In 2011 we decided to explore the opportunity of selling electric bicycles and e-bike kits online. It didn’t go well, but we learned quite a bit along the way. I’m here to tell the tale and while I’m at it announce our 25% off BionX Clearance.As you may already know the business behind this blog,…
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Sergeii's Piano E-Bike and Road to a Million
“My goal is to get Paul McCartney’s attention to endorse bicycle e-power to the music industry.” The contraption fueling this goal: Sergeii’s Bionx powered bicycling piano. Best of luck to our ambitious, innovative and bicycle advocating friend — We’re rooting for you!
Franken-Fixie: A Hipster Bike with a Clean Republic E-Bike Kit
This is a guest post from Pete Prebus. Pete runs Electric Bike Report and is enthusiastic about spreading the word about electric bikes because they have great potential to get more people on bikes and out of their cars. Yes, I know, an electric motor on a fixie bike is a little sacrilegious, but it…
E-Bikes Land on Mars… Hill
Remember learning about that guy a century ago who thought there were canals on Mars, built by an intelligent alien civilization? That was Percival Lowell. And remember all those crybabies who took it so hard when Pluto was demoted down from being a real planet to being a mere “dwarf planet?” Those crybabies were the…
E-Bikes: The Great New Way to Con Your Friends to Go Cycling
When my friends Ben and Jaimie were out last Thanksgiving, I was able to con them into going on a bike ride. Ben and Jaimie are not cycling nerds dying to go on a bike ride whenever possible. They do like cycling in Chicago and do some bike commuting. Jaimie even reviewed a Vaude Pannier…
E-bike is to Bike what Trolling Motor is to Rowboat
Last week the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) released a position paper (PDF) on how electric bikes should be regulated when off-road. And predictably, the pedal-power purists flipped out without absorbing the nuances of IMBA’s position — even though the second paragraph is all reasonable and stuff. IMBA believes all recreational uses of public lands…
e-Bikes and Commuters: Don't be fooled by cheap imitations!
Steve Benning has been experimenting with bike commuting on a loaner Ohm XS 750 e-bike. Now he has to return the fancy Ohm bike. But he sounds like he’s ready to dust off his own bike and to switch to pure pedal power. Sure, he’d like to keep that sweet $3,799 bike, but it has…
A Windy Bike To Work Week… How About An E-bike?
We’re having quite the windy Bike-To-Work Week as often happens this time of year in Flagstaff. For cyclists with long commutes that are often into the wind, electric bikes can be a great way to make regular bike commuting more feasible.This is one of the many reasons we are introducing a lineup of electric bikes…
Is There Bike After e-Bike?
Steve Benning has been using an Ohm XS 750 e-bike for four weeks leading up to Bike to Work Week. And he’ll use it during Bike to Work Week too. But then what? What will happen after he has to give back the e-bike? I’m very satisfied with Steve’s willingness to try this experiment, and…
Les and Maury: The Downside of e-Bikes as Equalizers
E-bikes have been touted for their equalizing effect in a couple of ways. First, a weaker rider can keep up with stronger riders on an e-bike. Secondly, an e-bike helps the rider do his/her commute and errands faster than on a non-powered bike–in some contexts, equaling toward the speed of errands and commuting by car….
Take It Easy: Jackson Browne Trivia and a Dead E-Bike Battery
I succeeded in running down the battery the Hebb ElectroCruiser 700 until it wouldn’t go anymore. I was right in front of The Route 66 Dog Haus. The three-LED power indicator went permanently red after 20.4 miles on a single charge. The last five or more miles were no picnic. And given the hills, headwinds,…
The e-Bike Guinea Pig Talks Traffic
Steve Benning has been bike commuting for two weeks, and shows no sign of waning enthusiasm. We sat down and talked about dealing with drivers, motorcycle baggage, and family planning. Wait. That didn’t come out right. I’ve been using this as my second car, because we only have one car in our family. So I’ve…
Running on Empty: Power Anxiety and e-Bikes
Am just using a lot of power, or am I about to be stranded going up this hill with a dead battery and a 60 pound bike?
Chariot Cougar With Gepida E-Bikes
A reader recently sent in this photo with her Chariot Cougar 1. We were interested to hear that they were pulling this bike child trailer with an electric bike. Here at the Campfire Cycling, we are about to add in a lineup of electric bikes into the mix of what we do and our very…
e-Bike Commuter Guinea Pig After One Week
Steve Benning comes close to being the perfect Guinea Pig for a new bike commuter. (Sigh… If only he had high-maintenance hair.)
Steve Benning, Bike to Work e-Bike Guinea Pig
Steve is a big guy. He does not commute by bike. But he’s going to give it a try for a month on an Ohm e-bike.
E-Bikes vs. Toys
The folks who make e-bikes aren’t stupid. They aren’t targeting solely serious cyclists as their market. They’re targeting folks who may not remember what it’s like to pedal a bike. More cynically, and some of them targeting the consumer who doesn’t know junk from quality.
My Winter Commute + an OHM XS 750 E-Bike
This morning I became convinced that e-bikes may keep fair-weather bike commuters on their bikes–and out of their cars–when conditions are less than ideal.
Kahlkoff E-Bike and the BONGO Bike Trailer
We recently received an electric bike from Kahlkoff USA for use in an upcoming blogging project at Commute By Bike. Getting going with the project I’ve been going through the paces getting to know all of the ebikes on my daily bike commute.In this photo from last week, I hooked up a Large Wandertec BONGO…
The Rise of the Commuter & E-Bike Specialist Shop (Part 5)
I am glad that these shops are out there spreading the word about bikes as a viable form of transportation–especially in the US. We seem to be behind the curve when it comes to bikes being accepted as a way to get around.
How Not to Ride an E-Bike
…so I came up with this brilliant plan: She’d stand on one pedal, and I’d stand on the other. We’d motor to our destination.
The Rise of the Commuter & E-Bike Specialist Shop (Part 4)
The New Wheel is a “mobile bike shop” in San Francisco doing demos across the city at farmers markets and offering personal test rides to potential customers.
The Rise of the Commuter & E-Bike Specialist Shop (Part 3)
Cycle 9 in Carrboro North Carolina carries both traditional commuter bike and e-bikes. Cycle 9 also specializes in cargo bikes and electric assisted cargo bikes.
The Rise of the Commuter & E-Bike Specialist Shop (Part 2)
Price is not a big thing holding people back from buying an electric bike at Hybrid Cycles. The reality is that when you break down the life cycle cost of an e-bike compared to an automobile it is much, much less.