World Bicycle Day falls on June 2 of this year. It is an occasion that celebrates the joy and health benefits bicycles can provide. Whether you’re a bicycle enthusiast or you haven’t ridden in years, here are some of the top activities you can do to celebrate World Bicycle Day this year.

Discover New Trails

Are you familiar with all the riding trails in your area? If not, why not spend a day discovering new trails near you? There are different apps you can download that show the various bicycle trails in your area. Some trails are intended for road bikes while others are meant for mountain bikes. Just make sure you’re searching for the right types of trails that are appropriate for your specific bike before you head out. Further, check local regulations to ensure you can enjoy your electric bike on whichever trail you choose.

To make trail riding even more fun, consider downloading an app that tracks your route and progress. Each time you ride the same trail, the app will tell you if you’ve gotten any faster. People who are serious about fitness and cycling typically have apps that help them make goals and achieve them.

Bike to Work

If you’ve been putting off commuting to work, then World Bicycle Day is the perfect excuse to start!

Be sure to leave your home early so you have plenty of time to get to work on your bicycle. Bring a backpack with snacks and a change of clothes so you don’t have to spend the day at work in sweaty clothing.

If you’d like to bike to work but don’t think you’re fast enough or fit enough to do it all under your own power, an e-bike may be perfect for you. Select an ultra-comfortable ebike that has a long battery range so you can comfortably commute to work, school or even the local grocery store. An electric bike is nice to have because you can customize the settings to put as much or as little physical effort into your riding as you want.

Plan a Group Ride

Riding a bicycle on your own can be a nice change of pace, but it’s even more enjoyable to ride with others. In honor of World Bicycle Day, you may want to plan a group ride that includes some of your closest friends and family members. Whether you want to ride five miles or 50, make sure the other members of your group are up for the challenge before you plan your route.

Organize a Community E-Bike Riding Event

If you’re feeling motivated, you can organize a community bike riding event for World Bicycle Day. Choose a starting point and a destination and announce your ride date and time. Decide whether you want the event to be a “no-drop” event or if everyone can go at their own pace. Then market your event and prepare for the big day!

Huntington Beach Reverses Electric Bike Ban On Boardwalk!!

Huntington Beach reverses e-bikes ban on beach trail – O.C. Register

Thanks to everyone who helped support the “Stop The Ban” campaign.  Electric bikes will now be allowed on the beach path that lines the sand in Huntington Beach, but more education and enforcement is needed, officials said, to ensure the fast-moving bikes can co-exist with other path users. The City Council on Monday, April 5, voted unanimously to strike a previous ban on e-bikes put in place in 2017, before the recent surge in popularity.

​Councilwoman Natalie Moser noted that with the ordinance being repealed, the city will need to address speed limits and how to enforce rules. 

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It is up to us to ride at safe speeds when sharing the path with pedestrians too. I’d like to thank Craig Bradford and Frank Hayes both retired firefighters and Elux Owners who played a key role in the campaign. Their input and participation with the city council was one of the prime drivers of and key to the reversal of the ban. Big thanks to Both Frank and Craig!

Take Care and Ride Safe!

JP Blake

It’s time to head to work. So, you hop on your trusty electric bike and set out confidently. Then, you remember that there are other e-bikes, bicycles, pedestrians and motorists all commuting at the same time. How do you make sure that you have a safe and pleasant trip to work? The following bicycling etiquette tips will help you commute more easily.

1) Always Be Predictable

Safety is the top priority for commuting (and traveling in general). If you want other people to behave predictably around you, you need to also be predictable. So, follow the rules of the road. Don’t surprise the cars next to you by suddenly shooting across multiple lanes to make a turn.

Always keep yourself as visible as possible. During the day, think about where cars are and try to stay in their lines of sight. Avoid cycling along in someone’s blind spot for too long. At night, make sure you have sufficient reflectors and/or lights to ensure that you are easy to see.

2) Pass Safely

Bikes can squeeze through relatively tight gaps. However, that doesn’t mean that you should try to weave between pedestrians or come shooting out of a gap in traffic. Always look to make sure that the coast is clear before you pass anyone. Additionally, try to give yourself space as you are maneuvering around others on the road.

