electric bikes
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The year ahead in bikes
Elly Blue looks into her crystal ball and sees more bike lanes, more bike-sharing, more e-bikes -- and the best year ever for two-wheelers in the U.S.
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Electric Bicycle Evolution
I spotted an interesting looking electric bicycle in front of my neighborhood grocery store a while back. The picture you see below came from an owner’s manual I found on the internet. It has some nice features like: 1) A centered kickstand (electric bikes tend to be top heavy)2) Front and rear disc brakes […]
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Best Buy to Carry A2B
The original Metro (not being sold at Best Buy) is actually more of a moped than a bicycle. It has a twist throttle, smallish wheels like a scooter (which enhances acceleration from a stop), along with front and rear suspension–pedaling optional: Maximum road speed under power – 20 mph Up to 20 miles* unassisted range […]
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What can China teach us about electric bikes?
In part 2, I described the extraordinary growth of electric bikes in China, which grew from novelty items in 1998 to almost one e-bike per ten people today. What caused this growth? What can we learn from China about overcoming the Northwest’s four barriers to e-bikes? The economic context of e-bikes is radically different in […]
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Four obstacles facing electric bike popularity
In part 3, I promised to describe the obstacles that are keeping electric bikes from taking hold in the Pacific Northwest in the way they have in China. Here are four. 1. Immature technology As BikeHugger’s master blogger (and e-biker) DL Byron points out, electric bikes may be past the garage-tinkerer phase of development, but […]
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Should electric bike sales be subsidized?
Photo: Flickr via Imnop88aAs I argued in part 2, electric bikes could be forerunners for electrifying the whole transportation sector. They’re sweeping into urban areas in China by the tens of millions. New technologies are improving e-bike performance. And powerful institutions are aligning to speed battery innovations. Many observers now believe e-bikes will grow rapidly […]
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Three trends that favor electric bikes
Photo: Sightline DailyIn part 1, I described the appeal of and demand for electric bikes, and mentioned that three trends bode well for them in the Pacific Northwest and the rest of North America. Battery-juiced two-wheelers could finally break out of their current status as transportation novelties, helping us rise to challenges as great as […]
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The parable of the electric bike
Brynnen Ford carpools kids to school in her Madsen electric bike.Photo: Brynnen FordMmmm. An electric bike. Zipping through the city. Surging up hills without gasping for breath. Riding in business dress and arriving fresh and dry. Healthy, moderate exercise. No traffic jams. Free parking. Huge load-hauling potential. Near-free fueling. Zero emissions. Breeze in your face. […]
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Electric Bicycle Rules
Cross Posted from Biodiversivist This is the battery pack that I built for my electric bike. It fits into a standard trunk bag behind the seat. I get a lot of emails from people who want to do the same thing (hook Dewalt 36 volt batteries up in a parallel-series configuration for 72 volts). I […]