eBikes Make it Big in Forbes Magazine Article

This article from Forbes was so spot on! Ashley here from the Customer Happiness Team and when I first joined the Xtracycle employee family, I had never ridden an eBike and frankly, kinda dismissed them. “Meh. That’s too much bike for me.” I said. Well, you know that scene in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy opens the door to her monochrome crash landed farm house to the Technicolor beauty of the Land of Oz? That was me on my first e-cargo bike test ride. Once you see what life can be like with a little extra eBike oomph, you can’t unsee it!

This quote from the article especially spoke to my truth: “ convinced that the future of the ebike industry is suburban parents and singles who will use cargo bikes to do things like run to Trader Joe’s and take their kids to school (the cargo area on the back of the Xtracycle can also accommodate child seats). Here at long last, he argues, are the bicycles that can get people to set aside their cars for many trips.”

100% yes! With my non-electric bike, I was really starting to reach my comfort threshold with riding my 8 year old daughter around hilly north Florida town, especially if our route had hills or it was too hot and humid out. If I just didn’t have it in me to crank those pedals, I would leave the bike at home and hop in the car instead. While cars can be great tools, they are a real drag when you’d rather be riding but feel like you just can’t. All that changed when we added a pedal assist Bosch EdgeRunner to our bike fleet. All of those excuses to not ride flew right out the car window and I was zip zappin’ all over the place without hesitation. With the little bit of extra help the system gave me, I could tackle any hill, any route, or a cargo load of staggering weight, while barely breaking a sweat.

Not only has this bike exponentially bettered my and my family’s lives, I’m convinced it’s better the world:

“If he’s right, it could start to make a real difference on crowded streets. While electric cars are turning out to be a good option for the 78% of drivers who travel less than 40 miles per day, 37% of that group travel less than 5 miles per day. That’s a huge market for ebikes that can also carry groceries.”

For some inspiration and insight into this growing branch of the cycling industry tree, check out the article here:

“Dreaming of a Gold Rush…”