Archive for the ‘News Commentary’ Category

Reflecting on the Gulf

Friday, June 4th, 2010

The oil spill in the gulf; what can be said about it? It’s a horrible disaster; 11 men lost their lives and the environmental damage is catastrophic.

This terrible disaster should be a reminder that our dependency on oil and other fossil fuels has dire consequences. I’d like to ask those reading this blog to think about their daily consumption patterns. Could I have walked or road my bike to the store? Does my air conditioner need to run nonstop from the first day of spring? Can I buy more local produce or vacation closer to home?

If you’ve already put steps in place to reduce your consumption, stick with it. If you haven’t, now is an excellent time to start. E-bikes are a great way to change our patterns but they are only a part of the big picture. As we watch and hope for a resolution to the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico; remember the oil flowing into the gulf was destined for the cars, trucks and planes that move this nation. Remember that your decisions do make a difference. Using less oil means less drilling means less potential for disasters like we are seeing in the Gulf.

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Gaining a Toehold for the E-Bike(Commentary)

Sunday, January 17th, 2010
Commentary on the article Gaining a Toehold for the E-Bike from the New York Times.com originally published: January 16, 2010 By BRAD STONE:
The E-BikeKit is a conversion kit to convert a conventional bicycle to electric. It’s not a complete e-bike. That said, it is twice the motor and 4 times the battery(life cycles) of the Eneloop  featured in the article. It is also 40% less in price.

Places like walmart would rather sell low-end under-powered e-bikes(made by Currie). They won’t be selling the Eneloop and they don’t want to sell conversion kits that rely on the buyer being intelligent/capable enough to do their own conversions.

The real value of the E-BikeKit conversion system will be best realized by do-it-yourself consumers and local bike shops. For those two groups a high-quality conversion kit offers the ultimate electric bike option.

Either way it’s great to see another electric bike option making news in the NY Times. 2010 should be an amazing year for the e-bike with regard to entering the mainstream consumer market in the United States and even more so towards gaining traction as a viable alternative to the automobile in the minds of Americans.

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The Largest All Electric Bike Shop to Open in San Dimas, CA, Dec. 17

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

The Largest All Electric Bike Shop to Open in San Dimas, CA, Dec. 17

There is a ton of investment money now coming into the e-bike market. This store is about to be the biggest physical location dedicated to offering e-bikes. It appears most of the bikes are straight off the boat from China and there may not be a lot of value added but the fact that the store is opening at all goes to show that the investment community sees green(and I don’t mean environmentalist green) in e-bikes.

This is a good thing for the electric bike market in general. After all a rising tide lifts all boats. There are many smaller e-bike only shops that have opened in the past year and there are a few that have been revolutionary and have been around for years. As more store like the one in this article begin to open and hopefully prove they can be a viable business, even in a poor economy, hopefully those pioneer businesses will begin to gain some popularity too.

This should be a clear sign for the local bike shop owner. I don’t care how pure your shop is and how opposed you are to opening your business to electric bicycle products, if you don’t grab the opportunity that e-bikes present you are going to be missing out. E-Bikes are going to gain in popularity and use. Anyone that has ridden one knows the benefits that come with an electric assisted bike. Local bike shops looking for increased revenues should stay open minded when it comes to electric bikes.

Although the higher quality e-bikes are expensive there is an alternative in the e-bike conversion system. With an e-bike conversion product local bike shops can offer their customers an affordable alternative to owning an e-bike. This saves your customers’ money and it give the local bike shop two opportunities to increase revenues. Not only will the shop make 40% or so on the sale of the kit but they will also be able to charge for the conversion service. And by performing the conversion they can guarantee their customers have a positive e-bike experience.

The investment is coming and the opportunities are great. Are you ready?

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Best Buy has made a good decision betting on the future of the electric bike

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

Best Buy has made a good decision betting on the future of the electric bike but certain things have to happen for them to win both short and long-term.

In the short-term a spike in gas prices or a “new worsening” in the broader economy could increase the sale of low-end e-bikes. In the long-term and if they expect to sell more e-bikes and high-end models, they will have to follow the lead of Trek and others in campaigning for an overhaul in the attitudes of the American consumer with regard to the bicycle as a convenient and comfortable form of transportation.

The majority of Americans still can’t comprehend commuting by bike. They just don’t see a bike as a means of getting from point A to point B. But get them to ride an e-bike and the mind and heart begin to open up to the possibility.

If Best Buy and others can convince enough prospective buyers that bicycles aren’t just for exercise anymore then their early bet on the future of the electric bike may pay big dividends.


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