By J. DAVID GOODMAN
Photographs by J. David Goodman/The New York Times The owner of this e-bike on Grand Street offered to sell it for $700. Surrounded by cellophane-wrapped bike parts and small pieces of recently imported hardware, Sheng Chang sat in the window of a storefront on Broome Street in Manhattan and watched two men assemble his new electric bicycle. Mr. Chang, 50, a restaurant delivery man in Midtown, had been saving for months for the new bike, which he said would help him get through work days that can last 12 to 14 hours. “Now I’m old — a regular bicycle makes me tired,” he said.
The shop, MNC E-Bikes, is one of a handful in Chinatown and around the city that caters to a small but rapidly growing market for bicycles with an added oomph of electric power. Hugely popular in China for several years, e-bikes, as they are often known, are increasingly present on the streets of New York, especially downtown and in Midtown, where many delivery men have traded up for the faster, easier ride.
“In the last couple of years we’ve started to sell to delivery guys,” said Bert Cebular, who has been selling electric bicycles from his shop in Yorkville, NYCeWheels, since 2001. At around $2,000, an average e-bike goes for considerably more than a standard bicycle. Because of the steep price tag, many e-bike buyers also purchase theft insurance.
The difference between an electric bike and other electric-powered, two-wheeled vehicles is that an e-bike can be pedaled with no motor power. Most have a longer wheelbase than standard bicycles and only eight gears, with the motor providing the extra assistance. One of the more common e-bikes in Manhattan is the eZee Forza, which resembles a regular bicycle with a battery pack running along the seat tube.
“I sold about 500 bikes last year,” Mr. Cebular said. “We’ve been up every year 40 percent, except this year because of the financial crisis. But when gas prices were up,” he added, business “was crazy.”
An e-bike outside a grocery store on Grand Street.A brief walk around Grand Street reveals a healthy number of electric bikes chained outside of restaurants or quietly zipping along the street. When asked about the bike locked up in front of one restaurant, a woman at the register offered to sell it for $700. (When told that the inquiry was related to journalism and not commerce, she lowered her price to $500. This reporter did not accept either offer.)
Of course downtown deliverymen are not the only e-bike customers. Anthony Jaswinski, 38, a screenwriter who lives on the Upper East Side, bought the moped-style A2B from Mr. Cebular five months ago and is effusive about it. “Love love love it,” he wrote in an e-mail message. “Can’t help but grin a little when gliding by angry cars and even scooters. Two times cops have approached me. Both times, they asked where they could get a bike like the A2B.”
Mr. Jaswinski might be wary of the police because, for the moment, electric bicycles occupy a nebulous legal lane on the road. Not quite a scooter, not quite a bike, e-bikes are considered “motor-assisted bicycles” under New York State law and are banned from state roads and city streets.
“It’s a gray area,” Mr. Cebular said. A bill is making its way through Albany that would amend the law to allow electric bikes with a top speed of 20 miles per hour and less than 1,000 watts of power. (Most other states limit power output to 750 watts.)
The change would bring New York State in line with federal rules, which consider e-bikes to be consumer products and not motor vehicles, and other states’ laws. “They were supposed to change the law when the State Senate was shut down,” said Mr. Cebular, who has spoken out in favor of the change. Technically his customers can be ticketed for being on an electric bike, he said, “but I’ve never heard of this happening. A 90-year-old woman with an electric wheelchair on the sidewalk is in the same situation.”
Indeed, legal concerns do not stop Roger Phillips, 78, from enjoying his electric-assisted rides. “On a hill it makes it like a level,” he said. “It’s miraculous — it takes the hills out of riding!” He said the sensation was akin to riding on a moving walkway at the airport — you feel as if you are pedaling normally, but move much quicker than you would without assistance. “It’s very hard to describe because its so unlike anything you’ve ever done,” he said.
Not everyone is so enthusiastic about a bike that acts like a scooter. Mr. Jaswinski said that he had several unfriendly encounters with other bikers in Central Park. “There was this one guy who tried to to cut me off and make me crash,” he said. “Purists that don’t think they should share the road with electric bikes. I like to think I’m helping the environment and lessening congestion.”
From 1 to 25 of 38 Comments
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This may be a new consumer product – but I’ve seen “homemade” bikes with electric motors around the City for years. As I recall, there used to be a guy in Alphabet City who “specialized” in converting regular bikes to “electric-assist” ones.
