Fort Collins, Colorado — RunAbout Cycles, Inc. , which has just moved from Memphis, Tennessee to Fort Collins, offers a “electric-human-hybrid” tricycle.

The new shop at 517 A North Link Lane, designs, builds and sells electronically assisted recumbent tricycles.

The tricycles range in price from $3,000 to $6,000. They are powered by lithium ion batteries, with an estimated 40 mile range. The harder a rider pedals the more power they get out of the reclined frame, which enables riders to sit back while peddling upwards of 20 miles-per-hour.

Josh Kerson, president and CEO, started the company in 2005 after spending 20 years in the biking industry, including racing mountain bikes and managing bike and ski shops in Park City, UT.

Kerson was inspired to start his business in 1999 when he visited a bike trade show, where Shimano had a small display of electric bikes that were not available in the U.S.

“We are helping people be stronger and leave their cars behind. We are seeing a real surge in electric bike technology because of the new lithium ion batteries.”

Kerson said Fort Collins was hands-down one of the most bike friendly communities in the country as far as bike lanes and accepting bikers. While other shops in town may sell electric bikes, Kerson owns the only dedicated electric bike shop in town.

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Peterborough, Ontario - A new business has opened in Peterborough. Green Street specializes in the sale and service of electric bikes and accessories.

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The Leiston based Light Electric Vehicles, has been short listed in the “Creating the Greenest County” awards under the category Business transport. The owner of the shop, James Fitzgerald, is a former racing car engineer who has become a passionate advocate for electric bikes.

Electric bicycles can massively increase your range and are not huge and heavy. If they were fully powered, they would be electric motorbikes and would need road tax, helmets etc. In Suffolk you can now hire one of their bikes and use a network of charging stations for free.

With the governments’ commitment towards reduction of green house gas emissions, electric bikes are becoming very popular in Europe, where 124,000 were sold last year alone. Estimates put this years figure at 750,000 units!.

In addition to many other perks, most rail companies allow them (the bikes, not their riders!) to travel free.

Source: water tower project

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Although we are in the depths of the biggest economic crisis in decades the sale of ebikes in The Netherlands is on the rise. Despite prices of € 1,900 per electric bike, the Dutch keep purchasing electric bikes in record-breaking numbers. In the first three quarters of 2008 sales were reportedly up 52% in value and 35% in volume

BOVAG, the Dutch dealer association released statistics at its annual Congress showing electric bike sales in the Netherlands will end at 120,000 units with a share of 10% of the total bicycle market. Up from 89,000 units in 2007 and 45,000 in 2006.

Bike shops across Holland are showing steady increases in electric bike sales. The Dutch Dealer association said yesterday that electric bikes currently account for 29% of the turnover made in the whole Dutch two-wheeler sector that next to the sale of new bikes and P&A also includes the sale of mopeds and scooter

Because of the boom in electric bikes the sale of regular bikes in the 700 to 900 euro (retail) price bracket suffered in 2008. However, cheaper prices bikes in the 500 to 700 euro segment managed to increase in market share.

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