#ebikestories Episode 1: Riding E-Bikes with Kids
CalBike asked you to share your e-bike stories to support our campaign for a $10 million e-bike affordability program to enable more Californians to discover the joy and freedom that e-bikes bring. The stories you sent us were inspiring and delightful. Your e-bike experiences show the many ways that e-bikes can replace car trips and enhance people’s quality of life.
Here are three inspiring stories from parents who have found joy riding e-bikes with kids.
Emily Dondero, Murphys
I have always ridden a bike, a mountain bike, a road bike, and now a Pedego Cargo Baby Blue E-Bike. Like the children’s book, Pete the Cat and his Blue Shoes…I love my Blue Cargo E-Bike!
An added benefit to riding with my babies is teaching my girls about bike safety and riding. We practice listening, watching, safe bike riding skills, and encouraging bike riding in my community.
Riding an e-bike means more to me than just good health or exercise. I’m doing my part to promote a green planet.
Darren Huckle, Santa Cruz
My e-bike has been an incredible experience. I initially bought and installed a kit on I bike I already owned so I could more quickly do a 5-mile commute with my preschooler to his school. Four days a week for two years I rode two 10-mile round trips, so roughly 80 miles a week. My son and I had so much fun and bonding on those bike rides. We would stop at parks on the way home. It was an incredible quality of life boost for my physical and mental health to be exercising so regularly. I would barely have ridden him without the help of an e-bike. I was able to do the drop-off and pick-up trips without being overly sweaty, and almost as fast as if I had driven.
Ashley Lorden, Alameda
We wanted to use a bike to replace all our car trips within the beautiful and flat island where we live, Alameda, CA. My partner and I used to bike alone to commute or run errands, but anytime we needed to bring the kids, dog, groceries, or lots of stuff, we had to get in the car. We knew we could do better for these short and flat trips, but the alternative had to accommodate as much and be as easy to use, as a car.
We had our eye on the Bunch Bike for a while but the $4k price tag is a commitment. Finally, 6 months ago, we purchased our family electric cargo bike (I call it “the minivan of bikes”!). It has been awesome! We bring our 2 kids to school, go to the park as a family, even pick up takeout or shopping. We still have our car but use it rarely, only for longer trips outside of our city. The Bunch is a joy to ride together, and the electric assist means we can better match car speeds on “shared-use” streets, where on a traditional bike it was scarier to frequently have cars speed around me when pulling the kids.
I’m so glad we took the leap to an electric cargo bike as our family vehicle. I hope we can create incentives and programs to help more people make the switch to low-footprint transportation.
Do you have a story about riding e-bikes with kids? Or commuting, running errands, or another tale of happy e-biking that you’d like to share? Fill out this form or tweet your e-bike love @CalBike using the hashtag #ebikestories – or both!
