FEATURE
vcreporter.com
An energizing ride Exploring the e-bike option
by Kimberly Rivers
T
kimberly@vcreporter.com
he wind in your face, the exercise, not having to find parking, no emissions, a great way to get where you’re going: All are common reasons for riding a bicycle. Over the past 20 years or so, many companies have been working to increase access to the joy and health benefits of bicycle riding by adding electricity to the mix. In addition, advances in battery technology have made electric bikes not just feasible, but economical. “When lithium batteries started becoming affordable, that is when bikes made sense,” said Peter Miller, founder and co-owner of Hill Billy USA, which supplies golf trolleys, bags and accessories. Hill Billy is one of three businesses operated out of a warehouse on Palma Drive in Ventura that rely on electric batteries. Coast Cart sells golf carts and 8— — MAY 14, 2020
similar four-wheel drive e-vehicles; Dogleg is its electric bicycle brand. The lithium battery option “really reduced the weight so much from the typical lead acid [battery]. 2008 is when we got the first bike in to start testing.” Dogleg was formed in 2009, and takes its name from a golf term. A dogleg is a bent route between the tee and the hole. Miller attributed the name to his business partner, Robin Gardner, whom he met in the 1980s working at Vandenberg Air Force Base building space shuttle launch equipment. The two connected again in 1996 to form Hill Billy, which offers battery-powered push trolleys used by golfers. Miller, originally from Scotland, said that “hill billy” is a British term for billy goats. “We did that through mail order and grew that business as the golf world was growing and Tiger Woods was on fire,” he recalled. Hill Billy
would get a lot of calls about fixing golf carts and it seemed a natural move to become a dealer. Miller and Gardner had knowledge of the batteries, and had connections in the industry, so they began designing bikes. The Hill Billy trolley business is booming at the moment. With physical distancing rules at golf courses disallowing golf carts, the electric-assist trolley for heavy club bags has been in high demand and Hill Billy is shipping multiple units every day. There’s been a noticeable uptick in interest in electric bikes as well. Hill Billy’s customers run the gamut, but Miller said that, “We sell to a lot of boomers with bad hips and bad knees . . . the bikes help them stay active.” For one customer in Santa Barbara with multiple sclerosis, “The bike gave her her life back.” Miller said that a lot of folks first
TOP: Robin Gadrner (left) and Peter Miller of Dogleg bikes in their Ventura shop. (Photo by Kimberly Rivers.)
ABOVE: The Dogleg Smoothie mountain bike (left) and Step Thru cruiser. (Photo by Sun Mountain Films)
