2021 in Review: The E-Bike Revolution Hits the Streets

It was hard, looking for the worst e-bike photo in Getty Images: A guy without a helmet in regular street clothes talking on his phone while riding an e-bike. But I thought it demonstrated how e-bikes have become so normalized—the e-bike revolution is truly underway.To get more news about ebike accessories, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

What is the e-bike revolution? That's when e-bikes start replacing cars and are finally taken seriously as transportation. This is finally happening, with electric bikes outselling electric cars 2 to 1 in North America.
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In "The E-Bike Spike Continues With 1 Selling Every 3 Minutes" we reported sales of e-bikes were up 145% with 600,000 sold in the U.S. and that it would have been even higher had there not been supply constraints. Studies have shown e-bike trips are replacing car trips rather than bike trips and that people are using them differently—traveling longer distances.1 A few years ago I wrote that e-bikes will eat cars and it is actually happening.My other favorite example of the normalization of e-bikes is the marketing here by Specialized. It's not about riding on trails or recreation: It is all about daily life. As the company states: "Carry it down stairs, zip across town, pack it full of groceries, it’s ready to take flight."To get more news about rad rover 5, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

Commenters are not impressed. "It sounds inferior and overpriced as many ebikes currently are while manufacturers are frantically scrambling to take advantage of a gullible and uninformed market which has been conditioned to pay much more for the "e" in ebikes than actually justified by the manufacturing cost."To get more news about waterproof bag for bike, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

I wrote a book this year and devoted a chapter to the e-bike revolution, noting that three things were needed for it to make it truly a success: decent affordable bikes (there is good news on this front), safe places to ride (the pandemic gave a big boost to bike lanes), and a secure place to park. (Sadly, this is still lacking.)

This is a subject that really bothers me: the way bikes are regulated in North America. In Europe, where they know bikes and have great bike infrastructure, e-bikes are essentially bikes with a boost. They don't have throttles—you have to pedal a bit to get the motor to kick in. Motor size is limited to 250 watts, although they can have short-term peaks that are higher. They are limited to 15 mph. The whole idea is that they play nice in the bike lanes.

In North America, the states and provinces that regulate e-bikes have type 1 bikes that can go 20 mph and have no throttle, a type 2 that throws in throttle, and a type 3 that can do 28 mph which is way too fast for a bike lane. They all look alike. They all can have motors up to 750 watts. It makes no sense, especially in countries that are new to e-bikes.

A lot of people disagree with me on this one, noting that distances are longer, there isn't as much infrastructure so they have to share the road with cars and want to keep up, Americans are heavier, the cities are hillier—there are always reasons for American exceptionalism. I just worry there are going to be more crashes and regular cyclists are going to be scared off their bikes by all the high-speed traffic. Maybe I am just getting old, but I find that 20 is plenty.

Comment: "I sell 72v 8000w fat tire e bikes, bike frame 26 in rims it is a fat tire bike converted, has pedals, you can pedal choice is up to the rider. Bikes you are talking about go 15mph with a 150 lb rider.If you weigh 250 lbs you are going less than 10mph,what's the point."