Electric Bike Makers Feel Energized by Economy

The economy is spiraling out of control, and has been for months. Leading up to Interbike in Las Vegas last week, gas prices had been on a roller coaster ride; mostly down as of late, but up up up over the previous 6 months. This all adds up to a positive outlook for the biking industry, and in particular, for the makes of electric bikes.

Interbike had a number of electric bike manufacturers on hand during the show week. Schwinn was there to promote their $3,200 ebike called the Tailwind. Hebb eBikes was also in attendance and saw a rise in interest in their product line; of note, battery charge time and battery life have made big strides, and make owning an electric bike more of a practical reality.

Wired Magazine covered the electric bike phenomena at Interbike, noting that the show was bigger and more attended than ever before. Cycling has been growing as both a recreational sport and a commuter lifestyle for years - watch for a big jump with both the economy in a tailspin and great uncertainty about gas prices.

Related Story: Schwinn's new fast-charging electric bike.