Posting here as we older riders may notice it more. At least on my rides, when I see someone on an e-bike, or if they are prevalent along the route, it's more younger riders than older riders. Nothing against e-bikes, if the day comes when I need one, and I still desire to keep riding, I'll get one. And many older riders I know or have met have a need for one, and it has allowed them to continue riding. But I wonder what the future of bicycles vs e-bike sales might be, as it seems like many younger riders are opting to start riding with an e-bike. Maybe it's just my area or my observation. What say you?

It's an interesting question. I too see more and more e-bikes on the road (really split evenly between age groups as far as I can tell).

I was at my LBS the other day and I was a bit surprised to see their inventory was almost all e-bikes. A lot of those were the large "off road" type with suspensions, very large tires, etc. He had very few road bikes and the ones he did have were mostly the high end (very expensive) variety.

I would guess that younger kids will still get traditional starter bikes due to cost but may well transition to e-bikes quickly, especially if their friends are riding one.

I think e-bikes will be in the large majority in the not too distant future.

It is something I wonder about and I agree, at least in my area/observation it is more the younger people embracing ebikes. Personally, I don't want one and I will continue to do various activities to keep me healthy and strong so I can stay on my dinosaur of a bike

However, I do wonder what the bike market will look like in 10, 20...years. It's already very common to see many ebikes in all may LBS'.


Are we a dying breed

I was at the local LBS today. Probably 50/50 between pedal and e-bikes on the sales floor . I have a MUP across the street from my house. I would agree I see more younger e-bike users than senior, but my observation is that most of the younger e-bikes users are using them for transportation as opposed to the older cyclists who are riding pedal or e-bikes for fitness. I also RV, At the RV resorts and rallies,you will see way more seniors on e-bikes than pedal bikes.
I’m just getting back into cycling again after a few years of medical issues with my legs. when I stopped riding my pedal bikes, e-bikes didn’t appeal to me since I like like long rides and touring so instead I bought a 700cc Honda motorcycle. Once I age out of the motorcycle and if the leg issues come back , I will probably try an e-bike.

I agree, I think most of the ebikers (young ebikers) I see are using them as a very convenient and relatively cheap method of transportation. It's funny, because that's how I got into cycling, by getting to work, it was the most convenient and cheapest form of transportation. It eventually turned into my preferred method of transportation -- hands down.

Yeah on the streets (and sidewalks) it's predominantly young people for transportation.
On the MUPs it's young people for transportation and old people for exersize.
Out of town and in road-riding territory, it's mostly old roadies that have just lost a step and people who came to e-cycling from some other exersize activity.

Here in the suburbs where I live most of the people I see on e bikes are younger and middle aged folks.

A couple of years ago, my partner and I toured Vermont breweries. We were surprised that nearly every bike we saw was electric. Our triple chainring touring bikes felt like penny farthings in comparison.

After our latest hilly tour of Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains, we've started talking about buying a touring ebike.and having one of each. We ride the same size bikes, and the ebike would carry the heavier load and give one of us a break on long trips.

I'm fairly expecting ebikes to dominate the 'bicycle' (and associated) category, if it doesn't already dominate... They're great for short distance trips, light shopping and just getting around any area (especially those areas where uphills are part of the travel process).
As for age demographics, around here it appears to be equally spread from pre-teens thru older folks.
And ofcurse this all comes with all the identified new problems and issues of their use...
But, they're here to stay and I feel they generally still have a positive effect on bringing in a larger, more diverse population of users. Hopefully this will bring better awareness for bicycle safety as well.
Of course, my area is both more cycle friendly than many and also accommodating to the whole bicycle thing.
I now have a couple of ebikes in my extensive stable and prolly do about 150-200 mi per year on them (with about 6K miles on human power bikes). I don;t really track ebike stats - it's not about that.
I like them for convenience and a more 'social' side of riding with others who are not dedicated bike riders.
... a worthy further expansion of the cycling universe.
Ride On
Yuri
Even on an Ebike, Hemingway's note on cyclingis still very valid...
"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them."

It does seem to me, at least where I live, that young people are starting with e-bikes and will probably continue with them. Too bad, IMO. They tend to ride dangerously. I wish there were a minimum age for riding e-bikes. And e-scooters. Grouch, grouch, grouch.

