Ode to an E-Bike

I never dreamed it would change my life so drastically.

Three years ago, I received an electric cargo bicycle from Rad Power Bikes. I was working for Treehugger when the company reached out and asked if I wanted to try an e-bike, with the understanding that I’d write about it for the site. My manager approved the offer, I selected a bike with assistance from the Rad Power team, and soon a giant box arrived on my doorstep. The bike—a Rad Wagon 4, designed for carrying cargo, aka children and groceries—came partially assembled, but I finished it off in the garage on a chilly November day.

I had heard about e-bikes. They’d been a buzzy topic for a few years, but I didn’t understand the hype. I owned a perfectly good bicycle and car. Why would someone with those means of transportation spend additional money on a fancy bike with electric assist? It seemed gimmicky, even frivolous, to me. But as soon as I got on that thing, I was converted.

That e-bike has changed the way I move from point A to point B, and it has become a reliable source of joy in my everyday life. I love riding it. The kids love riding on it; they ask to come along, just to be able to perch behind on the seat and watch the world fly by. We all look forward to errands and drop-offs, to being able to hop on and take off, load it up with stuff and not worry about stuffing things into backpacks or saddlebags. I can avoid traffic and parking issues. I can take it on pavement and trails, thanks to wide grippy tires. I take it to the grocery store, to the beach, to the gym, to dinners with friends. I love how its cargo-carrying capacity allows me to pick up kids, groceries, and parcels at the post office spontaneously, without having to plan in advance; I always have enough room to carry everything (and everyone!).

The e-bike has become a curious conversation point everywhere I go. It’s not uncommon to come out of a store and find people lingering nearby, observing it and full of questions about how it performs and whether I’d recommend getting one. (Short answer: A million times, yes!) Just this week, coming out of a local bar where my husband’s band was performing at open mic night, I heard a group of guys talking about it: “That bike is sick! What a sweet ride. I want that so bad.” When they saw me unlocking it, they came over with more questions. I’ve joked to my husband that I need to allot more time for errands to account for the inevitable conversations. I’ve had people follow me surreptitiously for kilometres, waiting for me to stop so they can ask where I got it, asking to take pictures so they can order one, too.

What’s interesting is that everyone is curious about the e-bike; there’s no single demographic that gravitates to it more than another. As I wrote for Treehugger in 2021 in an article called, “I Feel Like a Celebrity When I Ride My Electric Cargo Bike”:

“I talk to young parents with kids in tow who are sick of strapping them into car seats. I talk to childless singles and couples who want a fun, novel way to get around. I talk to older people who love riding bikes but don't have the energy or strength to cycle conventionally. I talk to people who want to commute to work or carry groceries without getting sweaty or exhausted. I talk to people who can't afford cars. I talk to people who want fresh air and sunshine, movement and silence, the thrill of speed without fossil fuels, the ease and elegance of electric propulsion. E-bikes can do it all.”

From a practical standpoint, they’re highly efficient—20 times more so than electric cars—and they get between 30 and 100 times more miles per pound of battery. So, if you’re worried about the environmental and ethical impacts of battery production (which we all should be), this is a good compromise.

For those avid cyclists who think it’s a cop-out, I disagree. The e-bike is not a bicycle upgrade; it’s a car replacement, especially if it has cargo capacity. As a busy parent, my conventional bicycle rarely gets used unless I go out for a specially designated ride; but thanks to the e-bike, my old car sits unused in the driveway most of the time. As long as it’s not snowing or raining, I’d rather take the e-bike any day over the car.

Back to that initial comment I made about feeling joy, it truly does fill me with bliss as I speed along Lake Huron smoothly and silently. I think we adults sometimes struggle (or forget?) to find moments of sheer delight in our day-to-day lives. What comes so easily to a child becomes a rare emotion in an adult, and yet the e-bike provides me with that on a regular basis. I get a little surge of giddiness, of excitement, that comes just from the basic act of riding. Often I catch myself riding with a giant grin on my face, which must look ridiculous to passersby, but makes perfect sense to me. It’s impossible not to feel happy on the e-bike, and it’s guaranteed to boost my mood whenever I hop on.

My e-bike’s odometer recently surpassed the 1500-kilometre mark—a number that astounds me because I only use it for errands around town. I work from home, so I don’t commute to work. But somehow these kilometres have accumulated from all those little trips, every one of which has been a source of happiness for me and my kids.

I am very happy Rad Power made me that offer years ago. It was certainly an astute move on their part; numerous friends have purchased e-bikes after seeing and riding mine. But mostly, I am grateful just how practical and fun this particular form of technology is. It has greatly improved my quality of life, which is precisely what technology should do—amplify, not amputate, one’s experience of the day-to-day.

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