E-Bike

The 15 Best Arguments for Bike Boosters: Part Three

From StreetsBlog.org

By Kiran Herbert and Martina Haggerty

People for Bikes recently developed a a 15-point fact sheet to help counteract misconceptions that often arise when advocating for change, as well as to promote strategies we know work. Here’s the third installment.

11. E-bike subsidies work

While the federal government currently offers a federal tax credit for electric cars of up to $7,500, nothing similar exists for people buying an electric bike. With a lack of federal initiative, more and more states, counties, and cities across the country are taking matters into their own hands, creating e-bike incentive programs that are as varied in substance as they are geographically. While many programs are relatively new, the data is compelling.

Launched in the spring of 2022, Denver’s incredibly popular e-bike incentive program has led to some notable results, including $1 million in cumulative annual savings for the city. Researchers also calculated that the program avoided considerable amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, with some 71 percent of survey respondents claiming to use their gas-powered vehicles less often (those surveyed rode their e-bikes an average of 26 miles per week, replacing 3.4 round trip vehicle trips). Importantly, 29 percent of Denver e-bike redeemers who completed the program survey indicated they were also new to riding.

12. Shared micromobility is a good investment for cities

Bike and scooter share, known collectively as shared micromobility, is a good investment for cities. When shared micromobility is done equitably, it can help alleviate transportation insecurity and lead to better public health, environmental, and economic outcomes. Unfortunately, not nearly enough municipalities treat shared micromobility as an integral part of their transit landscape or fund it accordingly. That’s a huge miss.

A 2021 study found that bike share systems are a boon for public health, saving the U.S. healthcare system more than $36 million a year on average. Another research paper from that same year looked at New York’s Citi Bike and found that the system — the largest in the U.S. — is a net win for the climate. In Britain, a more recent study found that if one-fifth of car trips were taken by shared electric bikes or scooters, the result would be a more than $1.2 billion boost to the economy.

Photo by Mark Stosberg on Unsplash

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Clean Air and Active Transportation Groups Seek $50M for CA E-Bike Program

Sacramento, CA – Today, a coalition of environmental, public health, and active transportation organizations have sent a letter to California state budget leadership requesting an additional $50M for the California Air Resources Board’s Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. The coalition argues this funding will “…help the state transition to clean transportation in order to meet its ambitious climate goals.”

The coalition submitting this request includes: Active San Gabriel Valley, California Bicycle Coalition, Coalition for Clean Air, Environment California, Safe Routes Partnership, and the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR).

E-Bikes: A Great Climate Investment for California

Callifornians are eager to begin replacing car trips with e-bike trips. The conversion of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) from auto to active transportation can dramatically improve air quality for children and elderly in our polluted cities. It’s also a climate-transportation win-win.

“The Coalition for Clean Air is proud to be a part of a coalition advocating to increase funding for the Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. We believe this program will reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, lower VMT, promote equity, and improve quality of life for Californians if properly administered and funded,” said Sofia Rafikova, Policy Advocate at the Coalition for Clean Air.

Photo by Himiway Bikes on Unsplash

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California will launch e-bike incentive program this year

From SpectrumNews.com

BY SUSAN CARPENTER

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s highly anticipated e-bike incentive is expected to begin within the second quarter of the year, the Air Resources Board announced Wednesday.

The $7.5 million program will be limited to state residents ages 18 or older with a gross annual household income less than 300% of the federal poverty level.

The base incentive is $1,000 but can be as much as $2,000.

Qualifying individuals can receive an additional $750 for cargo and adaptive e-bikes and another $250 if they reside in a disadvantaged or low-income community or have a gross income that is 225% or less than the federal poverty level.

Only one incentive is available per individual.

Photo by Himiway Bikes on Unsplash

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Four riders whose lives have been transformed by e-road bikes

From BikeRadar.com

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E-road bikes are one of the newest bike genres on the block.

