Our very own Chris Nolte interviewed in Forbes magazine

[e-boy]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/karast...evolving-electric-bike-industry/#94fb3c22e24c

 

[mrgold35]

I was in NYC over the 4th of July and I was amazed on the number of ebikes used for delivery in Manhattan. It was the most ebikes I've seen in one area ever. It looks like NYC is trying to make the streets bike friendly. I didn't notice any ebikes work commuting or in recreation/tourist areas the week I was there? Hard to beat the subway when crowds, time, and weather are a factor.

 

[Solom01]

I saw the article, and Chris seems like a really nice guy and extremely honest, but he's also a bit between a rock and a hard place. By being located in one of the most ebike unfriendly state he has no choice but to sell non-throttle bikes only, and almost all of them are mid-drives. Regardless of the constant bickering about whether throttles are needed or not there is no doubt that some people prefer bikes with throttles and like the assurance of a hub drive which is easier to use, creates no wear on the chain - derailleur and will enable you to move under power if your chain breaks. By not being able to actively promote these options a lot of people who might prefer these types of bikes are left out in the cold. Yes delivery drivers using ebikes are scary in NYC, but so are messengers and delivery drivers using non-ebikes. Any time you have people whose job compels them to drive at top speed in crowded areas you're going to have a dangerous situation. By the way, regardless of the interview, I saw where Stromers are sold by Propel bikes. I might be wrong, but aren't all of these hub drives with throttle?

 

[medjed]

nice article! i've heard alot of people saying propel is a great shop so good for them. i really hope nyc gets with it and eases up on regulations a bit.
i'd prefer a mid-drive for inter city stuff myself, the sensor reaction times always felt better to me.

 

[Sonoboy]

Agree. Chris is not in an ideal e-bike friendly location, but is doing the best he can to "work within the SYSTEM". I purchased my bike from him, even though I live in Georgia (that's the US state, not the one next to Russia, for you international readers). But it's dealers like this that will advance the use of alternative forms of transportation in an ever growing society. SALUTE!

 

[medjed]

^totally agree!
best of luck chris!

 

[Chris Nolte]

Thanks for posting this @e-boy it’s been really exciting to be getting some press for my shop and for Ebikes in NYC. I think it’s helping to bring a stronger voice for them which I’m 100% in favor of.

@mrgold35 there are definitely many ebike commuters, but the majority are currently used by delivery riders. You might see more in different areas outside of the more touristy spots.

@Solom01 rock and a hard place is a good way to put it, I’m getting pretty good with a chisel though I agree with all of your statements above, the old Stromers had throttles, but the new ones don’t. When we first opened the store in Brooklyn we used to sell Easy Motions and we removed the throttle’s but we’ve mostly focused on selling Bosch powered bikes these days as the reliability has been dramatically better than the rest of the systems out there in our experience. I think there is plenty of space for the other brands and products and there are other shops that do that well. There is another shop not far from me that focuses on hub motor bikes, they mainly sell Pedego, Magnum, Juiced, etc. We seem to coexist fairly well in this city with all it’s silly laws.

Thanks @Sonoboy we really appreciate the support! It’s been really great to work with our distant customers and it’s awesome to stay in contact on here