BarbChamberlain

New post on the perennial debate over what we call a bicycle or tricycle that doesn't have e-assist. Is it an acoustic bike? Analog bike? Regular, original, traditional, legacy, retro? Let's not fight; e- or not, cycling is a joyous activity.

http://bikestylespokane.com/2022/11/20/whats-in-a-name-acoustic-or-analog-regular-or-traditional-bicycle/

What do you call it? Poll only allows 4 choices; reply with others or comment on the blog post.

#EBikes #BikeJoy #BikeTooter #BicyclesChangeLives #Bicycles #Tricycles #ETrikes #Words #Acoustic #AcousticBike #AnalogBike #cycling

Acoustic (rock on!)
42%
Analog
9.9%
Regular
35.8%
Traditional
12.3%
Poll ended at .
What’s in a Name? Acoustic or Analog, Regular or Traditional Bicycle*

What to call a bicycle that isn’t an e-bike? The debate around terms like “acoustic bike” or “analog bike” isn’t always friendly. What do you call those original…

Bike Style Life
Nov 20, 2022 at 8:52pmWeb
Show threadTony SammutNov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain my dad used to call non- motorised bikes 'pushbikes' to differentiate then from motorbikes (many years ago). So we can have pushbikes, e-bikes & motorbikes. :-)
Show threadBarbChamberlainNov 20, 2022
@PompeyTone Although I would use pushbike as another term for the balance bikes they used to teach kids to ride. Like the original dandyhorse!😄
Show threadTony SammutNov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain fair enough as that's exactly what you'd do with one of those things, but after posting I googled pushbike and it was a well-known term back in the day for pedal bikes, but seems to have fallen out of usage. Perhaps you'd push a pedal bike more often if you lived in a hilly town 😉 I guess that's why we now have e-bikes (this is in danger of becoming a circular discussion) 😊
Show threadBarbChamberlainNov 21, 2022
@PompeyTone I lived in Seattle for a while and definitely had a push bike until I bought an e-bike!
Show threadBrian C. Martinson, PhDNov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain I think "Traditional" and "Regular" suffer from not being time-stable. What was Trad or Reg 20 yrs ago is different than today. Acoustic implies "sound" which seems...not quite right. Analog feels the most clearly and accurately descriptive of what differentiates e-assist from other bikes. It's not a 100% analogy, but closer than the others.
Show threadBarbChamberlainNov 20, 2022
@bcmFietser Oh, really great point. Fits well with one of my responses to people who seem angry about the technological advance: "So then you don't have a bike with a derailleur, right?"
Show threadDaigoro Toyama Nov 20, 2022
@bcmFietser @BarbChamberlain I’d personally prefer acoustic to analogue because the “acoustic vs electric” analogy is more suitable to describe the difference between the two types of bikes than “analogue vs digital.”
Show threadBrian C. Martinson, PhDNov 20, 2022
@daihard @BarbChamberlain For me, the analog analogy is closer, because I associate analog with things requiring "mechanical" action to work. And some e-bikes can function with just "push-button." But I realize that my perspective on "analog" is really not entirely consistent with the word's definition! 😂
Show threadDaigoro Toyama Nov 20, 2022
@bcmFietser @BarbChamberlain Only time will tell which term or terms become prevalent, but in the meantime, I understand what you mean when you say "analogue bike," and you understand what I mean when I say "acoustic bike." 👍
Show threadBarbChamberlainNov 21, 2022
@daihard @bcmFietser Perfect answer.
Show threadRichard Masoner Nov 20, 2022

@daihard @bcmFietser @BarbChamberlain Re "analog": sure, I know what people are talking about and i don't complain, but since we're talking about it -- the engineer in me kind of cringes when I hear it. All electronics, including modern day digital circuitry, depends fundamentally on analog / analogue electronics.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogue_electronics

FWIW, I just call them "bikes."

Analogue electronics - Wikipedia

Show threadDaveHartonNov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain Or the Aussie term "pushy"
Show threadMark Anderson ​Nov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain Can I add to the confusion, why isn't a e-bike that looks like a regular bike called a Pedal-Assist Bike then a regular bike could just be a bike
Show threadTim Welch Nov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain could we just assume that if you don’t say e-bike, you’re talking about a non e-bike? Or am I oversimplifying the issue?
Show threadBarbChamberlainNov 21, 2022
@t So beautiful in its simplicity.
Show threadmorganNov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain
Since "e-" is for "electric" or "electronic", how about "m-bike" for "muscle". (Or "meat", if you prefer.)
Show threadBarbChamberlainNov 21, 2022
@mw Well, then I'd have to explain that pedaling a bike that weights nearly 50 pounds before I add my own weight and the stuff I'm carrying does actually require muscle action whether or not I turn on the pedal assist.
Show thread(Fake) Pastor DinoNov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain peddle bike.
Show threadJoachimNov 20, 2022
@BarbChamberlain @koalie the more « serious » way of calling them in France seems to be « muscular bikes »
Show threadloptaNov 21, 2022
@BarbChamberlain "pushbike"
Show threadTodd TyrtleNov 21, 2022
@BarbChamberlain I've thought of them as "Acoustic" having been fond of this Luka Bloom album in the 90s. (The Acoustic Motorbike)
Show threadThe mechanical mountain goatNov 21, 2022
@BarbChamberlain
I do quite like the "acoustic bike" category! Myself, it would be traditional bike/trike.
Show threadEvelyn🚲葉美華💃Nov 22, 2022

@BarbChamberlain
That's a strange selection of words for #bicycles. 😶

Acoustic like a guitar?
Analog like a clock?
Regular as opposed to... irregular?
Traditional as in... What tradition?

I just say Manual* to refer to purely human-powered bicycle riding. 🤷‍♀️

Show threadBarbChamberlainNov 22, 2022
@evelyn The selection of words is based on ones I am seeing in usage. My ebike definitely has human-powered components. If I were really literal I would say that "manual" should only be used to refer to handcycles, but the whole point was to ask about what kinds of usage extensions, analogies, and metaphors people are applying at a technological inflection point. At some point people stopped calling them "safety bicycles" and just started calling them "bicycles." #BikeTooter #eBikes #Bicycle
Show threadRik @ bikescape.orgNov 23, 2022
@BarbChamberlain @evelyn I just call them “regular” bikes. Sometimes “pedal bikes” since most of the e-bikes I see here are throttle. Though my big @workcycles FR8 bike often gets mistaken for an e-bike!
Show threadWorkCycles HenryNov 23, 2022
@BarbChamberlain “Bicycle” or “tricycle”.
Show threadBrent ChiversDec 23, 2022
@BarbChamberlain What about "xe-bike"? "x" for "not".
Or a "standard" bike, mtb, folder, trike, 'bent, etc. (I think "standard" once suggested single-speed and coaster brakes.)