Electric road bikes have the geometry of your race or endurance road bikes, they’re light enough to match up well to at least a heavier standard road bike and have power boosts that can be as heavy or as light as you want.

On the strongest setting, you can fly up a hill like Marco Pantani in his pomp. On the lightest setting, you still put out the work that you do on your road bike, it’s just that you’re now up front chatting with your friends and in fine spirits, not out at the back, spluttering expletives under your breath.

Recently, Cycling Plus magazine put out a call to hear our readers’ experiences of using e-road bikes.

Several told us their stories of how the new electric bikes have renewed motivation to ride in later years, kept crucial riding friendships alive, fought back against the tide of ill health and, ultimately, restored the fun that should be at the heart of riding a bike once age has begun to take its toll.

Mike Baczkowski – Florida

Mike Baczkowski has ridden bikes seriously, and ridden serious bikes, since his late 20s. Now 80, he recalls over the phone from his winter home in Florida of his penchant for fixing up old and abandoned bikes.

Forgotten treasures, such as a 1986 Raleigh Touring 14 bike that he rescued from the garbage, restored and took over to Italy to ride the original L’Eroica vintage bike event in Tuscany.

There’s also a 1980 Colnago Super that he’d put in the miles around his home in Hamburg, New York, close to Niagara Falls and the Canadian border; and the steel Bianchi that he was on in 2005 when he got wiped out by a motorist at an intersection on, ironically, Cycle to Work day, an incident that left him with a broken neck vertebra and a long convalescence.

He later become a belated, but ultimately enthusiastic, adopter of carbon, buying a 2014 Guerciotti Eureka in the bright orange stylings of the CCC pro team at the time.

“My friends kept insisting I get a carbon bike,” he says. “They were faster up the hills on their carbon racers – that was partly a weight thing, but also an age thing, they’re all at least 10 years younger than me.

Image courtesy of Trek

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Here’s What You Need to Start E-Bike Commuting

From Bicycling.com

By Laura McCamy

My family has been car-free for 15 years, and during that time, my Bay Area commute has never been more than a couple of miles. Riding to work is my morning cup of coffee, but in recent years, I’ve found myself taking the bus or asking for a ride more often. I realized an e-bike was the solution to keep me rolling on two wheels.

An electric bike, like a classic bike, is a fabulous tool. It makes biking a viable choice for people who have long commutes, need to transport kids or cargo, or live in hilly places that might otherwise be hard to bike around. And, when you feel that extra boost from the electric motor, you might just get hooked.

One of my favorite things about getting around by e-bike is that, other than charging the battery, there’s not much to worry about. Instead of clipless-ready cycling shoes, I can ride in my favorite platform sandals without sacrificing speed or performance, and I don’t have to worry about sweating through my work clothes. My bike, like most e-bikes, has built-in lights powered by the battery, so I never ride home in the dark because I forgot to charge my lights.

All you really need to start e-bike commuting is the bike itself. However, there are a few essential considerations that can make your transition easier.

First, get an e-bike with a built-in motor rather than adding after-market power to your current ride. The performance and safety of a bike designed to be electric far surpasses a DIY add-on. To help offset the cost, check whether you qualify for a local rebate or purchase incentive. Government agencies are slowly waking up to the fact that e-bikes are an excellent way to replace car trips and protect the environment, so they deserve subsidies similar to what’s already available for electric vehicles.

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REVIEW: GoSGV e-bike – Go rent it!

From LA.streetsblog.org

By Chris Greenspon

I was quite popular last month. Until I returned the e-bike.

Friends and family of all skill levels enjoyed its breezy, near-silent motor and simple design. Three gears, four speeds, solid brakes, and that charming little bell. It’s all they talk about… IF they talk to me at all now.

All joking aside, the new monthly e-bike rental program GoSGV (from ActiveSGV and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments) should be a hit. The 750 watt, pedal assist commuter bike felt great from the first moment I got on it.

