404 Go-Go at the Eco Challenge in Narragansett.

Just a random data point that ain't statistically significant. But, in the world of syncronicity it's people like this cat who will keep the ball moving.

[eastbound]

i commute 50 mins from brooklyn into midtown manhattan ea day ea way to/fro work.

nyc is beginning to get it right with bike lanes and enforcement

the ebikes go faster that all but the fastest commuter bikes and they are noiseless--many operate these bikes in a way that endangers others

ive had "words" with several ebike riders who seem to enjoy threading the needle thru non-motorized cyclist/commuters

as of now, they are illegal in nyc, but enforcement is nil

if they're going to go faster than all the commuter cyclists, they shd be off the bike lanes, out in the street with cars and motorcycles, or banned entirely---they shd not be allowed to mix with commuter cyclists without serious regulation/enforcement---yep regulation---so they dont endanger others---just like we regulate cars

[Area 10]

In the UK, ebikes are limited in speed. They will not provide any power from the motor above 25kph (about 15mph). This, combined with the fact that ebikes are very heavy, means that they do not irritate analogue cyclists on the roads. Their advantage only really shows in very hilly areas where road cyclists are not common anyway, or on off-road trails.

Cyclists moaning about ebikes reminds me so much of surfers’ complaints about  SUP when SUP started. They complained that SUP was allowing my people to get into the line-up who hadn’t “paid their dues” just like analogue cyclists are saying about ebikers now.

What ebikes are doing is democratising cycling, and allowing people to enjoy the sport to a much older age than before. Of course there will always be some people who will object to this sort of thing. Just as many surfers would not be seen dead on a SUP. I don’t worry about them - I’m too busy having fun

[pdxmike]

Cyclists moaning about ebikes reminds me so much of surfers’ complaints about  SUP when SUP started. They complained that SUP was allowing my people to get into the line-up who hadn’t “paid their dues” just like analogue cyclists are saying about ebikers now.

Exactly.  The things you hear around here:


--"ebikes allow people to instantly ride fast who haven't spent years building up the riding skills that are needed to go fast safely"


--"Besides lack of skills, people on ebikes are more dangerous because they don't look like they should be going that fast, so they surprise drivers, whereas cyclists who can go that fast are wearing cycling gear and on bikes that clearly signal to others that they are capable of going fast"

[Zooport]

i commute 50 mins from brooklyn into midtown manhattan ea day ea way to/fro work.

nyc is beginning to get it right with bike lanes and enforcement

the ebikes go faster that all but the fastest commuter bikes and they are noiseless--many operate these bikes in a way that endangers others

ive had "words" with several ebike riders who seem to enjoy threading the needle thru non-motorized cyclist/commuters

as of now, they are illegal in nyc, but enforcement is nil

if they're going to go faster than all the commuter cyclists, they shd be off the bike lanes, out in the street with cars and motorcycles, or banned entirely---they shd not be allowed to mix with commuter cyclists without serious regulation/enforcement---yep regulation---so they dont endanger others---just like we regulate cars

The problem with e-bikes are they are too slow to be in regular car traffic and too fast to be on bike lanes.   We have that issue in Newport too.  Walkers and bikers doing their normal thing, and then idiots on e-bikes smugly whizzing by others at unsafe speeds. 

[Bean]

Don't even get me started on walkers...

[Zooport]

Don't even get me started on walkers...

We have walkers in the bike lanes that walk 4 abreast and completely block the lane.  Usually female (sorry ladies).

[PonoBill]

I like eBikes a lot, it seems I enjoy just about everything that pisses other participants off.

They're certainly stirring things up among people who bike in Portland:
 
"We need to get people out of cars, and into less polluting forms of transportation."
(People start riding ebikes.)
"That's not what I meant."


Nobody knows what to do with them.  Similar to standup in many ways.  Are they bikes (surfboards)?  Are they motor vehicles (vessels)?  Can they ride in bike lanes (surf breaks)?


And now in Oregon, there's a new tax on each sale of new bikes (ironically progressive Oregon is either the only, or one of only two--I can't remember which--states that have a special tax on bicycles).  But ebikes are exempt (if you buy one from  a car dealer, but not a bike dealer, as I recall).  One more thing to make ebike haters hate them more.

