Riders have option with electric bike
by Luke Davis on Aug. 13, 2008, under Edge, Local, Special
Cally Vick, 19, checks out an Ultra Motor electric bicycle at Bikes Electric, 800 E. University Blvd. The bike shop is scheduled to open this week.
When the University of Arizona’s fall semester begins Aug. 25, commuters will have a new alternative, one that may help with street congestion and parking headaches.
Opening in the next week, Bikes Electric, 800 E. University Blvd., will carry battery-powered electric bicycles capable of traveling at around 20 miles per hour for 20 miles without pedaling, said Danny Mannheim, the shop’s owner.
“If the rider pedals, the bike can go for 35 miles,” said Mannheim, who also owns Espresso Art, 944 E. University Blvd.
“The batteries recharge in about 3 1/2 hours and plug into any electrical outlet,” Mannheim said.
Customers can choose from three models, priced from $800 to $2,500, or Bikes Electric will finance rent-to-own purchases, he said.
“Depending on (lease length) and which bike, it can cost anywhere from $20 to $50 a month,” Mannheim said.
The idea for the electric bike shop came from Mannheim’s student employees at Espresso Art, he said.
“I had kids working here, and they had all sorts of problems with driving,” Mannheim said.
“They had these old cars they’d stuff with expensive gas, but they would break down and they’d be late. I had to find a solution.”
The electric bikes, made by Ultra Motor and imported from Great Britain, were the solution, and students loved the idea, Mannheim said.
Bikes Electric and the University of Arizona are in “very preliminary” talks about a possible electric bike share program, said David Heineking, associate director of operations for the university’s Parking and Transportation Services.
About 51,000 students and staff cram into the roughly two-square-mile university area every weekday of the school year, according to a school-sponsored survey.
“(The electric bikes) certainly are an advantage, not having to be filled with gas and creating very little pollution,” Heineking said.
“The university needs to do all it can to promote alternative methods of transportation and alleviate congestion. This could definitely help,” said Bill Davidson, associate marketing specialist for PTS.
For UA business major and Espresso Art employee Bryan Brown, 20, environmental friendliness is important, but it is not what most people will focus on, he said.
“I think we need a solution to global warming, but even if you believe that global warming is a big myth, everybody can look at the (gas) pump and see the benefits,” said Brown, who commutes six miles to campus daily.
The unfinished Bikes Electric shop has been “bombarded” by interested shoppers since he put up its sign, said Mannheim.
Mannheim has spoken to the governor’s office about creating electric bike share programs in Scottsdale and Tucson based on those in European cities, and said he plans to look for a larger storefront soon.
ABOVE: Employee Bryan Brown assembles an Ultra Motor electric bicycle. The shop is in the Geronimo Plaza, 800 E. University Blvd.
LEFT: Business owner Danny Mannheim shows an electric bike in his shop. Customers will be able to choose from three models priced from $800 to $2,500. Financing for rent-to-own purchases also will be available.