I've noticed many younger individuals on an e-bike coasting rather than pedaling. It's the older folks soft pedaling with E-Assisting .

In my 70s and all but one of my cycling friends has converted to e-bikes. I resist because I like the effort required to make it up the Vermont hills and I can still do it, at least for now. The downside of e-bikes for people our age is their weight in terms of transporting them. I’m sure they’ll continue to get lighter as the technology improves.

BTW, this is the most civil discussion I’ve seen on this topic. Usually when the subject comes up all hell breaks loose.

The Giant Defy is +/- 27#'s. Not that bad considering. My FIL now rides one - the technology is actually great. 5 levels of assist, allowing him to work as hard as he wants, and if us younger bucks kick up the pace a bit - he just clicks a button and can stay with us.

Hell breaking loose - older seasoned cyclists riding an E-Assist road bike is one thing. A non cyclists getting on full blown 50#+ e-bike (cough cough motorcycle) and blasting down the Mup at 25+, all while not having a clue about how to ride a bike, well - that is a different thing.

I see more and more e-bikes and e-scooters on the trails here in Colorado Springs...and most seem to be the fat tire suspension type, both 20-inch folders and 26" MTB style, and so many not being used in assist mode, but rather as straight on electric scooters. I think in past years these riders would have been on the streets on mopeds and motor scooters. And with the growing local trail infrastructure I'm also seeing more mopeds and motor scooters on the trails as well, although most of the ICE machines I see seem older, whereas the e-bikes and e-scooters look newer.

When I was a kid in Chicago in the 1960s , so many older kids were riding lawn-mower-engined mini-bikes on the side streets and through the school yards. After a long hiatus I'm seeing that kind of thing again except it's cheap-ish electric scooter/light e-motorcycles. And they're so much more dangerous as they are quieter and quicker.

At 64, I'm still bike-commuting 4-days a week with weekend rides and errands. I do it for fitness, so I'm happy with my non-assisted bikes. But I can see a day in the future where I will seek e-assist for failing knees, or general loss of strength and stamina, just as I wear glasses, need arch supports in my shoes, rely on a couple of pharmaceutical prescriptions to enjoy a more normal day,may need hearing aids, etc.

But until then, there is nothing more intoxicating to me than moving solely under my own power on a bike, and generating my own warmth in the colder months. I hope I can keep it up.

we've rented them on Martha's Vineyard. we loved them. had to go to 2 diff. rental places to find a unit that could accommodate a person as short as my Wife. I guess there are rules

They are quite popular around here in SoCal as well. I have mixed emotions.

Bicycles offer getting around on your own power, and almost artistic engineering to allow you to get the most out of your own power. They don't have to be charged. They are self regulating in the sense that you can go fast, but that takes some experience, and you can't keep it up forever. They'll get and keep you in great shape, and are about as ecologically sound as they can be.

On the downside, they require some effort, and that means most people are not on board. I commuted to work for 25 years by bike. I rode alone on the beach, while literally thousands of others were stuck in traffic to get to the same place. There are times for sure, that I got home faster by bike than I could by car. And in those 25 years, almost no one else was commuting on the beach bike path. It made (and still makes) NO sense to me.

It's really hard to talk about ebikes, because they run the gamut between a road bike in every sense of the word, but with a small motor to provide a little assist to help with hills and those with some disability, to those that look to way at least 100 pounds, that people ride around at speeds of 20 or 28 MPH, without pedaling at all. The engineering is brute force. Many ... maybe half, are riding them without pedaling. And as a consequence, they are not self regulating. If they'll go 20 MPH, that is generally how people ride them. And that is my primary gripe. I believe that in the EU, ebikes limit assist to 15 MPH. I think that reasonable because that is about the same average speed as a bicycle. But in the US, pedal assist bikes that are permitted on MUPs and bike trails provide assist at up to 20 MPH, and that is waaay too fast for MUPs. It could be better with reasonable legislation and enforcement, but I am not holding my breath for either.

On the upside, they require little or no effort, and that means of course, that most people ARE on board. So they do offer an effective alternative to automobiles, and I do see a lot of adults using them for that purpose. Not that those people cannot ride a bicycle ... they certainly could. But they simply won't.

So for me, it is a mixed bag. When I get to the point where I cannot keep up with friends on a road bike, I will definitely consider one. But for now, not for me.