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Electric Mountain Bikes: The Winds of Change Arrive in North America

Haibike FS RX trail 6

Just one quarter in, 2016 has turned into a year of dramatic change in the cycling industry.

North American bicycle imports dropped 7% in 2015 and are down 17% year-to-date compared to 2015. Manufacturers seem to be making changes to their sales models at a quickening pace.

Big name brands like Trek and Giant have announced direct-to-consumer sales. Canyon, the top European direct-to-consumer brand, is set to arrive on American shores this year and promises to really shake things up.

More brands, such as Raleigh, have moved forward with direct sales models where the customer orders online and picks the bike up at a brick & mortar dealer. [Read more…] about Electric Mountain Bikes: The Winds of Change Arrive in North America

Palo Alto E-Bike Expo: Checkout & Ride the Latest E-Bikes for Free! [VIDEO]

IMG_6625The Palo Electric Bike Expo on April 22-24 at the Stanford Shopping Center is the place to ride the latest electric bikes. And best of all it’s completely free to attend and test ride as many eBikes as you like!

There will be 20 different brands and over 100 different eBikes to choose from to ride on the test track. Some of the bikes are launching at the Palo Alto Expo!

The test track has a hill structure to test the different eBike climbing capabilities and terrain features to test the suspension of some of the eBikes. [Read more…] about Palo Alto E-Bike Expo: Checkout & Ride the Latest E-Bikes for Free! [VIDEO]

No More Flat Tires: Gecko Cellular Rubber Punctureless Tires

Gecko tires 1By Richard Peace

Solid and cellular tyres are one of those bicycle design ideas that potentially hold huge practical advantages; no punctures and none of the extra time and delay that entails and the need to carry round a spare tube, tools and pump with you.

But product launches of solid tyres over the years have come and gone and reviews of them in the cycling press have been almost universally deeply critical.

Attempts were lambasted as extremely harsh to ride and at worst dangerous, with the danger of tyres coming off the rim or skidding on the road surface. At best they were hard to ride with huge rolling resistance and a jarring, uncomfortable ride.

In 2015 South Korean company Tannus launched their ‘solid’ tyre, actually made of foamed polymer which was the first bicycle non-pneumatic tyre to be generally well-received, though [Read more…] about No More Flat Tires: Gecko Cellular Rubber Punctureless Tires

Swiftmile: Solar Powered Electric Bike Rental Stations [VIDEOS]

In technology, the term “last mile solution” is synonymous with “challenge”.

The last mile is where the leaps and bounds of a technology are grasped by the masses. The promise of broadband, trans-continental internet connections took years.

Signals, transmitted across oceans at the speed of light, still needed to find their way into the home at that speed.

Solar power is another technology with tremendous promise that has had a difficulty crossing the chasm to main street.

In San Mateo, California, a company named Swiftmile is aiming to bridge solar power’s last mile gap by becoming a premier infrastructure provider for what Swiftmile calls the “Personal Electric Transporter” market, or PET for short. [Read more…] about Swiftmile: Solar Powered Electric Bike Rental Stations [VIDEOS]

UK Electric Bike Hire Schemes Begin Roll Out [VIDEO]

Professor Debra Humphris Eastbourne E-Bike Launch-441

University of Brighton launches it’s bike hire scheme for staff and students

By Richard Peace

Back in September 2015 the UK’s Department for Transport announced the results of competitive bidding for a share of £700,000 that would fund electric bike hire schemes across the country.

The application process was administered by UK NGO Carplus which also now has a sister organisation Bikeplus, the new representative body for the sixteen towns and cities chosen to trial electric bike hire.

ElectricBikeReport will look at what each of the sixteen schemes is doing in turn as they begin to roll out across the country, starting with the University of Brighton’s scheme to link two of its campuses. After being chosen by organisation Carplus, the university was awarded £36,000 from the Department for Transport for the project. [Read more…] about UK Electric Bike Hire Schemes Begin Roll Out [VIDEO]

Where’s Bixby? Electric Cargo Bike Adventures with a Dog & Her Human [VIDEO]

Bixby, her human and their Yuba Spicy Curry electric cargo bike

Bixby, her human, and their new Yuba Spicy Curry electric cargo bike

Bixby and her human (Mike Minnick) have been traveling the US on a Yuba cargo bike to encourage pet adoption and their latest adventure is to beat the current world record for longest electric bike ride with more than 10,000 miles of riding!

They will officially kick off their electric cargo bike adventure at the Sea Otter Classic in April and then make stops at the Palo Alto Electric Bike Expo and possibly the Portland and Denver locations as well.

Here’s a quick video interview with Bixby and Mike from the Houston Electric Bike Expo where they picked up their shiny new Yuba Spicy Curry: [Read more…] about Where’s Bixby? Electric Cargo Bike Adventures with a Dog & Her Human [VIDEO]

The Houston Electric Bike Expo: Transportation, Media, and Fun! [VIDEO]

Houston Electric Bike ExpoThe Houston Electric Bike Expo was this past weekend and it made quite the impact on the Houston area!

Attendees of the Texas Trails and Active Transportation conference had a chance to learn about and ride the latest eBikes at the Expo.

TV, radio, and newspaper media covered the Expo with many good stories.

And there were many eBike smiles on and off the test track!

Enjoy the scene’s from the Houston Expo in this video: [Read more…] about The Houston Electric Bike Expo: Transportation, Media, and Fun! [VIDEO]

Losing the Deadweight: Going Car-Free – Part 1

57_Chevy_210

Quintessential Automotive Americana

By Troy Rank

The American automobile. A symbol of prosperity, freedom, and the American dream.

Whitewalls, fins, and a four barrel carburetor are practically synonymous with the colors red white and blue.

Truth be told it is not 1955 anymore, and America’s ambivalence to automobiles has long since waned.

However, it’s absolutely true that as American’s we still love our cars.

After-all, the entire landscape of our fair nation has been constructed, almost exclusively for the almighty motorcoach. To the mainstream, it’s absolutely the case that all other modes of transportation have been deemed either novelty or strictly recreational.

Then why have I, a man of relatively affluent means chosen to live without one for several years? Is it some kind of religious perversion that keeps me from accepting my one-ton of rolling American destiny? Almost.

[Read more…] about Losing the Deadweight: Going Car-Free – Part 1

San Diego Electric Bike Expo Makes a Splash!

San Diego Electric Bike Expo 1The San Diego Electric Bike Expo made a big eBike splash in Southern California!

Over 2,200 people attended the Expo on Feb. 26-28 and test track was very busy from start to finish. Before the track opened there was a line up of people, like the start of a race!

There was great media coverage before, during, and after the event. The TV coverage included: CW 6 News, Fox 5 Morning News, KFMB CBS8, KUSI News, ABC 10 News. [Read more…] about San Diego Electric Bike Expo Makes a Splash!

Crunch Time for Madrid’s BiciMad Electric Bike Hire Scheme

BiciMad electric bike share 1

Courtesy of Flickr users Microsiervos and Cesar

By Richard Peace

The financial state of Madrid’s public hire electric bike scheme appear to be reaching a crisis point and has become a political battleground as plans for the scheme’s expansion appear to be stalled.

In late 2015 the Bonopark, the company running the scheme on behalf of Madrid City Hall, issued a request for 3.6 million Euros in order to avoid bankruptcy.

It certainly appears that Bonopark has been struggling to meet its contractual obligations to City Hall. [Read more…] about Crunch Time for Madrid’s BiciMad Electric Bike Hire Scheme

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