The only thing that would make Portland bikers happy would be if everyone else died and left the streets completely to them, though where they would get their skinny caramel macchiatos is a mystery.  They make cranky longboard surfers with ponytails seem absolutely welcoming.

And yes, that's the answer, more regulation. No one ever wants regulation of anything they are doing, just those things that other people do that they find irritating. It's fine to have people driving two-ton gas guzzlers that kill 30,000 people a year but substitute an eBike that weighs 50 pounds and there's a big problem.

The battles between the horsey folks, hikers, Sierra Club and mountain bikers were fought by the geezers who are riding eMTBs now. The newcomers (anyone under 40) of the community will try to ban them, just as MTBs were once banned, until their knees or hips give out, and then they will be all for them. People are lunatics.

[pdxmike]

This was written long before ebikes, but it gives some insight about the different types of people who ride bikes.  There are several factions:


https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/10/61-bicycles/


The whole website has good info on over 100 topics.

[Bean]

We should look to other countries for meaningful solutions to our traffic woes...

[surf4food]

Recreational stand up paddling is alive and well in Hood River. But like everywhere else, racing not so much, though we have two events coming up that draw a lot of participants--both have downwinding elements. I've tried surfski and OC1, own an OC1, rarely use it. Besides just the persistent belly fat issue (I don't fold well) I prefer standup for downwinding--I like to see where I'm going.

It was nearly 100 degrees yesterday, so last night the river was full of people, probably fifty on standup, a few boaters, lots of folks just hanging out on the sandbar or in the water. I brought boards but wound up just swimming with my daughter, who smoked me. I forgot she used to be a competitive swimmer. Diane, Elvis (my daughter Elizabeth) and I walked down the sandbar and enjoyed the water and the activity. A local jazz quartet was playing on the dock near the sand bar cafe, and we could hear them while we walked down the sandbar. It was a perfect accompaniment and they were very good. Great night, spectacular town, great people.

Down at the new outdoor amphitheater, there was a rock group playing and food trucks and local breweries set up in advance of the weekend I guess. This weekend is Kite4Cancer, an oddly named (at least to my ears, I'm kind of against cancer) but successful fundraiser, and they were setting up a massive array of tents and towers at the Event Center. We may not have much wind if the heat to the west of us persists, but no one really cares. It's a party.

Stand Up boards are ideal for this kind of lazy summer recreation, much better than boats of any flavor. That's where the market is. Jarvis is ahead of his time.

We might have just missed each other.  I was in HR Thursday with my wife for a day trip from Portland.  Wine tasted at Naked and had lunch at pFriem.  Saw that very same band.

[SaMoSUP]

The Bird/Lime e-scooter invasion in Santa Monica is the big controversy these days. People riding recklessly on sidewalks/bike paths, hit and runs, not wearing helmets, unlicensed riders, dumping of scooters in the middle of the sidewalks, etc. It's the wild wild west over here.

The e-scooters are a great solution to the traffic and overdevelopment problems in our city. Unfortunately, many irresponsible and ignorant riders may impede that progress.

But back on topic, I finally sold one of my raceboards this weekend after being on the market for a year. The buyer wants to try SUP racing. Fresh meat. Maybe a new wave of racers will come along from all the expensive raceboards being sold on the cheap.

[Tom]

Instead of banning ebikes, maybe we should  look at the 21+ speed, 11 lb road bikes that are ridden by someone under 30. They are the  guys that are cheating.  I'm glad they wear those tight shorts to slow them down

[TallDude]

Don't even get me started on walkers...

We have walkers in the bike lanes that walk 4 abreast and completely block the lane.  Usually female (sorry ladies).

The problem with walkers, is they start at a very early age and think they can put one foot in front of the other better than anyone else. Some even practice while they are at work with out their employers really noticing.
BTW Zoo. I think technically that would be 8 a breast....

[surf4food]

The Bird/Lime e-scooter invasion in Santa Monica is the big controversy these days. People riding recklessly on sidewalks/bike paths, hit and runs, not wearing helmets, unlicensed riders, dumping of scooters in the middle of the sidewalks, etc. It's the wild wild west over here.

Having the same issues in San Diego.