Electric Bicycles; Utah’s Car Replacement Therapy

Jan. 27, 2014 - PRLog -- Salt Lake City, UT

Very soon, the electric bike will find its way into your garage, or your neighbor’s. Just as the iPod popularized digital media, Blue Monkey Bicycles hopes to popularize green transportation with fast, fun and cheap to operate electric bikes.

Duane Schaffer, 44, lives the typical life as a father of two. Fetching groceries, stopping at the hardware store for a newly justified power tool, picking up his son from school, even teaching his teenage daughter to drive, are all performed with the family wagon: A 36v Electric Cargo Bike. “I do everything on this. I mean, I hardly ever buy gas anymore.” Schaffer says proudly.
“I got into electric bikes a couple years ago, trying to save trips in the family car. When I saw that there was no electric bike store in Salt Lake City, my wife and I decided to open one. That was a little over a year ago.”

His store, Blue Monkey Bicycles, carries varied brands of electric bicycles intended for fun, fitness and of course, car replacement. Their electric bikes top out at 20mph, and hold a range of 20 to 30 miles on a single charge. At any point, the pedals still operate like a normal bike. Compared to an average gas car, using $0.12 per mile in gas, an electric bike uses $.0014 worth of electricity. Drastically reducing costs of registration, gas taxes, inspection, and maintenance, electric bikes are estimated to save roughly $3000 when used for half the miles of a given year.

Electric bikes can also carry a serious tone. Schaffer along with 4000+ other Utahns gathered at the state capitol last Saturday to rally attention to the growing Salt Lake air pollution issue. “The smog that fills the city can get pretty gross. I started wearing a mask outside when it gets bad.” Schaffer admits. While offering bike demos and handing out fliers at the rally he said: “My contribution to clean air is the store. Each electric bike on the road is 10 times better for the air than even an electric car.” When asked how many cars he has helped replace he exclaimed: “We exceeded our expectations for our first year of business! With the success of last year, we are getting ready for a great 2014.”

Started in 2013, Blue Monkey Bicycles is Salt Lake City’s electric bike resource. Having a reputation for personal customer service and community building, the experts at Blue Monkey Bicycles are experienced in both bicycle commuting, and electric vehicle construction. Rentals and free test rides available.

www.bluemonkeybicycles.com