ElectricCyclist.com started with a simple idea – that more and more people in the U.S. and elsewhere would find themselves choosing electric-assisted cycling. Our intent has been to provide a home to an expanding community of electric cyclists in addition to those already served by the long-established hard-core ebike hobby sites. (more…)
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
A bright future that isn’t quite here yet
Monday, January 23rd, 2012Elusive E-Bikers?
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010Momentum Magazine’s current issue has a “subculture” article entitled article: elusive-e-bikers. If you can get past the slightly dodgy headline, the fact that it’s there tells you something. More than the very brief stories of individual riders, it tells you that a fashion-forward urban bicycling magazine aimed at the young and hip thinks that electric cycling — and electric cyclists — are interesting.
I think that’s culturally significant in and of itself. And I’d think so even if they hadn’t asked me to write the article.
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Two perspectives on ebikes for the masses
Saturday, May 1st, 2010The folks over at Endless Sphere forums are some of the hardest-core ebike enthusiasts you’ll find anywhere. (These are folks who not only assemble their own systems from individual parts – and argue about which ones are best – they often re-engineer those parts to work better. ) A recent discussion thread explores the “limiting factor for ebike explosion”. That site is really interesting for technical folks, and that thread is an interesting read.
Most of the early comments talk about infrastructure (roads and repair shops, for example) and lack of understanding (or intelligence) among the broader cycling community. My own comments spoke to the lack of understanding on the part of the folks in the business of selling bicycles in this country. Once retailers understand that there is more money in selling bikes with lithium batteries than with carbon fiber frames, I expect sales patterns will shift. The major bike manufacturers have clearly figured this out. (Trek and Giant, for example.)
But I see another perspective at http://DigitalTrends.com. (more…)
Electric Cyclists, Introduce Yourselves!
Thursday, March 4th, 2010There are loads of sites where you can find testimonials for particular brands of electric bikes. There are technical forums where you can discuss the finer points of motors and battery chemistry until you’re ready to teach engineering courses on them. There are heated discussions to read on just about everything and plenty of sites where folks post pictures of their electric rides.
What you won’t find much of are the stories of the people who ride those electric bicycles. Who are they? Why do they ride, and what kind of riding do they do? You might not want to post your full name and address on the web, but wouldn’t it be nice if other electric cyclists could see themselves – and you – as a part of a rich and varied community?
This link sends you to a discussion on ElectricCyclist.com where you can read my story and share yours. If enough of us belly up to the bar, we’ll gain a picture of our community that we may not have had before. And maybe some friends to help entice ebike business folks to better meet our needs. Maybe even some help in educating regulators and others about what we’re really doing on those electric bikes of ours.
Please join the conversation and be sure your voice is heard.
LA’s local TV news discovers electric cycling
Thursday, February 18th, 2010LA’s CBS 2 / KCAL 9 TV news ran a nice little story about electric cycling February 4, 2010. You can see the clip at http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=126581. The link will open (complete with advertising) in another window.
The good news: They highlight a couple of older cyclists who use electric-assist bikes to keep on rolling, and also electric-assist utility cycles for commercial delivery use.
The bad new: The idea clearly just doesn’t work for one of the newscasters. (Be sure to watch the clip through to the end.)
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What Does Your Electric Bicycle Say About You?
Monday, January 18th, 2010Today’s New York Times has an electric bicycle story inspired by Sanyo’s recent push to promote their Eneloop hybrid-electric bicycles at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It quotes a number of industry sources and makes a number of the usual points in favor of electric bikes. (Most trips are short, modern designs work well and have plenty of power, lithium-based batteries are very effective, industry is gearing up, etc.)
It also says:
But there may be a greater challenge for companies like Sanyo and other e-bike makers. People tend to think of their transportation, like their clothes or cellphones, as an expression of their identity.
In China, riding an electric bike conveys professional achievement, even a certain degree of wealth. People in the United States, said Ed Benjamin, an independent consultant in the bike business, don’t quite know whether these bikes are fashionable. The e-bike is “an ambiguous statement,” Mr. Benjamin said.