Jeff Kennel
The Neko+ is a recreational e-bike model from Trek.
Electric bicycles are booming all over Asia and Europe, says Jocelyn Vande Velde, brand manager for city bikes at Trek Bicycle. The Waterloo-based company would like to see them catch on in North America as well.
Trek, known for everything from racing bikes to commuter cruisers, has been working on improving the e-bike for 15 years, says Vande Velde. That Trek was offering e-bike test rides at the Ironman Village during the Ironman demonstrates their bold thinking on just who will find these bikes appealing: everyone from people who have not ridden a bike in 20 years to those whose posteriors are molded in the shape of their bike seats.
The first thing to know about an electric bike is that it’s not a scooter. “It’s still a biking experience,” says Vande Velde. “You’re still pedaling, you are still outdoors. You 100 percent feel like you’re riding a bike.” The technology is called “pedal assist” and the rider has to be pedaling for the motor to kick in. No zooming off uncontrolled into the sunset.
As someone who a) is unable to manage a moped and b) has trouble adjusting to any bike I’m not used to, I approached my test ride with some trepidation. Once Vande Velde found a bike small enough for me to ride — a “Neko +” recreational model (or cross bike) — I started pedaling along Wilson Street. The bike, heavier than my trusty old Trek 920 mountain bike, felt a bit ungainly at first, but I soon found myself pedaling smoothly up the Carroll Street hill next to the police department with zero effort. Is it — the motor — actually going? I wondered. I toggled through the settings of eco, low, medium, high and off. Returning the setting to “off” proved that it had indeed been “going.”
Jake Ausel
The Rolls-Royce of e-commuters, the Trek Super Commuter+ 8S.
While the motor makes hills of the size found in and around Madison a snap, the heavier weight of the electric bike means that you likely will be using the assist, even on “easy” hills.
The most successful e-bike so far nationally has been the “cruiser”-style Electra Townie Go!, says Vande Velde. It looks like something a metal-detecting grampaw would ride on Redondo Beach. (Trek bought the Electra company in 2014.) Other e-bike brands have different frames, comfort accessories, motor and battery sizes, and prices. The rides are as different as rides are on different normal bikes.
Trek e-bikes are sold at all its stores. For other company’s bikes, Crazy Lenny’s E-Bikes at 6017 Odana Road carries a variety of models.
Trek’s e-bikes reflect modern styling, and come in commuter, recreational and mountain frames. Vande Velde underlines they’re made by a company that really knows bikes and backs up the warranty.
Trek is positioning its $3,000-$5,000 commuter models as replacements for a car, or at least for one car that’s used primarily for commuting. The motor allows older and less-fit riders to enjoy bicycling again. (One can only imagine how sales will explode as eco-conscious millennials start to age and can no longer climb hills on their fixies.) Commuters don’t arrive at work needing a shower. The top-of-the-line super commuter model has fenders, built-in lighting, a guard that makes it extremely rare for the chain to fall off, hydraulic brakes and heavy-duty tires. The commuter can go 28 mph; all other models top out at 20 mph.
“The battery is like the size of your gas tank in a car,” Vande Velde explains, “the motor is like the size of your engine.” For commuters, battery life may be the more crucial spec. A battery lasts 3 to 5 hours and depending on the kind of riding you’re doing, will take you 20 to 100 miles. They can be plugged in to a standard electrical outlet for recharging. (Pedaling does not recharge the battery.)
While ecological responsibility is clearly a big plus, the way Vande Velde talks about the bikes, it occurs to me that freedom is the e-bike’s biggest selling point. Freedom to jettison a car, but also freedom to enjoy bicycling again. Vande Velde mentions a hut-to-hut cycling company in the Alps. “Before, people would say, ‘I can’t ride 200 miles in the Alps on a mountain bike.’ But now you can.”
