A bicycle going 20 mph is bound to attract some attention. However, if it is moving at that pace without pedaling, it will definitely turn heads. Dave Martin grabs everyone’s attention on purpose, reports Bellaire Examiner. After all, he is the owner of an electronic bicycle shop, RevolutionE.
The shop is Martin’s encore career. He has a background in manufacturing, an industry he left recently to develop the electric bike market in Texas. His brother had purchased one about a year ago and Martin saw potential for LEV (light electric vehicles) and their clean, green and efficient qualities.
Powered by a battery pack about the size of a lunchbox that slides onto the back fender, an e-bike can reach up to 20 miles per hour with a range of 13 to 30 miles per charge, Martin said. His customers report using the power pedal about 30 percent of the time.
Electric bikes have a “profound effect on how you experience transportation and cycling,†he said, attributing part of that to the equipment itself and part to the scenic routes taken.
Martin said the electric bike industry stateside has tipped “from fad to trend†as cycling has expanded from a recreational pursuit to a viable transportation mode.
Even in Houston, where commuters face heat not hills? For those wanting a greener ride to work but don’t want to arrive in a lather, Martin said, motorized wheels are a solution that kicks up a breeze to work, then allows a workout for the rider pedaling home.
Photo from RevolutionE