3 Good Reasons to Consider an E-Bike
It’s good to be curious – but what if you are e-curious?
Electric bike sales are sweeping the nation. No matter how many times you have made fun of electric bicycles with your buddies, deep down you know it would be fun to try. When I entered the bicycle industry over a decade ago, the common perspective was that e-bikes were toys for the weak. Since then, they have become the fastest growing category of bicycle sales, disproving the naysayers. From commuting and cruising to shredding the gnar, there is a type of e-bike available for every style of riding.
1. Commuting
Many of us could leave the car in the garage and ride our bicycle if we could maintain an efficient pace while pedaling to work. An e-bike can be an amazing solution for getting to work on time without arriving drenched in sweat. Some employers will even let you charge your bike while you are working, making it even more economical.
2. Get to the Mountaintop Trails with Ease
Here in North Carolina, we are lucky enough to have thousands of miles of singletrack trails. A fully capable mountain bike can allow you to experience more in a day than you might have been able to cover in a typical weekend of riding. With an e-bike, you can leave the truck at the bottom for some of those mountain rides that are better accessed by shuttling to the top. Just make sure you check your local regulations, because some trails do not allow any type of motorized transportation.
3. Keep Up with Your Friends
E-bikes can also be used for keeping pace. It is a great tool for coaches to lead their riders on training rides in order to maintain a higher speed paceline. They can also be useful when we just need a little help keeping up with your favorite riding pals. There is a rumor that the Chief Sockologist of DeFeet can only keep up with his wife on our famous climbing gravel route of Maple Sally if he is on his e-bike.
With e-bike motors and batteries becoming more efficient and more affordable, the time to consider an e-bike is now. It doesn't have to be the bike you ride everyday, but I guarantee it will be a bike you choose for many occasions. Pedal on over to your favorite local shop and ask for a e-test ride.
Keep Pedaling,
Kurt the Mechanic
