Ebikes

Bike to Work day is right around the corner on June 28th and I am planning on participating.  I had a 13 mile route selected utilizing the Bear Creek Trail and the South Platte trail, but popped into the CDOT route planning workshop anyway.  I was greeted by a tremendous amount of information from Bicycle Colorado, Good Turn Cycles and my multimodal planning colleague Phil.

Discussed load out - backpack is convenient, they make backpacks that can clip onto rear rack, front rack or basket was discouraged.  Some planning should be used to minimize how much you are hauling.

E-bikes were discussed - Type 1 - pedal assist only to 20mph, Type 2 - pedal plus throttle to 20mph, Type 3 - throttle assist to 28 mph.  Colorado will be offering a rebate of $450 starting April 2024.  Cost is $2K-$3K right now.  

We discussed bike locks and locations for lock up.  Something as simple as a second lock will discourage would be thieves.

Mixed commute by putting your bike on the front of the RTD bus.  This is secure.

Also using a bicycle for quick trips was discussed.  50% of trips are less than 3 miles.

We also discussed general bike stuff like the film bikes vs cars, international bicycle commuting success, El Paso and Los Angeles streetcars.  The impact of mandatory parking requirements.  1.5 spots per resident.  Narrowing of roads due to street parking.

If nothing else, I got a free pair of socks and a water bottle.

I started doing some research on E-bikes and there are a plethora of options including ebike conversion to existing bikes either at the cranks or the hubs.  Major brands like Trek and Specialized have offerings and there are a slew of other retailers.  Internet wisdom suggests sticking with major brands and purchasing from a shop that can provide support.  These systems are complicated and ensuring the correct power for steepness of hills, battery life for travel distance and weight are variables that drive usefulness and cost.  Of course size is important as well.