Interest in e-bikes soars as Edmontonians return to commuting

For the third year in a row, bike shops in and around Edmonton are bustling with customers hoping to get outside this summer.

But unlike two years ago at the start of the pandemic, many customers this year are looking for a new way to commute to work.

Paul Burgess owns the MudSweat and Gears bike shops and said they areselling a lot of battery-assisted e-bikes.

"A lot of people are interested in e-bikes for commuting to work," Burgess said in an interview this week.

"Having that assistance so they're not all sweaty when they get to work, but they can still cover a lot of ground quickly."

Paying $2,500 or more for an e-bike may seem like a lot, but with gas prices on the rise, many customers are seeing the benefits.

"You can get an e-bike now for a couple of thousand dollars. And that's a few tanks of gas nowadays, and you've maybe paid for that investment," Burgess said.

"So definitely, you know, people are looking [at e-bikes] as an alternative way to get to work."

A report from Triton Market Research, issued last summer, saide-bikes are gaining "immense traction" in major Canadian cities such as Toronto.

The report projected the North American e-bike market will grow by more than 10 per cent annually between 2021 and 2028.

In Canada, some of the growth factors for e-bike sales include rising demand among retired people and growing demand for recreational activities, the report said.

Archie Caraang is on board with the e-bike trend.

He tried to buy onelast year, but everything was sold out so he purchased a scooter instead.

This year he purposefully went shopping beforethe bike season got into high gear.

"You just want to scooter somewhere or you want to e-bike somewhere. We can't even drive anymore, it's so expensive," Caraang said.

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Hoping to skip the bike tuning line-up this year? Heres expert Paul Burgess with the basic checks and fixes you can do at home without any specialized tools or training.

After a few busy weekends, Burgess expects sales at his bike shops to pick up even more as the dayswarm up and the snow disappears.

But it's not just e-bikes. Burgess said his shops arecurrently booking weeks in advance for tune-ups. He said some customers are getting ready to pedal to work, while others are digging out long-ignored bikes from their garages.