Salas was stopped by a fan for a picture, but fans couldn’t help noticing what he was riding on.
Less than three weeks after the San Diego Padres finalized a signing bonus with Ethan Salas, a 16-year-old catcher from Venezuela with family ties to the MLB, fans already have at least one minor concern about his, in this case, preferred transportation.
Presumed Padres fans and San Diego resident Jacob Redondo, who goes by @jacobredondo18 on the bird app, spotted Salas and stopped the rookie catcher for a quick picture.
Check out the Tweet below.
Just ran into Ethan Salis! #padres pic.twitter.com/64NvPjIjL6
— Jacob Redondo (@jacobredondo18) January 28, 2023
While it looks like Salas is riding a normal beach cruiser-type bike, he’s actually riding a powerful e-bike, easily capable of hitting 28 MPH in seconds.
Keen-eyed Twitter users ID’d the bike as a Super73 with a larger battery pack, which would make is a Super73-ZX.
— James Hosford (@JamesMHosford) January 29, 2023
According to their stats page, these souped-up electric bikes can deliver up to 1.2 KW of power at its peak which, for an electric motor, is peak power right from 0 MPH.
To put that in perspective, that’s as much power as an electric lawn mower puts out except now, you’re riding it.
Here’s what a few of the replies to the admittedly nice photo read.
As a general rule I don’t like it when young Padres ride motorized bikes of any kind.
— James Hosford (@JamesMHosford) January 29, 2023
Dangerous move with that gear bag, kid. He can afford an Uber – if he has access to his money. At least it wouldn’t technically be a dirt bike accident.
— Vince Lupo (@vince_lupo) January 29, 2023
No electric bikes please. Dangerous riding those with all the cars around. When Ethan Salas makes the majors it will be one of the most exciting days in Padre history. This kid loves San Diego and he’s one of our own already
— PadresAllDay (@DayPadres) January 29, 2023
In California, you must be 16 years old or older to ride a Class 3 electric bike which, according to how bikes are classified and when in Mode 3 on said Supre73, this e-bike is.
While Salas is old enough, just off the photo alone, he’s not exactly mitigating his risk.
For one, he doesn’t even have a helmet which, if you’re younger than 18 in California, is mandatory even on a regular bike, forget an e-bike no less.
Then there’s riding around with what looks like a heavy gear bag which raises his center of gravity, making turns at speed potentially dangerous.
Finally, there’s the fact that e-bikes and scooters do not have the best safety record as of late.
According to the SD Tribune, accidents got so bad in San Diego, the local City Council declared a state of emergency “due to an increase in traffic accidents involving bicycles and e-bikes.)”
More than half those accidents involved cars, with the biggest collision factor being unsafe speed.
While we can make an educated guess about the future of any teenager, for Salas it’s quite clear, with his $5.6M signing bonus to the Padres, plus his talent and the amount of support behind him, his feature is bright.
I’m not saying to not ride an e-bike but, if you must, wear all the gear, that includes a full face helmet, gloves, all the pads (elbows and knees.)
You can also ride a normal bike (or walk, uber, use public transportation) too.
Padres nation is just look out for you, Salas.