We Love Electric Bikes

Published by Chris Paine on November 6, 2008 — 11:55 am
[caption id="attachment_362" align="alignright" width="200" caption="0 to 20 in seconds, pedaling optional"][/caption] Three weeks ago we spent the day shooting at the Kick Gas Festival in San Diego. One of our favorite diversions was testing the electric bikes. I've always been skeptical about e-bikes. Why waste electricity when you can just pedal? Well, that day changed our minds. Electric bikes could well be the secret weapon of the EV revolution. Electric Bikes are less expensive then electric cars. They are available today. They make everyday bike riding easier. They are incredibly fun and quick. And, if you commute to work on a dress up day, they make riding potentially sweat-proof. Basically, electric bikes can get you riding more often in your every day life. And if you prefer to get all your exercise, you can simply pedal. So what's this all leading to? A confession. Two weeks later, I ended up buying an A2B from Ultra Motor in the UK and sharing it with my producer. It costs about the same as a good full suspension mountain bike ($2600), goes 20 mph without pedaling, and runs 20 miles on a charge if you don't pedal at all. 7 gears, 500 watts, 3" fat tires, 36 volt lithium battery, and GOOD LOOKING. Ask your kid to draw a bike from the future. Only it's here now. Did I mention fun? Up the hill you fly...
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6 Comments

  1. Don Zclipse
    Posted November 7, 2008 at 10:11 am | Permalink

    One of our best sellers
    http://www.zclipse.com
    http://www.electricbikepower.com

  2. susan fahnestock
    Posted November 12, 2008 at 10:41 pm | Permalink

    I just got one too and I love it!! It is the coolest looking bike ever. I bought mine at http://www.greencarco.com in Seattle, WA. For every A2B bike sold, Green Car will donate $100 to plug in america. Hopefully this will make up for the Prius:-)

  3. George Johnston
    Posted November 15, 2008 at 12:49 pm | Permalink

    I bought an electric bike four months ago. I ride it to work almost every day. It is a lot of fun.

  4. eCo Wheelz
    Posted December 14, 2008 at 12:24 pm | Permalink

    Electric bikes are here to stay! For now, they’re a much more viable option than an electric car. The technology has improved drastically – with lower overall weight, longer ranges and extended battery life. At the same time, prices continue to drop. These days, you can get an entry level electric bike for $499!

    There’s many great reasons to choose an electric bike. Here’s a excellent place to find out more about electric bikes & bicycles >

  5. Sebastian Schepis
    Posted January 22, 2009 at 4:32 pm | Permalink

    Ha! I was at the Kick Gas Festival myself, reporting for my blog and test-driving the electric goodies available there. that’s twice I’ve missed meeting Chris Paine – once here, and the other at the Santa Monica EV parade… I got there a half hour late. Chris, I would love to interview you for my blog sometime. If you do read these comments, check out my electric vehicle blog and contact me! I don’t think your contact form on the blog works…

  6. bigben
    Posted June 12, 2009 at 10:15 am | Permalink

    Revenge of the electric car? How can that be? Is that even possible for an electric car to program itself and take revenge to somebody?

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