Back in the old days (10 years ago) when we could take our bikes on the Munich-Paris TGV, I made four consecutive bike vacations to France, riding through Paris on my fully-packed bike from Gare de l'est to Montparnasse, taking more scenic routes and making stops depending on the amount of time between trains. I found riding in Paris not much different than riding in any European city - you've got to be on the lookout for oblivious pedestrians, idiotic riders and arrogant drivers.
I discovered bike riding when I moved to Germany 25 years ago when I was already in my 40's. My husband and I got our first e-bikes 5 years ago, and although we still have our "analog" bikes in the garage, it's the e-bikes that get ridden the most.
And oh, and I've never heard that thing about sitting lower on an e-bike. I suspect it's more true for the "city bike" types where you ride in a more erect position. For our sporty models it's definitely not the case.
And be careful carrying all of that weight (from shopping) so high on your bike.
Thanks for this detailed post, David. I live in a flattish city, too, but have been afraid of bicycling b/c of accidents...however, our city (Memphis, TN) is also creating more bike lanes and encouraging bicycle transportation (although not the generous rebates available in Paris). My husband and I are considering living with just one auto in retirement, and an ebike seems like a good backup means of transportation.
Aug 23, 2022·edited Aug 23, 2022Liked by David Lebovitz
Ha! I've had an e-bike now for about a year. I love it. But I still forget the "right" way to charge my battery (and somehow it still manages to charge up) and I haven't got used to "shorter" seat height. But, it is deeply satisfying to ride around, without sweating up a storm, and run to the bakery/health food/liquor store etc... At the beginning of the pandemic, the FT ran an article about the Walkable City, the 15-min City. My e-bike turned my little city into the most 15-min place around. I am happier with my e-bike. Enjoy your new quality of life... not that Paris was letting you down in any real way :). Cheers, from Kingston, ON Canada.
I am sure you will be a considerate cyclist David, but the vast majority of cyclists in Paris are total (insert expletive of choice here). A pedestrian crossing a street has to have one's head on a swivel, as they ride the wrong way down one-way streets, at high speed (as do those Lime-riders), and ignore red lights. I almost got clobbered on Rue Dauphine (6th by Pont Neuf), and got yelled at into the bargain by the entitled jerk.
Paris has no culture of bike riding. Go to Amsterdam or Copenhagen, and they know what they are doing. Paris? Good luck crossing Rue de Rivoli on foot.
I feel like I need to apologize for the thievery of my co-nationals (I am fine with people stealing first necessity goods but neither your bike mirror or your plants are falling in that category).
For what it's worth, unless you need to move your mirror every now and then, you might want to take your bike to a ferronier and have it welded in place.
As someone that commutes via bicycle (Electra Loft - non-ebike) to work (Finger Lakes region) and rides a great (carbon frame) road bike for fun (and fitness) I love all things about bikes. I was so excited to read about your experience with bikes. I truly wish we could enjoy a better bike culture here in the US. Some things are changing, for sure, but we are still caught up in the car-centric culture here.
My partner is now waiting for his new Trek Allant to be delivered to the local bike shop. It is his plan to use it for commuting to and from work. Currently, there are no ‘incentives’ for purchasing an e-bike, but there certainly are incentives for electric cars! (Ugh)
Anyway- I am truly happy for you- I LOVE ‘new bike day’! So much fun. As for safety equipment, my favorite bike accessories are the Bontrager bike lights I have! “Safety is no accident” and the little lights do a great job of making me ‘seen’!
I wasn’t brave enough to try biking the few times I was in Paris, but then again I won’t bike in NYC either and I live here. But I did like your post-very informative and fun to know the ins and outs of your experience. Not really my business but curious, did Romain get a bike as well so you can bike together?
Saving this for when we finally blow this popsicle stand and move to Europe in a year or so. Thank you for all the tips and things to look for when buying!
You are a patient man, David! must be the pastis! :)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your veritable biking & administrative exploits as only in France!
We’ve been enjoying trail life with our Specialized ebikes for a few years & love them. It was the only way I could catch up with my VeloMan ! and negotiate hills sans effort!
When we were in Paris the last time - and we've been there frequently for my husband's work on a NATO project - we were quite annoyed with the two-wheeled vehicles terrorizing the city and often did not feel safe as pedestrians. The French could use a few lessons from the Dutch about how to safely operate bikes. We lived in the Netherlands for a few years and were constantly astonished at their proficiency with bikes.
Back in the old days (10 years ago) when we could take our bikes on the Munich-Paris TGV, I made four consecutive bike vacations to France, riding through Paris on my fully-packed bike from Gare de l'est to Montparnasse, taking more scenic routes and making stops depending on the amount of time between trains. I found riding in Paris not much different than riding in any European city - you've got to be on the lookout for oblivious pedestrians, idiotic riders and arrogant drivers.