If having one of these things “floats your boat”, fine. But, personally, as a cyclist, I like the hills. That’s where the workout is!
Also, consider the downside. If you run out of juice a long way from home – you’re going to have to pedal that heavy bike (with battery and motor) all by yourself….
— George -
I ride an electric bike in Seattle, where they are starting to become a bit more common. For in-city commuting, an e-bike is nearly ideal, since you get the advantages of a bike (bike lanes, effectively no traffic) but can wear street clothes and not work up a sweat on the hills. They can also significantly shorten commute times, especially in hilly areas. I haven’t experienced any anger from bike purists, mostly because I think there is a growing recognition that the needs and aesthetics of bicycle commuting or errand running differ considerably from sport or recreational riding.
— Mike -
I had four of them and almost loved them to death – mine. After my third accident, a snapped collar bone, four broken ribs and multiple lacerations i realized they were just too dangerous.
— Stephen Andrus -
What is the rule on electric bikes in the bike lane?
— harry -
Illegal? Nope. Federal Highway laws make them legal. They can only be banned on Limited Access (interstate style) highways where there is an alternative route very close by. They are legal on all interstates in a few western states, legal on certain sections of interstates in other states.
— Mike Schwab -
I’m curious as to the effective life of the battery for electric bicycles. All rechargeable batteries I’ve used eventually reach a point where they no longer hold a charge and must be discarded.
What is the cost of a new battery?
Could electric bikes be adding batteries to the refuse stream when there is no sound way to handle them?
— SteveFtGreene -
I too have noticed a boom in delivery guys riding electric bikes. Perhaps if they all ride these e-bikes, regular human-powered bikes will be less likely to be stolen?
— Brian -
Idiotic.
I’m still trying to figure out why the screenwriter was riding his e-bike in Central Park. Given that the bike weighs 72 lbs, simply pedaling it on level roads isn’t much fun, and up hills is pretty much a non-starter. So one deduces that he was riding a powered-vehicle among recreational athletes simply so he could pedal the bike downhill. And you wonder why we’re becoming so obese as a nation. Perhaps for his next trick, he can rollerblade whilst being towed by a golf cart up hills and flats, and coast downhill when the urge takes him.
— GeorgeP -
Treat them as motor vehicles. They are, after all. Require license plates and obeying of traffic laws.
— Gary -
My wife’s electric bike lets her ride with me, something that wouldn’t happen without the motor on her bike. The battery went bad last year, and a new one would have cost $250. But I found the same cells on eBay, and did the replacement myself for less than $50. Bottom line: great idea, purists’ objections notwithstanding.
— Ken -
why don’t they ban polluting cars, instead of these nice bikes….
— Dave Kliman -
Just another needless intrusion of NY into our lives. The beef with cyclists should be the most drama anybody should experience from owning/operating an electric bike. Why does NY feel the need to weigh in on EVERY aspect of its citizens’ lives? Oh, btw… somebody was GUNNED down on my street at 7:15 p.m. the other day, and died. So, I guess ticketing electric bikes will makes us safer. huh?
— David -
I want one. But why is it so expensive?
— Miss Understood -
This is the forerunner of the electric car. Soon we will all be driving around in glorified golf carts and the cost to recharge (cost of electric) will be almost as high as the cost of gasoline! The one poster makes reasonable comment about when the battery will no longer hold a charge are there special requirements to get rid of it or can you just throw the old battery in the trash can? Then there is the comment of the guy who suffered injuries on one of the things. Sounds almost as dangerous as a motorcycle. I live in Daytona Beach, FL where we have Bike Week sometimes half a million motorcycles and they fill up our emergency rooms with accidents so that if a local ciitzen has need for emergency room he may have to wait his turn behind all these motorcycle accident cases!
— RKGS -
It’s time to amend the law to govern these bikes. Although I haven’t had the pleasure yet, I will keep my eyes peeled for these electric bikes bearing down on me on the sidewalk. It’s only a matter of time when pedestrians will be forced to walk in the so-called bike lanes. I’m tired of dodging bikers on the sidewalks.
— jim in brooklyn -
I have always had a certain amount of respect for deliverymen who peddle food to their customers. Somehow it just seems more earnest than driving. Now, when I guys riding on e-bikes I’m disappointed.
— mike -
E-Bikes are the cleanest, most affordable and most energy efficient form of transportation on the planet. Perfect for Eco-commuting, not only do electric bikes make getting around easier, they make green commuting a healthy and enjoyable experience for cyclists of all ages.
