This week’s Comment of the Week comes from reader “X” in response to our story about River City Bicycles going 100% electric. The story’s 68 comments sorted into the usual e-bike debates — do they replace car trips; what we should call conventional bikes to distinguish them from e-bikes; concerns about the environmental impact of batteries; riding etiquette.

X’s comment stood out because of its clarity and simplicity. Also, I liked it because X moved from an abstract discussion to something personal by mentioning a recent decision to electrify one of their several bikes.

I tried to fact-check X’s 2% figure, but couldn’t easily find a citation. However, I came across a review published by the Institut Polytechnique de Paris about the carbon footprint of electric bikes, and it did a good job of attaching some facts to our e-bike discussions (including the carbon footprint of a frame).

Here’s what X had to say:

Here’s a number that has to be in the e-whatever debate: 2 percent. As in, an e-bike is a very small proportion of a car at all points of the cycle. For another person who is morally opposed to extracting materials from the ground I understand that and could admire them for making their own shoes. I’ll join them for a walk any time.

If we scrapped five percent of the cars now existing that would provide enough materials to build every living person a new bike.

In global terms, I’m rich. I have several bikes and am still second-guessing my decision to convert one to an e-bike. Possibly I could have better used the resources to make the bike lighter and more efficient since my ability to wheel it in or out, and park it, may be limiting before my ability to pedal it around would have been.

Thank you “X.” You can read X’s comment in the context of the BP comment section’s ongoing discussion of all things e-bike, below the original post.