I discovered bike riding when I moved to Germany 25 years ago when I was already in my 40's. My husband and I got our first e-bikes 5 years ago, and although we still have our "analog" bikes in the garage, it's the e-bikes that get ridden the most.
And oh, and I've never heard that thing about sitting lower on an e-bike. I suspect it's more true for the "city bike" types where you ride in a more erect position. For our sporty models it's definitely not the case.
And be careful carrying all of that weight (from shopping) so high on your bike.
Thanks for this detailed post, David. I live in a flattish city, too, but have been afraid of bicycling b/c of accidents...however, our city (Memphis, TN) is also creating more bike lanes and encouraging bicycle transportation (although not the generous rebates available in Paris). My husband and I are considering living with just one auto in retirement, and an ebike seems like a good backup means of transportation.
Ha! I've had an e-bike now for about a year. I love it. But I still forget the "right" way to charge my battery (and somehow it still manages to charge up) and I haven't got used to "shorter" seat height. But, it is deeply satisfying to ride around, without sweating up a storm, and run to the bakery/health food/liquor store etc... At the beginning of the pandemic, the FT ran an article about the Walkable City, the 15-min City. My e-bike turned my little city into the most 15-min place around. I am happier with my e-bike. Enjoy your new quality of life... not that Paris was letting you down in any real way :). Cheers, from Kingston, ON Canada.
I am sure you will be a considerate cyclist David, but the vast majority of cyclists in Paris are total (insert expletive of choice here). A pedestrian crossing a street has to have one's head on a swivel, as they ride the wrong way down one-way streets, at high speed (as do those Lime-riders), and ignore red lights. I almost got clobbered on Rue Dauphine (6th by Pont Neuf), and got yelled at into the bargain by the entitled jerk.
Paris has no culture of bike riding. Go to Amsterdam or Copenhagen, and they know what they are doing. Paris? Good luck crossing Rue de Rivoli on foot.
Oh…be careful and enjoy❣️
Excellent and humorous, as usual.
I feel like I need to apologize for the thievery of my co-nationals (I am fine with people stealing first necessity goods but neither your bike mirror or your plants are falling in that category).
For what it's worth, unless you need to move your mirror every now and then, you might want to take your bike to a ferronier and have it welded in place.
As someone that commutes via bicycle (Electra Loft - non-ebike) to work (Finger Lakes region) and rides a great (carbon frame) road bike for fun (and fitness) I love all things about bikes. I was so excited to read about your experience with bikes. I truly wish we could enjoy a better bike culture here in the US. Some things are changing, for sure, but we are still caught up in the car-centric culture here.
My partner is now waiting for his new Trek Allant to be delivered to the local bike shop. It is his plan to use it for commuting to and from work. Currently, there are no ‘incentives’ for purchasing an e-bike, but there certainly are incentives for electric cars! (Ugh)
Anyway- I am truly happy for you- I LOVE ‘new bike day’! So much fun. As for safety equipment, my favorite bike accessories are the Bontrager bike lights I have! “Safety is no accident” and the little lights do a great job of making me ‘seen’!
I wasn’t brave enough to try biking the few times I was in Paris, but then again I won’t bike in NYC either and I live here. But I did like your post-very informative and fun to know the ins and outs of your experience. Not really my business but curious, did Romain get a bike as well so you can bike together?
As a person who is afraid of most things, I'm grateful you wrote about the scary bits; maybe I too could be scared, but do it anyway.
Saving this for when we finally blow this popsicle stand and move to Europe in a year or so. Thank you for all the tips and things to look for when buying!
I second your recommendation to get a mirror. If you end up having yours stolen when you aren't watching your bike there is another type of mirror that I use and really like. I ride with a group of 15 women and we all use the same mirror. It clips onto your glasses and we always wear glasses when we ride. You just have to glance to your left to see what is behind you. The small mirrors are inexpensive and won't be stolen. There are also mirrors that glue to your helmet but the one I had fell off and stopped sticking. https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Peddler-Cycling-Eyeglass-Compact/dp/B000AO7ETQ/ref=asc_df_B000AO7ETQ?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80882941400101&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584482468239428&th=1&psc=1
You are a patient man, David! must be the pastis! :)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your veritable biking & administrative exploits as only in France!
We’ve been enjoying trail life with our Specialized ebikes for a few years & love them. It was the only way I could catch up with my VeloMan ! and negotiate hills sans effort!
Great info! Thanks so much!!
When we were in Paris the last time - and we've been there frequently for my husband's work on a NATO project - we were quite annoyed with the two-wheeled vehicles terrorizing the city and often did not feel safe as pedestrians. The French could use a few lessons from the Dutch about how to safely operate bikes. We lived in the Netherlands for a few years and were constantly astonished at their proficiency with bikes.
Hello David,
I was wondering which model is that? I can't seem to find it on the website.