Further to yesterdays post, once I start poking around in the past I cant stop, and as I was perusing old articles I began to wonder about the origins of the e-bike.Well, the earliest mention I found was from November 12th, 1882, though that was an e-trike:And more interesting than the electro-motor was the adorable term treadles for pedals:So I asked the AI to do this:Gadsen flag but with slogan Dont Treadle On Me and image of a bicycle pedal instead of a snakeBut I wound up with this:I guess that will have to do.Anyway, clearly the idea had treadles, because by January 5th, 1896, inventor and fixie edit godfather Thomas Edison was all over it:He too felt the tricycle was the ideal application for an electric motor:Thats because it wasnt practical to electrify a safety bicycle:Which, according to him, was very nearly perfect:Balderdash!The man would not have lasted five minutes at Specialized.Anyway, he did eventually build an electric tricycle in 1889, and here it is:Though arguably its more automobile than bicycle.Regardless, the Edison story also ran alongside this useful advice for winter bicycle storage:Both of which were apparently part of a special cycling supplement:Yes, thats how popular cycling was at the time:Today what remains of the newspaper industry courts the automobile industry, but back then it was bike companies:And these two ads ran opposite each other:Heres a Liberty from around this time:By golly, Edison was right! Apart from the rod brake that babys perfect.Still, weve come a long way since then, for not only can you get an electrified safety bicycle that would probably have impressed even Thomas Edison, but soon youll be able to choose between than or riding a regular bike while wearing an exoskeleton:In his case, results were mixed:Though an exoskeleton could breathe new life into that old Colnago you havent ridden in 20 years:What seems clear is that, regardless of metrics or training, if youre not an athlete and you want to bike more, an e-bike will be the path of least resistance. But if youre a former cyclist with a great bike and want to get back into it, the Hypershell X Ultra S might be a good option. It can help you when you need it and get you back out on the bike.It could also do the same thing for your marriage, because nothing says date night like lighting a candle, opening a bottle of wine, and gently whispering the words, Honey, Im putting the exoskeleton in Hyper mode into your spouses ear.Finally, speaking of riding fast and aging, after watching the following video Im afraid I must express an old guy opinion:Im certainly sorry riders were hurt, and yes, dog owners can be infuriating. (Most dog owners handle their dogs about as well as most people on expensive bicycles handle their bikes.) However, unless its a sanctioned race and there are marshals stationed along the course, I dont think its reasonable or responsible to ride in a paceline in Central Park. Yes, maybe 20 or 30 years ago when the parks were less crowded you could, but in post-Bloomberg New York where theyre teeming with people and their pets from dawn to dusk and beyond, its simply not reasonable for a group like this to expect to be able to ride laps in the park on racing bicycles at speed. Even if they were following the letter of the law and doing everything right (which I doubt they were, because theres no way they were stopping at the crosswalks, sorry), theyre simply going too fast to account for the sorts of things that happen in busy places where people are recreating, as this video shows. (And yes, dogs should be on leases, but there are designated off-leash hours in Central Park, and judging from the videos description thats when this crash occurred.) Certainly any time Ive found myself in Central Park on a bike in the last 10 or so years its been pretty obvious to me that the era when you could go there and expect to ride briskly without bothering anybody or risking serious injury to them or to yourself is long gone.I mean sure, I still go there once in awhile:But I can assure you Im not riding fast, and it kind of astounds me that other people are.