It’s
electric!
E-bikes see surge in popularity among Moab’s locals and visitors Written by Rachel Fixsen | Photos by Murice D. Miller
B
ICYCLES ARE GOING ELECTRIC. CYCLISTS HAVE ENJOYED MOAB’S SCENIC VIEWS AND EXCITING TERRAIN FROM THE SADDLES OF ROAD BIKES AND MOUNTAIN BIKES FOR DECADES. THE LATEST ITERATION OF TWO-
WHEELED, PEDAL-POWERED TRAVEL IS GAINING MOMENTUM IN THE AREA.
“Most people have experience with a bike,” says Ron Thomas, who, along with his wife Annie, runs a dealership for Pedego brand electric bikes in Moab. “It’s not that much different, except it’s way more fun!” Electric bikes, or e-bikes, have existed for a long time. Thomas says he first rode one about 25 years ago in Zion National Park. It had a lead-acid battery similar to a car battery, that could hold a charge for about 20 minutes, he says. Since then, e-bike designs have improved. More companies are producing them, and more people are interested in trying them. Many local traditional bike shops have
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MOAB AREA REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE February–March 2022
e-bikes for rent or sale. Moab now has two dedicated e-bike shops. In addition to the Thomases’s Pedego retail location, which opened in August of 2021, there’s Mick Vallantine’s E-bike Moab, which opened in the spring of 2020. Vallantine says he first rode an e-bike when he was living in England. He was riding a traditional motorcycle when someone offered to let him try an e-bike. “I rode it for less than five minutes and returned the bike to the owner who asked, ‘Didn’t you like it?’ I replied, ‘Yes, I did, and I’m going to go get one!” E-bikes come in a variety of styles, from models made for casual street cruising
to high-performance mountain e-bikes. They also come with different capabilities that have been categorized into three classes. “Class 1” e-bikes only offer motor assistance when the rider is pedaling, and that assistance caps out at 20 miles per hour. Class 2 and 3 e-bikes can provide some power without pedaling. Moab City, Grand County, and the Bureau of Land Management recently approved regulations allowing Class 1 e-bikes on the paved multi-use paths that traverse the city along the Mill Creek Parkway and lead to Arches National Park, the River Road, and Highway 313. They’re not allowed on trails designated for non-mo-
