Iowa is branded as the world capital of trails, and those trails support a robust cycling community with more than 900,000 recreational riders. Yet, bike shops are seeing a shift in demand for electric bikes.
“It’s most of our business. Three of the bikes that went out at the end of the week last week were electric bikes out of the six [that were sold], and considerably more money,” said Kevin Longcor, Ankeny Team Leader at Kyle’s Bikes.
As the market grows, Iowa still lacks in e-bike mechanics to handle the rate of needed maintenance and repairs. Even those who can fix them still struggle to keep up, as most e-bikes use specialized computers. Depending on the brand, repairs might not be an option for cheaper bikes bought overseas, as software and parts are harder to source.