“Five years ago, our annual e-bike sales totalled $60,000. Last year, it was over $750,000,” said McKendree.
When the State of Arizona passed a law in early 2019 to define classifications of e-bikes, municipalities were allowed to adjust their codes.
“After a public process and conversations with City of Flagstaff’s Bike and Pedestrian Committee, city codes were amended to allow Class 1 and 2 e-bikes on all bike paths,” explained City of Flagstaff Senior Transportation Planner Martin Ince. “The only exceptions are Buffalo Park’s Nate Avery Trail and the Arizona Trail through town. Class 3 e-bikes (the fastest category) are allowed on all roadway bike lanes but not on FUTS trails.”
Absolute Bikes Manager Kyle McKendree says growth in the popularity of e-bikes has been clearly visible in their rental and especially their sales figures. “Five years ago, our annual e-bike sales totalled $60,000. Last year, it was over $750,000,” said McKendree. “Traditional mountain bikes still account for most (75%) of our sales, but now there’s a 35/65 split between e-mountain bikes and traditional models. For our commuter and cruiser bike sales, e-bikes now outsell traditional bikes.”
There’s no typical customer for an e-bike, according to McKendree. “In the early days, people tended to buy e-bikes as an ‘equalizer’ for dealing with an injury – or trying to keep up with a faster riding partner. Now, a wide range of folks ride them. Recently, we’ve been seeing quite a few customers crossing over from motor sports.”
Absolute Bikes carries cargo e-bikes, too. “Getting more folks out on cargo bikes for the school run or shopping trips is a great way of reducing traffic congestion – we’ve got models that can carry one or two kids, as well as four to six days’ worth of groceries,” he said.
Ince says city officials are working on getting bike paths better connected and installing bike trail signage that takes the guesswork out of finding routes between popular locations.
“I’d like to see more separated bike paths; they’re less expensive to build on new roads or where there’s a significant rebuild, but they’re very expensive to retrofit on existing roads,” said Ince. “For example, the city just put in for a federal grant to rebuild Butler Ave. from Milton Road to Sawmill Road. In the grant, we propose a bike lane that’s elevated to the level of the sidewalk. If we get that grant, it’ll cost $12 million for just under a mile of new construction. The city has a small budget for bike path system improvements, but we need to balance those limited funds between new construction and existing bike path maintenance.”
Adam Shimoni, former vice-major and current Flagstaff Biking Organization board member, has contributed much toward moving Flagstaff to a more bike-friendly place. He promotes “building for 8 to 80,” where all ages can feel safe cycling.
“Having separated bike lanes and a connected system is key for safety and for Flagstaff to achieve its sustainability goal of capping vehicle miles travelled to 2019 levels,” said Shimoni. “In this hilly, high-elevation town, e-bikes are vital because they fill a gap, offering a viable alternative between traditional cycling and driving.”
REI, another store that sells e-bikes in Flagstaff, has been campaigning nationally on social media to get signatures for the National e-bike Act. Aimed at making climate-friendly transportation more affordable for everyone, the bill would offer a tax credit of up to $1,500 to help people replace cars with e-bikes.
Campaigners calculate that if just 15% of today’s carbon-emitting car trips were made by e-bikes instead, America’s carbon emissions would shrink by more than 11%. FBN
By Diane Hope, FBN
Courtesy Photo: Absolute Bikes Sales Associate Austin Woloszyn showcases one of the e-cargo bikes at Absolute Bikes, which can carry panniers on the front and rear.