E-bike trend catching on in the Flathead Valley

Reinventing the wheel is much harder than innovating the gears turning that wheel.

Electric bicycles — commonly known as e-bikes — started as a practical solution for commuting through the dense populations in Europe and Asia. Now the e-bike trend is spreading in the United States and even across rural roads in Montana.

A few e-bikes can be seen coasting along roads in the Flathead valley, whether it be a new, streamlined model or a homemade design, sometimes with a lawn mower motor strapped to the frame.

That’s why Replay Sports owner Rick Walker has become one of the largest e-bike dealers in the region, picking up a full line of products last spring. He said the nearest bike store that can match his inventory is in Seattle.

Walker jumped on the market early after purchasing one because of an injury that left him in need of a knee replacement. While recovering, he tried out an e-bike, which balanced exercise and assistance, and Walker could see he wasn’t just riding a trend in the bicycle market.

“Without a doubt, there is a future in this industry,” Walker said. “It’s not just older folks who are having a hard time getting around. There’s a lot of young folks buying them to commute.”

E-bike users tend to fall into two categories, Walker said. First, there are older consumers who are looking to be active again. And there are also many younger buyers who want to ride their bike to work without becoming sweaty and unpresentable. The ride home, without using the motor, is often the best chance for a quick workout.

The e-bike doesn’t operate or classify as a small motorcycle, although it is rigged with a motor. The rider must manually turn on the pedal-assist mode that turns on a torque sensor in the rear hub.

 Once the sensor realizes the rider is pedaling, the motor in the rear hub propels the drivetrain with a smooth boost in time with the pedals. While still powering the bike by pedaling, the e- cruises up to a comfortable speed without working the rider into a sweat.

Pedal-assist mode provides four gears that the battery will output at 25, 50, 75 or 100 percent of its energy; the lowest mode lasts the farthest distance. A few models also offer a throttle feature — an accelerator on the right handle that mimics a motorcycle throttle. This feature propels the bike to life without looking for torque or any real help from the rider.

To be considered a bicycle instead of a motorized vehicle, e-bikes are regulated to go no faster than 20 miles per hour. But there are a few models that are built for racing competitions, Walker said, and there’s almost no limit to how fast they can be designed to go, some reaching 25 to 30 miles per hour.

The e-bike niche market, which traditionally has been held by smaller companies, is now seeing interest from major motor companies such as Yamaha, KTM and even Ford.

According to Walker, BH Bicycles out of Spain is currently the leading merchandiser of the e-bike. Battery life is the biggest feature that is pushing the market, said Walker. While some bikes are equipped with batteries that can last about 20 to 30 miles, other, bigger batteries are available that can power a bike for nearly 70 miles when on the most conservative pedal-assist mode.

Phil Seymour, a 65-year-old, 250-pound Kalispell resident, conducted extensive research in the e-bike market before making his purchase.

“The transformation of the market, in my opinion, is the continued effort to produce better batteries, lighter-weight frames and greater range,” Seymour said. “In the late ’80s, it was about to take over the whole industry. But it was just ahead of its time and kind of fell apart.”

Seymour has been able to reach a range of around 40 miles on his Easy Motion Evo bike. His battery uses the same lithium manganese technology found in electric car batteries. Recharging the battery from completely dead takes about four to five hours, he said.

Seymour is another firm believer that the e-bike industry isn’t just a trend in the bicycle market. He carries a copy of the federal law, amended to define e-bikes as bicycles, in case he’s ever in question of where his e-bike is allowed.

“This gives me the freedom to go outside and ride,” Seymour said. “Before I would be walking up hills or try to go around them. Now I really look forward to going right up them.”

Phyllis Pederson, a 67-year-old Somers resident who needs a knee replacement, came across e-bikes at Replay Sports while window shopping for a road bike she couldn’t ride with her failing joints. Walker invited her to test-ride one of the e-bikes and it wasn’t long before she was back on the road.

On the first day she bought her IZIP E-3, she took it up Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

“If I was in the pedal-assist mode, I would leave him behind,” she said. “A man yelled ‘good job’ as I passed him and some other people who were working pretty hard.”

Pederson said she would consider herself a bicyclist, having biked all over the valley in earlier years. Her knees kept her off the pedals for nearly three years, but since buying the e-bike in early June, she has logged nearly 200 miles.

Much like their unpowered counterparts, the price of e-bikes is spread across the board. Walker said Replay Sports offers e-bikes that cost under $1,000, all the way up to some priced over $6,000.

“In this market,” Walker said of the entire bicycle industry, “you really are getting what you pay for.”

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.