I editorialised the title as the original was clickbait, but the video itself is quite good. Interestingly, e-bikes are claimed to have lower emissions than acoustic bikes, although it likely depends on diet (the author didn’t specifically compare a vegan diet between the two types but did indicate that vegan + electric is the most carbon efficient form).
It usually works out pretty well with native speakers not familiar with the term. They usually have a moment with a blank stare thinking “what the hell is an acoustic bike?” and then realize all at once with a smirk.
As for your second question, acoustic becomes a good classification when talking to a group where electric bikes are the default, just like electric becomes a good classification where pure pedal bikes are the default. In a group where ebikes are the default they might assume you’re talking about throttle type if you say analog, or a pedal assist bike if you said manual. It started as a joke and became a useful term.
I’m a native speaker and my first thought was “wtf is an acoustic bike?” “Analog bike” would make a bit more sense.
Analog is the opposite of digital, which doesn’t describe an electric bike.
It’s a lot closer than acoustic.
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