— Advertisement —

Bloomberg: The e-bike boom is back (or maybe never stopped)

Photo of two people biking up a steep hill in downtown Seattle.
This promo photo from Rad Power Bikes shows off how e-bikes can easily climb up even steep downtown Seattle east-west streets.

For as much attention as this country gives to electric cars, e-bike sales continue to grow at a remarkable pace. And with gas prices through the roof, sales of e-bikes will not likely slow down any time soon.

E-bikes are especially useful in the United States, where people often need to travel fairly long distances that are poorly served by transit. And in Seattle, well, it’s pretty obvious why e-bikes are selling so well here.

From Bloomberg:


— Advertisement —

Gregg’s Cycle, one of the largest bike retailers in the Seattle area, just had its best February since it opened in 1932. “It was across the board, but e-bikes were a big percentage of that,” says longtime general manager Marty Pluth. “I think that was a result of the fuel hikes.”

Seattle e-bike startup Rad Power Bikes surveys its customers at checkout about their reasons for buying. An increasing number, according to co-founder and chief executive officer Mike Radenbaugh, cite rising fuel costs. “Just as the desire for safe and socially distanced transportation created another category of consumers for e-bikes, higher fuel prices do the same thing,” says Radenbaugh. “It layers growth on top of already fast growth.”

At this point, the e-bike is just a normal bicycle option. They typically come with a price premium over pedal-only bikes, but that price can be justified if the motor helps users bike more trips. Vitally, e-bike maintenance is becoming more widely available. In the not-so-distant past, e-bikes were often short-run products by small companies that may not be capable of supporting the custom motor and electrical components. Now people have options that are serviceable by local shops, which makes e-biking far more reliable, at least in places like Seattle with so many great local bike shops. This is why my advice is, whenever possible, to buy your bike from a local shop that is prepared to service it.

But note to all the new e-bike owners: Be sure to get a really good lock.


About the author:


Related posts:

Comments

4 responses to “Bloomberg: The e-bike boom is back (or maybe never stopped)”

  1. asdf2

    Fun fact: the cost of car ownership is roughly equivalent to buying a brand new ebike and throwing it away (or having it get stolen) every 2-3 months for years on end.

    1. Gorcone Davie

      ???

  2. ronp

    I keep thinking I will actually notice more ebikes on my commute (NE Seattle to downtown), and I do but not like I thought I would. More protected bike lanes needed (4th Ave one is great, so much less stress than riding with buses on 3rd).

  3. eddiew

    I see quite a few e-bikes in Interbay and on the Interurban Trail.

— Advertisement —

Join the Seattle Bike Blog Supporters

As a supporter, you help power independent bike news in the Seattle area. Please consider supporting the site financially starting at $5 per month:


Latest stories

Bike Events Calendar

Apr
2
Tue
6:30 pm West Seattle Bike Connections mo… @ Online
West Seattle Bike Connections mo… @ Online
Apr 2 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
 ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
7:30 pm NW Greenways Meeting @ Virtual via Zoom
NW Greenways Meeting @ Virtual via Zoom
Apr 2 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Our regularly scheduled meeting, happens every other month. Please check NW Greenways Twitter account – https://twitter.com/NWGreenways, our Google Group – https://goo.gl/W9jmzW or our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NWGreenways/) to confirm the meeting. ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
Apr
3
Wed
6:00 pm Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board M…
Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board M…
Apr 3 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Monthly agendas can be found at: http://www.seattle.gov/seattle-bicycle-advisory-board/meetings/meeting-agendas The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board (SBAB) advises the Mayor, City Council, and City Departments and Divisions on projects, policies, and programs that improve and/or affect bicycling conditions in[…]
Apr
4
Thu
7:15 pm Point83 @ Westlake Park
Point83 @ Westlake Park
Apr 4 @ 7:15 pm
Point83 @ Westlake Park
Meet up in the center of the park at 7ish. Leave at 730. Every Thursday from now until forever rain or shine. Bikes, beers, illegal firepits, nachos, bottlerockets, timetraveling, lollygagging, mechanicals, good times.ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
Apr
6
Sat
9:00 am First Saturday Neighborhood Clea…
First Saturday Neighborhood Clea…
Apr 6 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Every month volunteers gather to collect garbage and help beautify our neighborhood. On average, we collect about 15 bags of garbage per clean up, which means 1,000’s of small pieces of plastic that do not[…]
— Advertisements —

Latest on Mastodon

Loading Mastodon feed…