If you are passing stopped or parked cars, remember that someone could suddenly open a door. They should be checking the mirror first, but that doesn’t matter much when you slam into the open door. Always be vigilant and ready to stop if someone looks like they are going to open a door or otherwise get in your way.

3) Pay Attention

It is tempting to blast some tunes or talk on the phone while you are riding your bike. This isn’t a great idea. Always make sure you can hear background noise around you. Some music is okay as long as you are not going to miss any hazards because of it.

4) Park Considerately

When you are parking your bike at a rack or other anchoring point, remember that others may want to park there. Also, try to avoid blocking pedestrians or traffic in any way. In short, be considerate of how your bike position will affect others when you are stopping.

If possible, park your bike indoors or in a secure area. Unfortunately, publicly accessible bike racks can be attractants for thieves.

5) Be Smart When Stopping

If you come to a stop at a light or stop sign, be patient and wait for the flow of traffic to start in your direction again. Additionally, make sure you are visible. You don’t want to suddenly pop out in front of moving cars.

Find an EBike Safety Course Today

If you follow the above biking etiquette tips, and are a safe rider, you can enjoy a pleasant and quick commuting experience.

Whether you are riding an electric bike or a traditional bicycle, you likely want to be able to take it wherever and whenever you want. Sometimes that may mean riding in the dark. Obviously, this can be a little dangerous. So, it is a good idea to use some extra caution whenever you are riding in a low-light setting. The following tips will help.

1) Use Bike Lights and Reflectors

The most important thing you can do is ensure that others can see you. This means placing lights on your bike and reflectors on your bike and clothing. Reflectors will illuminate you whenever a car or other vehicle’s lights shine on you. However, you don’t want to count on that visibility alone. Similarly, you won’t be able to see if there are no nearby lights. So, it is a good idea to also have a front and rear light on your bike.

2) Only Ride in Areas With Good Visibility

No amount of visibility upgrades will help you if you are riding around a tight lane with tight corners. Try to choose relatively straight and open sections of road where the visibility is as substantial as possible. Having extra space and clear sight-lines will help to ensure that motorists can see and avoid you. Plus, you will be able to see where you are going more easily. If you can ride somewhere with streetlights, that is even better.

3) Ride Carefully

Don’t count on others to keep you safe when you are out riding. It only takes one person who isn’t paying attention to cause an accident. So, make sure you are always riding with caution. Leave space between you and other riders and motorists. Additionally, keep your eyes up and watch out for vehicles. Don’t assume that everyone will follow the rules of the road perfectly. It is much better to let a car go when you have the right-of-way than to get in an accident.

4) Wear Appropriate Clothes

It gets chilly at night. If you are overly cold, you will be less focusing on safety and more likely to make a mistake. A simple solution is to wear appropriate clothing for the nighttime. Additionally, try to choose clothes that have light colors or reflective strips. Riding around in all black late at night is asking for trouble.

5) Avoid Dazzling Others

The lights on your bike may not seem that bright. However, if they are shined directly in a driver’s eyes, they are probably dazzling. If motorists can’t see easily, they are more likely to cause an accident. So, make sure your light is angled such that it won’t dazzle anyone. This is a courteous practice that keeps everyone on the road a little safer.

Take an E-Bike Safety Foundation Course Today

With the right electric bike, you could be cruising around town all day. If you want to avoid riding at night, the motor can help you get home before dark. Alternatively, you can use the pedal assist mode for an easier ride so that you can focus on the road ahead more easily.

For a long time, California has been one of the most innovative states in terms of tackling climate issues. A lot of this has been driven by legislation-based incentives for people to buy more environmentally friendly products. However, while the citizens of California have embraced electric bikes, the state government is woefully behind. Is it missing the mark?

The Power of E-Bikes

Electric bikes are a zero-emission form of transportation that is often overlooked for its environmental impact. However, they are especially valuable because they cut down on some of the most high-emitting and inefficient driving: city traffic. E-bikes in their current form are not an option for long commutes. However, they are perfect for city distances.

