But are you an electric biker?

This Earth Day, I volunteered at a tent offering free electric bikes rides and learned something fascinating:

Almost all ebikes are sold to people who already ride manual bikes.

Which is crazy if you think about it. Electric bikes’ speed and ease make them a totally different form of transportation than manual bikes.

And yet, people have decided on their identity of “I’m a biker” or “I’m not a biker” based solely on the capabilities of manual bikes. People walking past the booth would decline a test ride, saying “I’m not a biker” — and then admit that they’d never ridden an electric bike!

Imagine how many more people would be biking if they truly understood the capabilities of modern ebikes: they’re faster, cheaper and easier to use than cars in a city. You don’t have to worry about getting stuck in traffic, paying for insurance, or finding parking. You can haul a family’s worth of cargo, or even your kids. And with pedal assist, you aren’t even sweaty when you get to your destination — nor do you have to be young or in great health. Several of the people I gave rides to were in their 70’s, and they came back from their rides with huge smiles!

So, if you’ve never ridden an ebike, I encourage you to try one: Test ride one at your local bike shop or rent one on your next vacation.

And if you too fall in love, you can buy a brand new ebike for less than a year of car insurance.