The Rise of E-Bikes and Their Impact on the Cycling Industry
In recent years, the cycling industry has witnessed a significant transformation with the rise of e-bikes. These electrically powered bicycles have revolutionized the way people commute, explore, and experience cycling. As e-bikes continue to gain popularity, their impact on the cycling industry is undeniable - shaping trends, redefining mobility, and opening up new possibilities for riders of all backgrounds. Let's delve into the rise of e-bikes and explore their pros and cons on the cycling landscape.
Growth of E-Bikes
We are, without a doubt, in the midst of an e-bike boom. Every sporting brand adjacent to cycling has an ebike. It's virtually impossible to read about industry news without e-bikes being mentioned or referenced in some capacity whether it is good or bad news. According to Vantage Market Research, the global e-bike market is projected to grow from $53 billion to $112 billion and have a Compound Annual Growth rate of 9.7% from 2022 to 2030. That's huge!
In the past 10 years there have been major strides in advancing e-bike technology with better motors, longer lasting batteries, and more power. The ideal is that people ditch their cars and use their e-bikes to get around to do day-to-day tasks. Thus alleviating congestion, making people more attuned with the outdoors, and ultimately healthier. This all sounds awesome. And don't get me wrong, I am generally in favor of e-bikes. I think their introduction into the mainstream can be seen as a positive in a lot of ways.
How Riders Use E-Bikes
photo courtesy of www.cyclingelectric.com
Adrian had an e-bike when she commuted into DC for work. It was an awesome alternative to waiting at the Metro and walking (this was before bikes were allowed on the trains during work hours).
I've seen couples on the trail riding happily together while one partner was on an aero road bike and the other on an e-bike. I've read stories of people doing tours over mountains - many of whom admit they wouldn't have been able to do it on (I'll say it for the sake of this article) analog bikes. And I've seen people who found that their e-bike allowed them to begin cycling after life-changing events.
Going to cities, you see tons of delivery drivers with food containers, large packages, tubes of documents, and anything and everything that can fit on a bike. Fewer cars making back and forth trips in already congested areas makes sense.
Technologically Speaking
Well, not all e-bikes are created equally. There is an enormous range of quality, safety, and compatibility. The quality and safety issues are the main drivers of legislation and change within the US and our industry. There are numerous reports of fires that cause death, injuries, and millions of dollars of damages with the prime culprit being poorly constructed e-bikes. New York City alone saw more than 200 fires caused by e-bikes, e-scooters, and similar products.
There's obviously a need for something to be done with regards to safety. There are already many regulations going through the US Government to regulate how e-bikes are made, what components are used, and how they are transported. This is an important step in an otherwise pure money-grab from many actors who don't care about safety. This is an important step that will save lives.
A step e-bike manufacturers need to take is to make their bike sustainable for the long term. An (insert sigh here) analog bike could last indefinitely with regular maintenance. Forget friction vs indexing or disc brakes vs rim brakes - that isn't important in the long term. The life-cycle of this type of bike is decades for all intents and purposes. Steel and aluminum frames can be recycled unlike carbon, but I digress.
Adrian's e-bike is a Trek Valencia+ with a Bionx system. It was really nice and served her well - 3x10 Deore components, integrated lighting, nice rear rack, flat bars. That is, until the battery and controller died and Bionx closed their doors with OEM parts no longer available. Keep in mind even if I could find something, it will still be quite old (in tech years) at this point with an unknown service history. And now, it sits in our garage waiting for a conversion to analog because what else can you do?
This story is not unique. I've heard numerous anecdotes of someone's bike breaking and the are no replacement parts to be had. Some bikes are so integrated with the battery, motor, and controller that it is not reasonable to even change it to another system and the brand can't warranty it because it is no longer supported. As e-bikes age, they are quickly turning to electronic waste destined for the scrap yard along with old laptops, tube monitors, and old cell phones. That is something the industry needs to be prepared for. I hope there is regulation that will require companies to support these products for a reasonable period of time.
We Can't Tech Ourselves Out of Bad Infrastructure
There is some really good news about federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure! From the People for Bikes news website (whole article can be read here):
"...at least $50 billion in funding is available for communities to plan and implement new infrastructure over the next five years through a combination of competitive and formula grants. Although all of that money won’t go to bikes, nearly $13 billion could realistically accelerate the planning and construction of biking and walking projects across the country, dramatically expanding access to safe infrastructure for millions of Americans."
As much as I would love to have huge bicycle highway projects funded and implemented, the reality is that sort of thing is slow and gets held up through bureaucracy and public vs private land lawsuits, etc.. The fact of the matter is that we need to get that low hanging fruit.
We all know those trails that are fantastic, but are disjointed. Building simple and safe connectors between those trails will increase ridership and usability. Guaranteed.
We're lucky on the East Coast that we have so many old rail lines. Our Baltimore and Annapolis (B&A) Trail was an old rail line that was both for freight and passengers through the late 1800s into the mid 1900s. In the 70s after a trestle was washed away, the process to convert it into a trail began. Eventually, it will be part of the East Coast Greenway. So you could ride from Florida to Maine all off-road!
As far as traveling in the city, this increased spending budget will help identify where pinch points are and help keep riders safe. And look - as much as I want to believe automobiles and bicycles/pedestrians can live in peace in urban environments, our cities have been developed and re-developed to accommodate cars and not people. The best thing is to build mixed use trails and separated (and protected!) bike lanes. Sharrows and green painted bike lanes don't work as well. If a car can pull into the lane at any moment, it's a failure.
