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outdoors
It’s electric!
While cycling experienced a quarantineinduced boom last year, one segment of the bike industry has been growing steadily since before COVID-19 changed the world…E-bikes.
words Scott Faldon images courtesy The Woodsman Company
“E-bike” is shorthand for electric bicycle. While some operate more like a motorcycle with a throttle that controls speed and require no pedaling, most E-bikes in the US are electric-assist. That means you’ve got to pedal, and the electric motor will add power as needed depending on the setting you choose and the terrain. If you’re gently pedaling along the Greg Smith River Trail on a low setting, you might not engage the motor. But if you put it in a higher power setting as you’re climbing up Custer Blvd. headed east toward Deer Trails Golf Course, it will kick in with extra wattage to power you up the hill. “There’s very little lag in the assistance, when it senses a drop in power from the pedaling then the motor will start adding more,” Scott Chapman, manager of The Woodsman Company’s cycling department said. “What a lot of people don’t realize is you don’t even have to use the boost. But it’s there in case you do want it. Let’s say you’ve gone for a ride and there’s a hill between you and home, you can then add some boost to help you get there.” E-bike models come in a variety of styles and power outputs. From traditional road bike designs to mountain bikes to gravel grinders perfect for country roads to cargo bikes designed for hauling heavy loads, there is an E-bike for every riding style. In addition to flattening out hills, E-bikes allow people of varying cycling ability to ride together. A grandparent can keep up with a youngster. A spouse who is a casual rider can maintain the same pace as their counterpart who is a devoted cyclist. Somebody working at getting fit can ride alongside their buddy who knocks off century Scott Chapman on the Greg Smith River Front Trail
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rides once per month.
