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Bicycling without effort - the electric bike

September-October 2004

The power-assisted bicycle is a new and very compelling solution to the problem of local transportation.

Combining a small electric motor, a powerful battery, and a bit of electronic technology, these bicycles are the electric-human equivalent of a gas-electric hybrid car. The bicycle amplifies your muscles with the power of a small and efficient electric motor and battery. Bicycling becomes unimaginably accessible and comfortable, even on steep of hills. It's like having your fairy godmother tap you on the shoulder with a magic wand and, whoosh, you become twice as strong!

These bicycles look like and ride like bicycles. They are legally bicycles and require no registration or insurance. If you can ride a bicycle, you can ride an electric bicycle. The only difference is that it will be easier.

There are two main types of electric bicycles. A pedal-activated bike senses your pedaling and provides assistance in proportion to your effort. Easy-going riding on flats or gliding downhill will get little or no assist. As you accelerate on flats or ride uphill, the motor gives you a boost that will melt the hills away and leave a smile on your face. The only time you'll ever be short of breath is when gazing at beautiful vistas.

On throttle-controlled bikes, a thumb-lever or twist-throttle on the handlebar lets the rider control the motor. You decide how much power you want, and the bicycle responds accordingly.

Electric bicycles incorporate a variety of new battery and motor technologies, but they are essentially invisible to the rider: no complicated controls, no skills to master, nothing new to learn. The bikes have an on-off switch, a battery-level indicator, and a throttle for throttle-controlled bikes. Five minutes of introduction will get you started.

Power-assisted bicycles are being manufactured by some of the biggest bicycle companies in the world (and small ones too). Prices for good-quality power-assisted bicycles start at $650. They weigh between 40 and 75 pounds depending upon model. They will carry the rider up to 20 or 30 miles depending upon a number of factors including hills and the weight of the rider. Batteries are recharged by plugging them into a charger that plugs into any wall outlet. A fully depleted battery requires 3 - 6 hours to recharge (much less for a partially depleted battery). It costs approximately five cents to recharge the battery (depending upon the cost of electricity). Batteries are replaced every few years (1 - 2 years for the heavier lead-acid batteries and 2 - 5 years for the lighter and more powerful nickel-metal-hydride batteries).

New possibilities

Being twice as strong creates new possibilities. Many people find they ride their bikes more often because it's easier and takes less energy. Often it's easier to get on a bike that does half the work than to get in the car. Parking becomes easy. Traffic can be avoided. Waiting for mass transit can be put off for a rainy day. Trips for groceries become a breeze (literally and figuratively). Comfortable exercise becomes an easy and natural part of the day. People find themselves becoming more intimate with their surroundings, noticing sights, sounds, and smells they hadn't before. They smile more. People find themselves transformed.

Power-assisted electric bicycles may be the most seductive form of exercise (and transportation) many people will even encounter.

One person on a bicycle won't change the world but it can change the person who's riding it. It also communicates to others a message of a truly quieter, gentler alternative. It's even possible that one person on a bicycle can start a movement (especially if it's a bicycle that everyone can happily and comfortably ride).

For further reading and to learn more electric bikes, take a quick spin around the worldwide web. Many web sites discuss and promote electric bikes, including the author's: www.myebike.com

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Steve Roseman

Steve Roseman operates the Electric Bike Network, a business which sells electric bikes and encourages their use as an alternative to a car for local transportation.

© 2004 San Francisco Sierra Club Yodeler

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