E-bikes are becoming more and more popular
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — At City Bike, sales of electric bikes have more than tripled this year.
Not only are more customers choosing electric bikes over non-electric bikes for transportation and recreation, but the customer base for electric bikes has expanded to people who wouldn’t buy a regular bike, said Earl Whitney, service manager.
According to Whitney, about a quarter of the bikes they sold this year were electric, compared with just 6% last year.
E-bikes look like regular bikes, but they have a rechargeable electric motor that assists pedaling, allowing riders to go faster with less effort.
They make biking accessible to more people, Whitney said. They meet the needs of people with medical conditions and those who commute to work hauling kids or groceries in a trailer.
“These are people who may have bought hybrid cruiser-style bikes before, but now they may be older or just have a big mountain nearby,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if in five years, e-bikes don’t make up 50% of our sales.” What’s causing concern locally is also happening nationwide: E-bike use is increasing.
In 2023, 19.4% of U.S. bicycle users reported using an e-bike, up from 7.8% in 2021, according to peopleforbikes.org.
Traverse City Electric announced that customers who buy e-bikes at stores like City Bike Shop will receive an instant $300 discount. Whitney said that also helped boost sales of e-bikes, which range in price from $1,000 for the cheapest to $7,400 for the most expensive.
E-bikes are legally divided into three categories, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
For Class 1 and Class 3 bikes, the motor activates when pedaling and speed is automatically limited to 20 mph (Class 1) and 28 mph (Class 3). Class 2 bikes are still capped at 20 mph but also come with a hand-operated throttle so that users can increase speed without pedaling.
Pedego Electric Bikes in Traverse City sells only Class 2 e-bikes with throttles.
Dan and Pam Marsh, owners of Pedego Electric Bikes, say they have seen continued growth in sales, popularity and business since opening in 2020.
“Our customers are generally a little older, and a lot of them haven’t ridden a bike in years or even decades, and now they’re interested in e-bikes,” Dan Marsh said. “If we didn’t have e-bikes, these people wouldn’t be out riding the trail, and frankly, trails like TART and others wouldn’t be as popular.”
The increasing use of the Trans-Area Recreation and Transportation (TART) Trail by e-bikes has raised safety concerns for some residents.
“I don’t want to be on a bike path and have someone whizz by me on an e-bike, really fast,” said Laura Otwell, a Traverse City resident and longtime bike advocate. Otwell, however, said she is hopeful that e-bike use will increase.
“If more people are riding, then bike paths and infrastructure can have a positive impact,” she said. “I think the key is that people need to be respectful of the people around them.”
Currently, all three types of e-bikes are allowed on TART paths.
TART Director Julie Clark said the organization will not use TART resources to restrict bike path use, but has decided to focus on an etiquette campaign for all bike users.
They are also working with local bike shops to provide training videos for new bikers in Traverse City.
“(TART) is really trying to create this culture of kindness because enforcement is not … how most people want TART to spend their time and money,” Clark said. “It’s a multi-layered issue, and we recognize that it’s a problem.
“But the ultimate goal of TART is to get more people out and about.” More people are riding bikes to these desirable destinations.” Rick Venner, vice president of the Cherry Capital Bicycle Club and an e-bike user, agrees with TART’s strategy.
“I like the way TART approaches the so-called problem, which is: The problem is not the e-bikes. The problem is not the type of bikes. The problem is the people riding bikes,” Venner said.
“People complain about e-bikes going too fast on the sidewalk. Well, let’s give them a place to go. Let’s not just say, ‘You can’t do that,’ because they’re not going to leave.”