Many e-bikes have ranges up to around 70 miles in pedal-assist mode. They are not great for commutes of 30 minutes plus due to a top speed of around 25 to 30 miles per hour and not being allowed on highways. Nonetheless, they have the potential to have a serious positive impact on the environment. In fact, they already are.

Explosive Growth

Despite the gap in regulatory incentives, electric bikes have quickly become the fastest-growing segment in bikes. People who would never have considered buying a bike before are now turning to e-bikes as a viable option for transportation.

Commuters are increasingly turning to e-bikes to help them skip the traffic and get to work faster. Of course, people also buy them for other transportation needs such as running errands or going for a casual cruise.

The Opportunity for More

Of course, this could be even more significant. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gases in the state and in most of the country. Rebates encourage buying electric cars and other environmentally friendly products such as solar panels.

In California, there are even rebates on electronic motorcycles. However, electric bikes are overlooked for some reason. Admittedly, electric bikes are significantly less expensive than most other electric vehicles. The average price of an electric car is $55,000. Nonetheless, even a modest rebate could have a positive impact.

In fact, encouraging switching to electric bikes could potentially have a great impact on the environment compared to the cost of the subsidy. E-bikes can potentially replace many car trips and substantially reduce emissions. Manufacturing of e-bikes has lower emissions than producing other electric vehicles also. In short, there is a huge opportunity being missed.

Some Progress So Far

While there is a lot more to be achieved for promoting the use of e-bikes, there has been some progress. For example, e-bikes were added to a trade-in program that gave vouchers for electric vehicles replacing polluting cars. However, this should be expanded to cover more of e-bike sales.

Learn More

California has an opportunity to lead the way in promoting the use of electric bikes. Learn more about e-bikes and their impact on the world around us at Join our Mission.

If you’ve recently purchased an electric bike, you probably can’t wait to take it with you on all your travels. But if your plans include traveling to national parks this year, there are some things you should know before you go. On August 30, 2019, the National Park Service implemented a new electric bike policy that will be enforced in all national parks. The good news is that the new policy favors electric bikes in many ways. It also clearly outlines specific rules that ebike owners must follow whenever they are on federal park lands. Here are some of the policy details.

Safety Considerations

If you plan to ride ebikes in national parks, you must follow these safety rules established by the NPS to maintain your safety and the safety of those around you:

• Obey all speed limits.
• Slow down at intersections and always make eye contact with other drivers before you proceed.
• Wear a helmet while riding your electric bike.
• Pay attention to other drivers and drive defensively.
• Wear reflective clothing and bright colors to make yourself highly visible.
• Dismount and mount the bike carefully.

While electric bikes are not technically considered bicycles or vehicles under NPS regulations, they are required to obey the rules of the road, including speed limits. Your electric bike may be capable of going faster than the speed limit, but you must stay within the posted speed limit at all times.

Increased Recreational Opportunities

Secretary’s Order 3366 supports an increase of recreational opportunities on public lands. To support this order, national parks are happy to allow ebikes an permitted park areas. A few benefits of ebike use include:

• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions when used as an alternative to diesel- or gasoline-powered transportation.
• Easier and more efficient form of travel for those who might not be able to ride a regular bicycle.
• Decreased traffic congestion and reduced demand for regular parking spaces.

As more electric bikes appear in national parks, they increase the visibility of regular bicyclists and make traveling by bike safer. To maximize your safety and ensure that you follow all regulations, only stick to bicycle-approved trails when riding your electric bike. No ebikes are allowed in wilderness areas.

Find More Information

National parks are beginning to implement the new ebike policy this year. Depending on where you visit, different aspects of the policy may or may not be enforced. It’s important to check with the park you plan to visit before you go to make sure you clearly understand what you may and may not do as an ebike owner. After all, you want to enjoy your time in the park without worrying that you may unintentionally break a rule and face repercussions.

To find more information about national park opportunities for active transportation, refer to the National Park Service Active Transportation Guidebook. It details all information about bicycling, walking or using other forms of active transportation to safely explore the parks. It also gives useful resources to guide visitors toward the best areas where they can experience historical and natural places in the most immersive ways.