# eBike Movement on the front page of cnn.com



## Salespunk (Sep 15, 2005)

Interesting article. Links to research showing eBikes to not increase erosion or cause additional trail damage. Also quotes Chris Cocalis as well

Ebikes are having a breakout moment as bike and bikeshare companies embrace them. - Jan. 17, 2018


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

Interesting, 25% increase in ebike sales from 2016 to 2017. Where do you think 2018 will be? I’m guessing 50% from 2017. I wonder how much is emtb’s?


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

E bikes are great for commuting, awesome. And that IMBA study? All the bike makers are the financial backers of IMBA, if it seems too good to be true.....


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

Gutch said:


> Interesting, 25% increase in ebike sales from 2016 to 2017. Where do you think 2018 will be? I'm guessing 50% from 2017. I wonder how much is emtb's?


The growth numbers for ebikes are impressive, the actual numbers are tiny, especially compared against overall adult bike sales. I've had a difficult time finding data on the actual numbers of emtbs vs ebikes anywhere online over the years. I'd guess they are still a very small minority here, because mountain biking is already, and emtbs are awfully spendy compared to a Sondors and other similar ebikes.


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## Lemonaid (May 13, 2013)

I completely support ebikes for commuting and general use where allowed. The emtbs on the other hand are a can of worms with regards to access issues which I am not willing to concede to. Faster bikes on narrow trails that are shared with other users is a recipe for a complete ban on all mtbs. That along with the whole, motors are not allowed thing will surely doom all mtbs if we all start believing what emtb's supporters are claiming, that emtbs are just bicycles just like normal mtbs.


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Harryman said:


> The growth numbers for ebikes are impressive, the actual numbers are tiny, especially compared against overall adult bike sales. I've had a difficult time finding data on the actual numbers of emtbs vs ebikes anywhere online over the years. I'd guess they are still a very small minority here, because mountain biking is already, and emtbs are awfully spendy compared to a Sondors and other similar ebikes.


Surprisingly (to me), all of the local dealers that I know are embracing them. Some, like Specialized and Trek "concept stores", may have no choice. However, independent shops have them too.


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

fos'l said:


> Surprisingly (to me), all of the local dealers that I know are embracing them. Some, like Specialized and Trek "concept stores", may have no choice. However, independent shops have them too.


I see about one or two a month around town, more than half are kit bikes. There are a few in most of the shops I go into, although I don't go into many. Not that my very small personal sample means anything.

Sales numbers are hard to verify, and will vary from whoever is assembling them, but they these tend to be about in line with what I've seen in the past. Who knows if they are accurate?

20,200,000 adult bikes sold in the US in 2015, 263,000 total ebikes in 2016 = 1.3% of the total using those numbers. Which isn't the most accurate, but I'd venture its in the low single digits somewhere, I've not come across anything to suggest otherwise.

I found this interesting and could be one reason you see the numbers bounce around a bit. "The main obstacle to obtain exact import volumes for the USA market is the lack of a specific HS code for e-bikes. Therefore thousands of individual records are evaluated by hand as many products that would not be conventionally regarded as an "electric bike" may be listed as such, or in similar terms. One obstacle to correctly identifying e-bike shipments in particular is the prevalence of 'hoverboard' ride-on electric toys, which are almost always listed in import records as electric bicycles."

Huge Increase in Number of US E-Bike Importers

https://www.statisticbrain.com/bicycle-industry-statistics/


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