Pedal booster: Electric bikes give riders extra energy to go longer distances

An electric bike with a bit of power proved a good fit for Melissa Carpenter’s family on the South Hill. Buying a Pedego about three years ago, Carpenter liked pedaling around Spokane for fun and visits at friends but also appreciated that kick to get up the Altamont Street hill.

She and wife Brandi Carpenter both enjoy e-bikes. As a passenger, so does their daughter, Jovi, 4, who sat in a bike seat until recently. Melissa Carpenter decided about a month ago to upgrade with a brand designed to carry older children, for a growing Jovi, but then her Pedego sold faster than expected. She may have to special order a new e-bike or check locally for the desired brand at REI.

They had found an e-bike for Brandi online to use mainly for exercise and family fun, but it’s not designed to carry a child. Now, Melissa Carpenter said she feels almost lost without one. “We’ve been a one-car family since probably about 2015, so having the option between the bus and the bicycle makes it easier to do with one car,” she said.

“For me, it’s great riding to work and coming home. The e-bike made it really lovely to be outside enjoying the scenery, paths, trails and moments to center before and after work each day. Then on weekends, it was our thing to do as a family.

“Jovi was in a chair strapped in, whether the front or back of the bike, since she could hold her head up. Whether it was to go to Manito Park for listening to music or going to downtown to the parks or rides with her, there’s flex and mobility. You don’t have to worry about parking.”

E-bikes have gained popularity across the U.S. in recent years, while dipping enough in price to make them more affordable for families on the go. That’s true in Spokane, as well, said Tim Dunn, shop manager of the Bike Hub on First Avenue. The store sells e-bikes now from about $1,500 and up, when about three years ago, a starting price was $2,500.

“So, it makes it a lot more attainable for a lot of people,” Dunn said. “I’d say the summer before the pandemic is when we started to see e-bike prices come down. A lot of people like them because they can go on a little bit longer bike ride without being quite as tired.

“All the bikes we sell here will be pedal-assist bikes, so that means you still have to pedal to go anywhere. It just gives you an extra umph to your pedal. We have some customers who just don’t have a whole lot of strength or endurance, so it helps them get up those steep hills without overexerting themselves.”

Carpenter thought it would take three to six months to sell the Pedego and upgrade, but a Marketplace post was quickly spread in a Pedego private group. It sold almost instantly to someone in Portland who drove here to pick it up.

“It’s been funny, not funny, because we’re so realizing how much we’ve become a bicycle family,” Melissa Carpenter said. “Anything we do for fun or socializing really, we ride on our bikes generally.”

Brandi Carpenter has a Nakto brand mostly sold in China, but one California site assembles them. The previous owner selling it online didn’t take to it mainly because of knee issues.

“I like it; I don’t have to peddle up the hill – I do but don’t,” Carpenter said. “You can still pedal and exercise. It’s just pedal-assist that helps move you along.” Melissa Carpenter had chosen another e-bike, but at the point of clicking to buy, it had sold out online. Customer support suggested checking at REI.

E-bike prices have come down since three years ago, Carpenter agreed. “The bike I’m looking at now is really more of a car replacement because it will allow me to go with Jovi anywhere, so essentially I can carry her and two other little friends on the back.”

One of those brands is a Tern HSD cargo model, built so it can carry kids or up to 400 pounds of cargo, at the same length as a traditional bike. Carpenter said the other appeal to upgrading are longer warranties and company guarantees for batteries expected to last. But she said for her Pedego, the Bike Hub supported all its needed upkeep.

Brandi Carpenter said part of the growing popularity of e-bikes likely stems from how people can go a farther distance, including on hills. “It’s more doable, you get there quicker, and you can go anywhere in the city and just get around. I love that we get out and are being active out in nature.”

It’s also a way to feel more connected to the community, added Melissa Carpenter. One of their last trips on her Pedego was to take Jovi to a friend’s birthday party. “Jovi knows the name of the bridge when we go over it. She can find the Clock Tower from different parts of town, so it’s just her noticing the city and where things are.”

Dunn said many people like the ease of travel, but an e-bike doesn’t go too fast, typically up to 20 mph. Another aspect becoming popular is the ability to pair e-bikes with a smartphone app to predict distance on the battery life or to use a built-in map to track a trip.

Couples seem to buy e-bikes together, or sometimes one for the wife to go at a faster pace to keep up while a husband stays on a traditional bike, he said. “The traditional bikes are still selling very well. These e-bikes have been gaining in popularity in the past couple of years.”

He said all the same safety advice applies, including to wear a helmet and give yourself plenty of room to stop. “It feels like riding on a bike, but you feel like you’re in the best shape in your life. It’s just that little extra assistance.”