Ebike Revolution

What would it take to create an ebike revolution in Portland, Oregon? How can we match the vehicle to the trip, and cut down our consumption of energy radically? The ebike costs about 5 cents to travel 20 miles.

Ivan Illich said it best:

"A people can be just as dangerously overpowered by the wattage of its tools as by the caloric content of its foods, but it is much harder to confess to a national overindulgence in wattage than to a sickening diet. The per capita wattage that is critical for social well-being lies within an order of magnitude which is far above the horsepower known to four-fifths of humanity and far below the power commanded by any Volkswagen driver. It eludes the underconsumer and the overconsumer alike. Neither is willing to face the facts. For the primitive, the elimination of slavery and drudgery depends on the introduction of appropriate modern technology, and for the rich, the avoidance of an even more horrible degradation depends on the effective recognition of a threshold in energy consumption beyond which technical processes begin to dictate social relations. Calories are both biologically and socially healthy only as long as they stay within the narrow range that separates enough from too much." — Energy and Equity

Electric Bicycle Resources

Videos

Brompton Nano Electric Bicycle: 4 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAM-Oh-gfrM A demonstration of a folding bicycle with electric motor

Go Electric: Bike Commuting Made Easy: 28 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9GPxvP9VGY&mode=related&search= A excellent discussion of E-Bike commuting, how to bicycle safely, what to carry, how to deal with rain, how to carry large loads, all on a Giant Suede E.

Physically Separated Bike Lanes http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/physically-separated-bike-lanes For people to feel safe riding on the streets, they need separated bike lanes. This video gives a lot of examples.

Secure Bike Parking http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/secure-bike-parking-just-cents-per-hour Elockers for bikes are a good solution for secure bike parking. Safe bicycle parking is essential for the ebike revolution.

Ebike Shops:

Portland:

Clever Chimp 1516 SE 9th Avenue Portland, OR 97214 503-334-1560 Weds-Sat 11-7, Sun 11-5 http://cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey/
"Clever Cycles serves families and businesses seeking to avoid dependence on cars with stylish, practical bicycles and accessories for everyday use. Dutch bakfietsen and city bikes, folding bikes, and our Stokemonkey electric assist for Xtracycles feature passenger and cargo capacity, plain-clothes comfort, all-weather readiness, and low maintenance."

Scoot On This 9811 SE Foster Road Portland, OR 97266 503-774-2778 Wed-Mon 10:30-6:30 http://www.scootonthis.com/ http://www.scootonthis.com/prod_bikes_e.html#Izip

Bike n' Hike 400 SE Grand Portland, OR 97214 503-736-1074 http://bikenhike.com/index.cfm http://bikenhike.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=849

Seattle, Washington:

Electric Vehicles Northwest 110 N 36th Seattle, WA 98103 ph: 206/547-4621 ph: 800/940-6548 fx: 206/634-0263 http://www.electricvehiclesnw.com/index.htm This is a full service Ebike store with many models to try out.

Corvallis, Oregon:

Corvallis Cyclery 344 SW 2nd St. Corvallis, OR Features BionX motors 541-752-5952 http://www.corvalliscyclery.com/index.php/Bikes