Electric bikes a boomer opportunity

July 19, 2009 | By Kim Walker

News from the USA suggest that electric bikes may be the next big thing for the aging boomer market.

44.7 million Americans rode a bicycle 6 times or more in the past 12 months. Average Age 40 years. The 40 ~ 60 year old biker is likely to be of higher income, more politically progresive and seeking a fun and athletic experience according to the Bicycle Market Research Institute in a 2007 report. It is understandable that ageing boomers are turning to bicyles as an alternative to running and other more stressful forms of exercise.

Check out this overview of the electric bike market in the USA.

Wal-Mart, Best Buy and REI have either already or will soon enter the electric bicycle market (as noted in an earlier Green Transportation article). In the U.S. electric bicycles are little known but in other countries (notably Europe and China) they are more popular and widely known. In the U.S. the electric bicycle market has long been the realm of small specialist shops rather than big business. It will be interesting to watch this market change to see if or how the existing electric bicycle dealers will survive in this new era. Remember what happened with other incursions by large corporations into business territory occupied by small specialist shops. Despite the ilk of Starbucks, Borders Books and Amazon.com there are still small independent coffee shops and bookstores, just not as many as before.

China is already advanced in the manaufacture of e-bikes. Take a look at Flybrother (love the brand name?)