I met him in Kirkland along the Eastrail, where he was volunteering for a Cascade photoshoot. “With the West Seattle Bridge closing, people soon discovered traveling by e-bike was the fastest and easiest way to get to their destination,” Crandall says.įor Goldberg, who lives in Bellevue, buying an e-bike was about staying fit and happy. People on e-bikes can get around the city without breaking a sweat as on a regular bike. Getting people out of cars and onto electric bikes reduces traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions that are causing the climate crisis. This makes e-bikes a sustainable and healthy alternative to driving. Studies show that electric bike users get as much or more exercise than riders of traditional bikes because they tend to ride more often and further. "The COVID-19 crisis has stimulated a never-before-seen increase in bicycle ridership and sales,” says Annie Crandall, brand manager for IZIP, which partnered with Cascade to create maps and videos for Seattle residents impacted by the West Seattle Bridge closure.Įlectric bikes are ideal for hilly cities like Seattle. Sales have also increased for the IZIP e-bike brand. Sales of electric bikes are booming nationwide, increasing 190 percent in June compared to the same month a year earlier, according to data from the NPD Group.Įlectric bike sales are also catching fire in Seattle, the hometown of Rad Power Bikes, a Cascade supporter, which reported a 297 percent increase in April. Goldberg, who turns 82 in December, is among the growing number of senior Americans who are joining the e-bike revolution.
Goldberg's battery gives him about 60 miles of range. “But when I get to a hill, I crank it up, and it’s like the hill isn’t even there.” He still pedals hard on flat ground, keeping the level of electric assistance in “low” to preserve his battery. Thanks to the pedal assist, Goldberg is again braving long rides of 50 miles or more.
“I live on a big hill, and it was getting to be a struggle to get home.” I absolutely love it,” says Goldberg, 81.Ī Cascade member for three decades, Goldberg was finding it harder to keep up with his younger cycling friends when riding his road bike. Retiree Bob Goldberg cracks a huge smile when asked about his brand new-and bright red-electric bike. For one longtime Cascade member, buying a custom-made e-bike from a Seattle shop has made riding fun again.
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