I heard one representative from a tech company at the Bicycle Leadership Conference talk about how they are developing a city and system that can communicate between cars, bikes, and streets. Basically, your bike would be fitted with this system and would ping your location between street posts and cars. If you are too close to a car, the driver of the vehicle would be alerted that there is a bike nearby. But you need to have a brand new Audi. No joke. We can't tech our way out of bad infrastructure and inattentive drivers.
photo courtesy of Qualcomm
The pure answer is that we need low-tech, sustainable infrastructure, that can be copy and pasted into other places. This is how an infrastructure plan can flourish.
The Wrap-Up
The rise of e-bikes has brought about a transformative shift in the cycling industry. With their expanded accessibility, enhanced commuting capabilities, generally positive health effects, and influence on urban infrastructure, e-bikes have become a new and growing segment of our industry. There absolutely needs to be tighter regulation on manufacturing and importation. As e-bikes continue to evolve for the better, their impact on our lives will continue to grow, shaping the way we perceive and experience cycling in the years to come.
Considering the power of e-Bikes there would be a variety of cycling opportunities available, those capable of handling only human-power and those capable of handling what e-power can do, that e-power could quickly destroy human-powered bicycle rear rims, spokes and hubs, and then would be increased speed and weight bike-stopping needs, or at what point could an e-bike become a motorcycle?
As a rider in my 50’s I look at the rise of E-bikery with equal parts appreciation and disdain. When I first became aware of them 5-7 years ago it was because I couldn’t figure out how more and more riders seemed to be passing me with very little pedaling effort, and this was particularly puzzling when the rider appeared to be elderly. Before I even knew what I was looking at I deduced on my own that there must have been some power source at work which was unknown to me but within a year or two it was finally explained to me by someone at a bike shop. It was not long after, that in addition to the rather old people I presumed these devices were designed for, I began to encounter a tidal wave of much younger riders invading my usual trails with these devices and demonstrating what I consider rude, entitled, unsafe and attention-seeking behavior. Most seem to abandon any kind of conscientious riding practices without regard to the fact that they are on multi-use trails with bicycles and pedestrians, recklessly whizzing by any and all in their way. Before too long I realized that this thing that probably helps so many mobility challenged elderly people, if left unchecked and unregulated and UNENFORCED will ruin bike riding the same way cell phones have ruined going to the movies. At this point in my life it is comforting to know that when I reach an age I can no longer keep the pedals moving with my own human power that there will be options. But as I have been a traditional bicyclist since I was 6 years old, this “E-wave” is moving from annoying to outright maddening.
I look forward to the time when Ebikes will have to be licensed and insured, just as autos, trucks, and motorcycles are in my state of Illinois. They are, for the most part, a motorized vehicle. I appreciate, to some extent, the more out-of-shape riders who can get out and enjoy the local trails without having a heart attack, but bike trails are not supposed to have motorized vehicles on them. Many younger riders travel at a much higher rate of speed than conventional bikes and raise the risk of accidents. When Ebikers are on the streets, I see them just as prone to ignoring traffic laws, blowing thru red lights and stop signs without a thought as do many casual bicyclists. I think they are a great commuting option, but ahead of municipalities infrastructure plans and budgets.
Yes, e-bikes bring problems. On an acoustic bike, if you’re riding 20 MPH its usually because you’ve put in thousands of miles. You’ve made most of your mistakes at low speed, survived and learned. An e-bike gets a novice to 20 MPH immediately, with zero skills. Supposedly Europe cuts out power assist at 15 MPH. That, plus “no throttle” would not cure all the e-bike problems, but it would help.
But claiming we need “protected” bike lanes everywhere is nonsense, and is bad for cycling! We’ll never ever get that reality. And the trendy cries for it make riding a bike on a normal street sound as risky as BASE jumping. Check the data! By any reasonable standard, riding a bike is a very, very safe activity. Riding a bike properly and competently is safer yet.
Instead of “hard” infrastructure, how about calling for education and training of both bicyclists and motorists? How about big publicity campaigns (like what Mothers against Drunk Driving did) teaching people that bicyclists already have full rights to the road?
I hate them, period. ‘nuf said; they are a dangerous menace to real bike riders who obey and respect the rules of the road; the primary intent, concept, philosophy, original idea, etc, was to assist people to help them get up steep grades not capable of doing under their own power as a boost while still pedaling however, then ride the ebike on your own until needed again for a hill, again, only for an assist…sadly, that’s only 0.01% of the ebike population, the rest abusing it as a means to go fast(er) on trails already crowded with normal traffic; e.g., real bike riders, walkers, joggers, runners, children on bikes, skate boarders, roller skaters, etc, all using human power….now, u add this dangerous heavy powered vehicle going fast, never warning people, no consideration of others and so on; they were never bike riders to begin with, they never pedal, only looking for a cheaper way to travel vs a scooter, motorcycle, etc; those people make up the other 99.99% of ebikers; they invaded our territory turning it into danger street of what used to be quiet peaceful places to ride; 3 people if not more have already been killed by these terrible inventions; they should be outlawed like the chevy corvair and the ford pinto and the 3-wheel dune buggy…i will not conduct any business with a bike shop selling them; these shops selling them have no interest in bike safety, only making money and profits; they all did well b4 ebikes so are no longer selling a healthy habit but a dangerous one to owners and other cyclists but the bike shops are too chicken to own up to it; these things are a hazard and more will die from reckless careless people using them; they have no place where bike riders occupy; i hope they’re condemmed
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