The four speeds of the bike aren’t drastically different from each other. The lowest setting, ECO, gets the job done the majority of the time, and lasts the longest. The Bosch motor’s digital display reads out about 32 miles for ECO on a full charge (or 4 hours according to the rental website). The fastest TURBO setting gets about 10 miles range, and I mainly used it for getting up hills.

On a short 10-11 mile ride I took with the new group SGV Cycling, the bike had no problem keeping up with the front, hanging in the back, climbing, or making a sudden stop when a vehicle blew through a stop sign as we pulled into a farmer’s market for a break. Guess they didn’t see the five people in front of me… Ride leader Vince La Rocca enjoyed himself taking a spin on the bike before we called it a night. “It’s so fast,” he said – relatively speaking. The motor cuts off at 20 mph, but its acceleration is effortless and smooth.

I can see these making a huge impression on casual riders at the next 626 Golden Streets event. My 70-year-old father left me chasing behind him on a ride around La Puente. Car guy that he is though, he immediately pointed out one of the downsides of the bike: the motor drag when you stop pedaling is immediate, and it’s a fairly heavy bike (45 lbs). Looked at another way, that’s an upside for making safe stops.

Obviously, this isn’t a bike you’re going to take on any kind of unpaved terrain. Wanting to get some comparison since this was my first e-bike experience, I visited Stan’s Bike Shop in Azusa (where there are two of the GoSGV bikes for rental, by the way). They put me on an Abrazo Sports Outrider, another 750 watt’er with pedal assist. The Outrider was faster, topping out at about 28 MPH, with full twist throttle, and large 26”x4” all-terrain tires. No bell though.

Image courtesy of: gosgv.com

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Here are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in September 2022

From Elektrek.co

By Micah Toll

Here at Electrek, we have spent countless hours undertaking detailed hands-on testing of hundreds of electric bikes. Through the thousands of miles at this point, we’ve gotten to know these e-bikes inside and out, top to bottom and front to back. That dedication to real world e-bike testing has helped us find the best electric bicycles on the market for just about any budget.

Below you’ll find some of the top e-bikes we’ve hand-tested for every price range, current as of September 2022. Summer may be coming to an end soon, but many of us still have some riding season ahead of us. One of these electric bikes just might be your next set of wheels to close out some summer fun!

Best electric bikes under $1,000

The sub-$1,000 electric bike category is critical for a few reasons.

First, it’s pretty hard to produce a quality e-bike and sell it for under $1k. Most of the options in this price category make too many sacrifices in quality or longevity to earn a spot on this list as one of “the best”.

Second, many newcomers to the e-bike industry just aren’t prepared to drop several thousand dollars on a brand new concept, making this price range critical for many first time e-bike shoppers.

Fortunately, we’ve found some excellent options for cheap electric bikes that can still save you some serious dough.

Image courtesy of lectricebikes.com

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“GoSGV” E-Bike Program Rolls Out in the SGV

From ColoradoBoulevard.net

BY

Excessive heat can make walking or biking around the San Gabriel Valley a challenge. Enter the E-bike, an affordable alternative to an electric car that helps beat the heat and makes riding the foothills a relative breeze.

With advances in battery technology and small electric motors, e-bike performance has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past five years, leading to a dramatic increase in popularity around the world. In the United States more e-bikes are now sold than e-cars. In southern California residents of coastal communities have been among the most enthusiastic early adopters. Travel to just about any beach city this summer and you’ll find young adults, older adults, and families zipping around on e-bikes of all shapes and sizes.

Amidst these developments and after several years of planning, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and Active San Gabriel Valley have launched a program – GoSGV– to help inland residents experience life with an e-bike at an affordable price. For about the same cost of renting an electric bike for a few hours in Santa Monica, San Gabriel Valley residents can ride a GoSGV ebike for an entire month.

 

Photo by Gotrax on Unsplash

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