Before you say e-bikes are not eco-friendly or that people that ride them are lazy please consider all the people driving their cars to commute eash day less than 20 miles and also using their cars for short errand trips close to home.
Please for a second try to wrap your head around bicycles as a form of transportation and not just for exercise. The electric bike is a viable alternative to driving a car for many people. Advances in more efficient and less toxic LiFePO4 batteries puts the electric bike at the top of the list for alternative clean commuting and transport.
And you don’t need to spend a lot to own an e-bike. You can convert your existing bike in a few hours into a very high-quality electric bike with an electric bike conversion system.
The E-BikeKit™ Complete Electric Bike Conversion System empowers you to easily convert your own conventional bike into a battery-powered electric bicycle.
Get out of your car and onto your new e-bike. There are no more excuses!
— Jason -
The New York Bicycling Coalition, the only statewide bicycle (and pedestrian) advocacy organization has been working to codify e-bikes position under New York State laws, rules, and regulations.
By default, e-bikes, like all bicycles, are considered as vehicles and subject to the same laws, rules, and regulations as other vehicles on the roadway, off-road trail, and trails in forest preserves and parks (State or municipal.)
The Coalition’s Executive Director and Legislative Committee Chairs are in contact and working with Transportation Chairmen Assemblyman Gantt (Monroe County) and NYS Senator Dilan (Kings County) as well as the Commissioners of the Departments of Transportation and Motor Vehicles on the matter of e-bikes as well as the Complete Streets bills (A8587 and S5711); Vulnerable Road User Law (A7917 and S5292); and other important safety and rights bills, laws, rules, and regulations in New York State.
The Coalition in conjunction with Transportation Alternatives in New York City and other organizations (e. g., AARP) is particularly interested in having the Complete Streets bills passed by the NYS Legislature during the forthcoming “Special Session.” Both the Assembly & NYS Senate bills are written exactly the same; no funds need be expended by the state, counties, or municipalities to comply with the provisions of these Complete Streets bills. Both the State DOT & DMV are have no objections to the “Complete Streets” bills. “Complete Streets” codifies the necessity for transportation planners and engineers to consider and plan for bicycle and pedestrian facilities when designing new or reconstructing transportation facilities (roadways, public transportation (bus, light rail-subway, long distance railroad, etc.)) Call, write, email your NYS legislators to vote for the Complete Streets bills.
For the past 15 years, the Coalition and myself personally, have advocated for better bicycle carriage facilities on Empire Service, Northeast Regional Service, and Acela Amtrak trains.
In the interest of full disclosure, the writer of this comment sits on the Board of Directors, New York Bicycling Coalition
— Harvey -
For the record, (GeorgeP) I use the park to cut across to 8th Avenue so I can commute downtown. And at 155lbs, I’m fairly sure I could out-bike you, so there’s no obescity issue. I am not trying to show-off or be cool; I am only looking for a good means of eco-friendly transport. The aggression in your statement only strengthens the arguement of other bikers not giving e-bikes a chance.
— Anthony -
Jason (#17) allows his enthusiasm to mask his logical thinking.
Any vehicle that uses non-human power HAS to be less clean. That electricity that you use to charge-up that e-bike has to be generated somewhere. Most likely, by a fossil-fuel burning plant.
Oh, yes, I know you might be able to obtain power from a wind generator or solar panel – but the equipment in those “alernative fuel sources” has to be manufactured.
How much fossil-fuel is burned generating heat to melt the silicon to form those panels or to form the copper wiring for that wind generator’s magnetron?
These e-bikes may be cleaner to operator than gasoline-powered alternatives – but they are not the “cleanest” form of transportation.
Oh, and CR – I don’t think you should have used “Ban” in the headline. There doesn’t seem to be a ban – it’s just that the State has not yet adopted any regulations regarding their street usage.
My personal feeling is that they should be permitted but treated in the same category as motor scooters such as the Vespa. Which mean, amongst other things, that they should not be in the bike lanes. I believe that those lanes should be reserved for human-powered vehicles.
— George -
“E-Bikes are the cleanest, most affordable and most energy efficient form of transportation on the planet.”
Except for human powered bicycles. E-Bikes are fine but they are a poor substitute for muscle power.
— Geck -
Jason wrote “E-Bikes are the cleanest, most affordable and most energy efficient form of transportation on the planet. “.
