[tahoebeau]

The 2019 American International Motorcycle Expo, the largest motorcycle trade and consumer show, will include an e-bike pavilion. I think it will be really interesting to see where ebikes are headed as more and more major car and motorcycle manufacturers with huge recourses invest more in ebikes. This is definitely going to get people who are maybe more interested in motos to start looking at ebikes and bicycles.

"The pavilion will include a dedicated area of the convention center floor focused on all things electric, including electric-assist bicycles and motorcycles. It will include vendor booths, test rides, and educational Ted Talk-style discussions. Bonnier Motorcycle Group and AIMExpo also will host an industry and consumer e-bike race during the show."

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/ind...ade-show-include-e-bike-pavilion#.XQ5JDCRlChA

 

[Walt]

Yeah, it will be interesting to see if the big money/moto industry takes over the ebike market. I'd bet on it, personally. They have the resources to annihilate bike companies if they want and they are (as I understand it) struggling to get younger people interested in motorcycles.

-Walt

 

[33red]

Like allways, i might be wrong.
To have a nice 10 years i think wallmart will sell decent 799$US city Ebikes, 1,999 EMTB and our LBS will be located in WM just like McDo is. An economic crash will force cars out, well to some extent so lots of new bikers, bike commuters. No big win for Specialized BIG $$ will go to BIG corporations.
- We need to sign petitions that will take away the 2 wheelers from the cheaters. More places will ban Ebikes because a legal Ebike looks too much like an illegal one. Weeding out the illegals is just a pain. Shops pretending it is legal if it is not should be fined 100,000$ because they are part of the problem. We will need to volunteer to video them making false claims.
We police or we will be eradicated is my forecast.
What Ebike can do is great, less cars, less polution, less traffic, less parking nightmare but the illegals are a serious factor.

 

[vikb]

Yeah, it will be interesting to see if the big money/moto industry takes over the ebike market. I'd bet on it, personally. They have the resources to annihilate bike companies if they want and they are (as I understand it) struggling to get younger people interested in motorcycles.

-Walt

You are 100% right. The moto industry is salivating at the idea of selling electric motorcycles and mopeds to their customers and being able to point them at local singletrack they can ride them on. Products will be hackable and machines that would not fall under say a Class 1 category will be made to look like they do from a distance to allow stealth poaching of mountain bike/hiking trails.

You literally couldn't come up with a better narrative for the moto industry than electric motors being accepted on what have been to date non-motorized trails.

How bike companies will compete with moto companies and who will come out on top? That I am not sure, but it will certainly be a battle for customers and to shape the trail use landscape to best suit their own markets.