Memorial Day long weekend is us and if there was one thing evident aside from the undeniable human nature of coming together, it’s that cycling is experiencing a sudden renaissance as multiple dots converge, adding warmer weather, e-bike technology, and the easing (or outright ignorance) of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Around the world, as other people return to work, concerns about using public transportation mean that old motorcycles are being resurrected and new motorcycles are flying out of motorcycle department stores or coming home from delivery vans, while other people avoid buses and trains out of fear. of contracting the coronavirus and its destructive cause COVID-19, despite drastic measures taken through public transportation agencies. In New York City, the hardest hit, the DOT reports a 50% increase in bike traffic compared to the same time. in 2019, even as large numbers of people stay at home. In Hiladelphia, bicycle traffic increased by as much as 150%. Around the world, Milan, Berlin, London, and many other major municipalities have noticed an increase in ridership, and in many metropolitan areas, city planners are finalizing streets or changing traffic patterns to accommodate the sudden increase in daily commuters, perhaps permanently.
While this typhoon of the best of circumstances is boosting sales of all kinds of bicycles, it is also driving the adoption of the newest version of the venerable two-wheeler, the “electric bicycle. “
I’ve been riding motorcycles for almost 15 years and live in a city (Portland, Oregon) that has one of the highest percentages of cyclists in the United States and the world. I’ve also been riding an electric motorcycle for 3 years. years. As I commute to work, it’s not unusual to find myself stuck in a Portlandia-style traffic jam at rush hour, filled with spandex, flashing LEDs, and motorcycle buzzers. We complain, but with a smile, because we know the secret: in downtown Portland, you can get around faster on a motorcycle (even a regular one) than in a car. Add electric force and it will be even faster.
A spokesperson for e-bike maker VanMoof, whose new S3 styling I recently reviewed (story below), said the Amsterdam-based e-bike maker’s sales have been especially up during the outbreak. I spoke with Taco Carlier, co-founder of VanMoof, about the increase in sales, which he said was a 600% increase over April 2019 sales. “It’s crazy in Europe right now,” Carlier said from Amsterdam, the world’s leading bicycle maker. Hundreds of trips are made on two wheels. He said COVID-19
The outbreak has been a tragedy, but he’s also found that lockdowns and other protective measures have made cities quieter and cleaner, trends he expects to continue as the epidemic subsides. “People have seen the light. They learned how charming cities can be. “with a little less cars. . . And they don’t need to go back to the old situation. “As for the sudden surge in e-bike sales, Taco said the company’s expectations for e-bike adoption, which it had predicted for the next decade, seem to be suddenly compressed into just a few months. “The tragedy of COVID is accelerating all of the changes in micromobility,” he said. Carlier added that he believes electric motorcycles now account for 80 to 90 percent of motorcycles used in the more rural areas of the Netherlands, as they allow other people to pass more than with a regular bicycle. “There’s an unlimited demand” for electric motorcycles, Carlier said. “People are in favour of better and healthier transport. “
Eric Bjorling, logo director at U. S. motorcycle manufacturer Trek, echoed Carlier’s sentiments regarding the sudden increase in sales of all kinds of motorcycles, but especially electric motorcycles. And, ironically, Trek was starting to launch a primary ad campaign around the hashtag #GoByBike just as the pandemic was gaining momentum. The campaign aimed to motivate more people to use bicycles (adding the motorcycles they already owned) to help combat climate change. Suddenly, everything changed. ” It’s an incredible time for motorcycles. “Bjorling said.
He said the majority of Trek staff in the United States continue to work from home, however, many outlets promoting the Trek logo have been deemed essential and continue to sell motorcycles, while motorcycle production in Southeast Asia experienced some interruptions, but still going. largely back on track. Trek electric motorcycles are made in Germany, but Bjorling said those facilities are back up and running after an extended shutdown. “Electric motorcycles have been on the rise for five or six years,” Bjorling said, and although they have become more popular in the last two years, demand has increased in the last six weeks, and not just for electric motorcycles. . electric motorcycles. Children’s motorcycles, as well as mid-priced models designed for commuters, were initially more popular with the closure of schools and public transportation systems, but lately, according to Borling, more expensive models and electric motorcycles have begun to decline. increasing demand. Trek recently conducted studies that found that many other people (85% of respondents) now consider cycling a safer mode of transportation than even public transportation. This type of knowledge does not go unnoticed by urban planners and municipal officials. “After all, cities are starting to realize that biking is something other people need to do,” Bjorling said.
A mid-90s Trek Y3 full suspension mountain bike that I recently discovered on Craigslist for $100. It’s so. . . [ ] Almost new as the dents were still in the tires.
But let’s get back to the #GoByBike campaign, which Trek began running in September 2019. The initial goal was to get people thinking about reducing car use in the face of climate change, with a lot of pressure on social media. Trek necessarily suspended the crusade when the pandemic hit. Then, in early April, Bjorling said traffic to their online page had begun to reach record levels, motorcycle use had suddenly skyrocketed, and they had begun to reconsider the crusade’s message. It had the best message, the best crusade, there for the moment. So what we’re looking to do with #GoByBike is keep the momentum going with what other people are doing right now.
Bjorling said the initial purpose of the campaign was to get drivers to upgrade a car with at least one motorcycle and then share it with the hashtag. He said that, in light of the pandemic and the sudden increase in cycling use, the crusade shifted from what could also happen if humans did nothing to prevent climate change, to highlighting the positive things that were happening with cycling in daylight. The pandemic: cleaner air in big cities, benefits to exercise, mountain prospects that haven’t been noticed in decades, and more people on motorcycles and fewer people in cars, of course. And Trek’s crusade is rarely just focused on promoting motorcycles, but also encourages other people to dust off those older motorcycles and get them ready for travel, regardless of the brand. “The most productive motorcycle for you is probably the one you own in a stall,” Bjorling said, noting that they’re now seeing many older motorcycles enter service with little wear and tear as owners pick them up to get around and move.
If there is a positive legacy to the monumental loss of life and economic devastation due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak, it may also simply be that for a brief moment, the streets of the city were suddenly largely cleared of car traffic, and many other people would likely have reconsidered how to get to point B and return to point A every day, now and in the future. With the evolution of the electric motorcycle generation, this may also be the great revolutionary motorcycle generation needed to change the travel behavior governed by cars and public transportation. In countries like Japan, Asia, Portland, and Amsterdam, there were already large numbers of people on bicycles. Will they become even closer as warm weather arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, structures reopen, and commuters reconsider using public transportation?Time will tell, but the solution may lie in your garage, just a little air in the tires and a little chain lubricant, far from being a small personal revolution on your travels.
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