How are they more efficient than a traditional pedal bicycle?
(Answer, they are not.)
The electricity has to come from somewhere, and in New York, it’s mostly coal.
— J. Mork -
“From October 3, 2006 to October 3, 2009, the province of Ontario conducted a three-year pilot program to test the safe integration of electric power-assisted bikes (e-bikes) on Ontario roads. Effective October 3, 2009, electric bikes (both those resembling conventional bicycles and those resembling motor scooters) are permanently allowed on roads and highways where conventional bicycles are currently permitted. They must follow the same rules of the road as set out in the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) that currently apply to cyclists, with some exceptions.
In order to operate an e-bike:
* Operators must be 16 years of age or older;
* All operators must wear an approved bicycle or motorcycle helmet at all times.
In addition:
* No person who is the owner or is in possession or control of an e-bike shall permit a person who is under the age of 16 years to ride on, drive or operate the e-bike on a highway.
* An e-bike must not be ridden on, driven or operated unless it is good working order.
* Similar to bicycles and mopeds, power-assisted bicycles are prohibited from use on certain provincial controlled-access highways.
* Any municipal by-law prohibiting bicycles from highways under their jurisdiction also apply to e-bikes. Municipalities may also pass by-laws specific to e-bikes that prohibit them from municipal roads, sidewalks, bike paths, bike trails, and bike lanes under their jurisdiction.
To operate an e-bike on Ontario roads, an e-bike must meet the following equipment requirements:
* Have a maximum unladen weight of 120 kg (includes the weight of vehicle and battery).
* Must be equipped with at least two independent braking systems that applies force to each wheel and is capable of bringing the e-bike, while being operated at a speed of 30 km/h, to a full stop within 9 metres from the point at which the brakes were applied.
* Must have wheels with a minimum diameter and width of 350 mm and 35 mm respectively.
* Must have all electrical terminals completely insulated or covered and, along with the battery and motor, must be securely fastened to the bicycle to prevent them from moving while the bicycle is in motion.
* No modifications to the motor of an e-bike to permit it to exceed the federal requirements for motor output or speed for an e-bike (500W and a speed greater than 32 km/h) are allowed.
* Must meet the federal definition of a power-assisted bicycle (for the full definition, please see subsection 2(1) of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which includes:
o Has steering handlebars and is equipped with pedals;
o Is designed to travel on not more than three wheels;
o Has an electric motor that has a power output rating of 500W or less. (Note: the motor is electric, and is incapable of propelling the cycle at speed of 32 km/h or greater on level ground, without pedaling) and
o Bears a permanently affixed label by the manufacturer stating in both official languages that the vehicle conforms to the federal definition of a power-assisted bicycle “
— W. K. Lis -
I’ve been a bicycle commuter for about 20 years when medical problems started making it difficult to continue. I ended up getting a BionX add-on kit after reviewing all the options at NYCeWheels ( great shop, highly recommended).
The kit adds about 16 pounds to my bike. With a full charge and the amount of pedaling I do I can go about 40 miles. Many times I have exceeded the range, on purpose on recreational trips, and easily pedaled home with no power. I didn’t notice the kit on the bike unless I was going up a hill. And that wasn’t bad – certainly easier than loaded touring.
The big thing I discovered is I’m using my bike a lot more than even before I started having health problems. In warm weather I can hop on the bike and bike to an offsite from my job without worrying about arriving all sweaty and needing a shower. This has made a real difference. I use to just ride to work, take a shower and then not use the bike again until I was going home. Now I’ll do an errand on the bike without worrying about this.
I think an assist bike would expand bicycling for transportation even amount healthy, experienced bicyclists.
As to being less green – some analysts say using an electric assist is greener than unassisted bikes because you use less food calories. Apparently a food calorie often uses more fossil fuel than the equivalent electric energy needed to power you the same distance on a bike – partly because you need more energy to go one miles due to inefficiencies in your body getting motive force out of the calories than an electric system does, even if you take into account the generation and transportation losses of the electrical power.
Sure, you could eat food that was produced with no use of fossil energy, but you could also charge the bike from a small solar array or wind turbine.
Battery life can be an issue. Bionx says the equivalent of 400 charge cycles. And their batteries are particularly expensive. But still a lot cheaper than the gasoline you’d need.
— peteathome -
@george
By your logic, pedaling a heavy e-bike without any juice is “where the workout is”. Right up your alley I’d say.
