Now that you’ve got the e-bike you want, how do you reflect your unique style, make it safer to ride, and keep it safely in your possession?
Every major emerging market brings along with it the support products allowing users to customize it to their needs and keep safe the newly emerged market’s products.
In this case, the market is the e-bike. As mentioned in other e-Bike Emporium posts, e-bikes are fast becoming ‘a thing’ in The 6ix and indications are they will become a very important part in the transition to an ‘electro-mobile’ society.
When a new mass-market product appears that addresses a major component of society, as the mobile phone did with communications, they drive the market for accessories to support the new product. In the case of the enormous e-bike boom over the last number of years in Europe, and more recently in North America, there are myriad new products now making their debut in support of the emergent market of e-bikes.! !
An important component of safe cycling is the bike helmet. Since e-bikes are heavier and clip along at higher average speeds, they create more momentum, and as a result, new helmets are coming to market featuring higher impact standards. Although there are only a few brands now available, certainly we can anticipate all major helmet manufacturers to be offering a model(s).
Of course, e-bikes are more expensive than regular bikes and that has brought about the marriage of technology and innovation to create a new level of security systems and locks to help ensure your property remains yours. On-board locking systems, beefed up u-locks and chains, ‘smart’ locks that sound an alarm and send an alert to the owner’s phone, GPS tracking devices etc., are making their appearance to address the security issue.
For many owners, their e-bike is meant to replace many of their local car trips and they equip their bike with bike racks, luggage & bags to give them carrying capacity for commuting to work or for shopping outings.
Given the extra on-board power in e-bikes, trailers are a handy accessory because they provide additional benefits by turning e-bikes into more utilitarian and versatile vehicles. Whether it’s taking the kids to daycare, pets to vets, picking up garden supplies or going on a camping trip with all your gear, trailers can expand the usefulness of any e-bike.
Staying with the theme of carrying things, carrying e-bikes on a car is a consideration since they weigh more than regular bikes. The weight of two e-bikes on the back of a car is going to be 100+ lbs. and that suggests a hitch bike carrier as the only sensible solution. At least one model comes with a detachable ramp for use in rolling e-bikes up and into their position. More models will come to market as the market continues to grow.
E-bikes offer many people 55+ the opportunity to re-connect with physical activity and get back to having fun on a bicycle. After riding their e-bikes for awhile, some owners realize a need for additional comfort for tush and reduced jarring on their pelvis, spine and neck. To smooth out any ride, new seat post suspension systems have hit the market. Available in different tension levels to accommodate different rider weights, the unit is mounted on top of the seat post with the seat attached to the unit. Expect to see more companies debut their own version of this new product category.
Since more manufacturers are introducing apps that turn an e-bike into a smart-bike, riders will want to have their phones on their handlebars and various sized phone holders will be in demand. Also, independent GPS units will become more in demand until manufacturers start building them into their e-bikes.
There are currently numerous options for bike lights and many models of e-bikes come with their own lighting systems, but e-bike markets in Europe indicate that directional lights are experiencing increasing demand.
Mirrors are always an important part of cycling and are plentiful in choice and availability. Ergonomic hand grips with a platform for the rider’s palms makes for a much more comfortable ride, and although more manufacturers are including them on their e-bikes, they are also increasingly available as stand-alone accessories.
These are most of the accessories available today, but as with all emerging markets, as e-bikes become ubiquitous, they will drive the introduction of accessories not yet in the marketplace. Regardless of whether you already have an e-bike or will be getting one in the future, there are many accessories available to make your ride your own in safety, security, and appearance.
See you out there,
Cycling The 6ix
Empowered by Gears 