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I used to bike all the time until the end of high school in the mid 90s when I got a job in the neighbouring city and started my university studies here in Finland. What strikes me as the main difference and not something covered in comments is that back then cycling was mostly an improved alternative to walking or short bus rides. You could travel faster and cover longer distance than by walking. The speeds were moderate and not particularly important and having to stop at a crossing was barely more annoying than as a pedestrian. You might go for a longer ride the same way you’d go out for a long walk / run. Some people would bike to work if the weather was good but considered that a hobby. If the weather was shit, you took the bus (or drove a car). Nobody sane would bike when there was any significant amount of snow and ice on the ground. The only way anyone considered being a cyclist as an ”identity” was the same way some people were tennis players or runners.
Today there are people who ride bikes as back then but the public discussion is dominated by a new group who are Cyclists. Ie. people who make cycling a replacement for a car and a core part of their identity. They demand that everyone accommodate their wish to be able to get everywhere by bike fast. Speed is of essence. If cars or pedestrians get in the way, that’s their problem, not the cyclists’. Having to slow down and stop for crossings is considered a travesty and insult towards cycling. The same goes for having the bike lane change to the other side of the road. The unofficial uniform is tight spandex clothes.
By and large nobody over here has a problem with people who just casually ride a bike. Cyclists OTOH get well deserved hate.
What a lovely strawman.
In my major North American city, basically every pro cycling person I see and hear has opinions like "my building has 0.3 parking spots per person, and I want to get to work faster than walking/transit" or "I like biking to my soccer league but the current layout of roads makes me fear for my life"
The vast majority of cyclists I see passing by my apartment window are on city rental bikes, which are 30 minute time limit (you only use for A>B, not recreation) and are super heavy so you can't go fast.
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I've seen urban infrastructure advocates lament that the set of people on bikes is broad enough that serving all of them is difficult. Your "cyclists" want bike lanes to be wide and designed for faster speeds, and around here the equivalent group have even pushed against separate bike lanes in some places because they're often not designed or maintained for going closer to car speeds (30mph). I think there was hope that e-bikes and scooters might level that playing field, but so far they seem to get people to speeds way above their skill level and have gained a bit of a bad, although not irredeemable, reputation.
There's no limit on e-bikes speed in the US? EU bikes stop assisting at 25 kph, about 18 mph or so.
In practice, at least in Slovakia it's not common at all(I haven't even seen such a person iirc, though I have heard of them) and if you do so, it's classed as an electric motorbike and you need a driving permit etc.
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That's the law but if you know a guy or have the knowledge yourself you can upgrade basically any bike with a motor which goes much faster. People working for Deliveroo and similar apps will know this type of guy.
I have almost never heard locals complain about this nuisance and even though I cycle twice a month in busy places I have never in practice observed e-bikes going fast, so I assume it's an enforcement matter.
I have heard of someone buying an e-bike without the speed limiter and using it for commuting outside a city. .
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