The coming global oil crisis, mapped and explained
The largest oil shock in history is just weeks away – what’s going to happen when it hits? We dig into futures markets, supply chains, and more to map out how the world economic order is about to be remade.
Max Fisher is a veteran journalist who has reported from over 20 countries. His show, The Bigger Picture, illuminates our world by exploring how it really works, from the sweep of geopolitics to the deepest recesses of our minds. Before going independent, Max was a staff writer at The Atlantic and The Washington Post, a founding editor of Vox, and a long-time foreign correspondent and columnist for The New York Times, where he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His book, The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World, was an NPR and New Yorker best book of 2022.
It varies country-to-country, but the main thing is that you want a long-established brand with the strictest battery safety standards you can find and the newest model available because that tech is advancing so rapidly. At least in the US I’m happy with my Aventon Abound LR, would side-upgrade to a Specialized Globe Haul, and am looking to upgrade to a Tern/Cannondale/Urban Arrow eventually as a long-term cargo bike. I would avoid the Lectric Xpedition because it has worse components than the Aventon, as well as Engwe and other direct-to-consumer brands (Aventon only gets a pass because it’s a quality bike with a big service network, the main thing you’ll struggle to find with a generic Amazon bike). Rad Power Bikes is the big one to avoid for battery safety and the company voiding warranties during their bankruptcy. If I could only buy one bike from the start, I would have invested in a Tern that stands up and has the highest rear rack weight rating I can find.
In terms of bike category, I value utility more than anything. Within the same ebike Class everything powers to the same speed, so the increased bulk of the cargo bike over my commuter bike doesn’t really matter unless I’m storing it. I can fit a week’s worth of groceries, big bulky items, two kids, an adult below 63kg, a full camping kit, or everything I need for my commute on the back. Carrying another adult with confidence in the frame is the only reason I want more weight capacity. The wider tyres allow it to handle better on uneven terrain and snow, while having a rear-hub motor allows me to use a throttle that makes starting painless. My commuter bike has a better quality mid-drive motor which makes it feel like a normal bike that I’m peddling with the strength of an Olympic athlete, but those don’t handle throttles well so I’m actively pedaling even when it sucks to.
edit: And most importantly, a cheap bike is expensive. Cheap components either can’t handle the stresses of ebikes or will fail within a few years of heavy use, at which point you’re paying the cost of a new cheap bike to replace the motor and battery in a bike that doesn’t feel good to ride. I thought I was saving money with my first purchase, a Lectric Xpress 750, and it sucked compared to my Aventon.