6 www.electricbikeaction.com
{ FULLY CHARGED } tonyd@hi-torque.com
Yes, indeed, it’s that time of year when we start hitting all the bike shows and having a first look at all the new bikes and products soon to roll in for 2017. For e-bike
geeks like us, it really is an always exciting time.
Just as the issue was headed off to the printer, we just
returned home from Eurobike, which remains the world’s
largest bike show. And happily, we can report that electric
bicycles were once again the biggest thing happening in the
town of Friedrichshafen, which plays host to the show every
year. In fact, we actually heard one industry veteran comment that within a few years they could imagine seeing most
of the pedal mountain bikes disappearing in favor of the
e-bikes that are literally taking over the convention-hall floor.
With Europe having more bike models sold than what we
get in the U.S., Eurobike affords us the opportunity to see
what might come to our shores in a year or so. Sometimes
we don’t get it at all, but as sales increase here and awareness of electric bicycles continues to grow, the momentum is
building for a wider variety of new models to arrive.
Unfortunately, while electric mountain bikes remain hugely
popular in Europe, there is still some pushback here. Luckily,
as more people actually try riding electric bikes instead
of fearing them, it feels like the times are changing for the
better. And while the non-assist bicycle market is having a
rough time right now, the electric bike market seems to be
flourishing. Accel Group, who has brands including Haibike,
Raleigh, Lapierre, Diamondback, Redline and more, saw
a 10-percent increase in sales this year when the bicycle
market was, at best, flat.
As a sign of their market success, Pedego recently opened
a brand-new factory (page 20) where they got more room to
warehouse more bikes. Plenty of big companies like Giant,
Specialized, Cannondale, Trek and others have had electric
mountain bike models in Europe and are now bringing them
into North America. I think they’re timing it well.
Electric bikes are getting more people on two wheels and
having fun while doing it! Every time I ride, I talk to people
about the bikes. Like most e-bike riders, I love letting someone new try the bike. It sells them on the idea of fun. For this
issue I shared that experience with my old friend and BMX
legend Eddy King. Eddy crashed hard on a mountain bike
a few years ago and injured his spine. He was able to ride
a bike off-road for the first time in years, thanks to electric
assist. The grin on his face was telling of just how positive an
impact an e-bike can have on someone’s life.
Several companies are about to launch 24-inch mountain
bikes—some even have 20-inch bikes, so the whole family
can get out and ride together. I put a friend’s two boys on
electric bikes for the first time, and they were immediately
hooked. They took to them immediately and started asking if they could keep the bikes. No need to bring out their
inner 10-year-old, because they were both close to that age
already!
Sure, we still hear people yell, “Cheater!” at us on some
rides when cyclists discover our motors. Former editor Karel
Kramer suggested we have a professional racer race against
himself on both his race bike and an e-MTB. That was a great
idea, and one we put to good use. See the results on page
90, as the results may surprise you.
As we head into the winter months, people will begin
testing the weather resistance of their bikes. Range can be
affected by the cold and by a lot of other factors. If you’re
like me, you enjoy riding and want to ride as far as you want
to ride without worrying about it. I talked to a lot of long-time
riders, manufacturers and bike shops to ask them for great
tips on being able to go farther on one charge. We have a
great list of tips for that as well in this issue.
If you already own an e-bike, you know exactly what I’m
talking about. If you don’t yet, read on and go visit a dealer
for a demo ride. Beware: it’ll be hard to remove the smile
from your face afterwards. ■
