#!markdown
There was blurb from Commencal on PB recently, to the effect that e-bikes were
[or will be?] half of all sales in Europe. There wasn't a follow-up to ask if
that was revenue or units sold, but it's still pretty significant. Will this
trend wash up on the shores of North America? Considering that:
a) the 35-55 demographic is driving mountain biking forward, and not getting
any younger
b) there's a gigantic mass of affluent Boomers who want to stay active as they
retire
c) mtn biking is much less about climbing than it was in the 80s and 90s.
All signs point to Yes.
I was recently fighting my way up a climb and stopped to put my lungs back in
my chest. Two fit-looking 40-something ladies with German [?] accents came
whipping up the trail and asked me how far it was to the top. 2km. "Ja ja ja,
no problem!" Zoom! Off they went. Pedal-assisted 6″ travel bikes looked like a
LOT of fun right then, and that may be what convinces people to get e-bikes in
the future - fun.
I see it going the way of skiing. In the beginning, everyone was a tourer.
Then a few intrepid souls paid somebody to take them up the slope in a horse-
drawn sleigh. Lifts made it even easier, and soon everyone was doing it, and
going for a tour became the exception rather than the rule, unless you wanted
untouched powder. But then heli/cat/sled made that easy as well, as long as
you had the money. Right now, most of us tour on bikes under our own power.
However, a growing segment uses chairlifts and trucks to get to the top, and
some even use heli. E-bikes could just be the next step in that progression.
Sept. 22, 2016, 12:27 p.m. - David Mills
#!markdown There was blurb from Commencal on PB recently, to the effect that e-bikes were [or will be?] half of all sales in Europe. There wasn't a follow-up to ask if that was revenue or units sold, but it's still pretty significant. Will this trend wash up on the shores of North America? Considering that: a) the 35-55 demographic is driving mountain biking forward, and not getting any younger b) there's a gigantic mass of affluent Boomers who want to stay active as they retire c) mtn biking is much less about climbing than it was in the 80s and 90s. All signs point to Yes. I was recently fighting my way up a climb and stopped to put my lungs back in my chest. Two fit-looking 40-something ladies with German [?] accents came whipping up the trail and asked me how far it was to the top. 2km. "Ja ja ja, no problem!" Zoom! Off they went. Pedal-assisted 6″ travel bikes looked like a LOT of fun right then, and that may be what convinces people to get e-bikes in the future - fun. I see it going the way of skiing. In the beginning, everyone was a tourer. Then a few intrepid souls paid somebody to take them up the slope in a horse- drawn sleigh. Lifts made it even easier, and soon everyone was doing it, and going for a tour became the exception rather than the rule, unless you wanted untouched powder. But then heli/cat/sled made that easy as well, as long as you had the money. Right now, most of us tour on bikes under our own power. However, a growing segment uses chairlifts and trucks to get to the top, and some even use heli. E-bikes could just be the next step in that progression.