My New Fascination with Electric Bikes

It all started at my friend Sharon's New Year's Day party.  Sharon is in PR and her new clients, Scott and Mark were planning to open The Electric Bicycle Store on South Beach and had brought a few bikes for her guests to try out.  Even though it was a nasty rainy day, I rode an electric bike for the first time and I was hooked.  I knew that I had to have one some day.

Fast forward to last Monday.  Sharon knew I wanted to buy one of those bikes and told me that Jorge Estevez from CBS4 would be doing a story on electric bikes.  She asked me if I would be willing to be interviewed as a prospective buyer.  I went to the store, rode several bikes, did the interview, and the story aired that very night.

Little did I know that my interest in electric bicycles would grow into a fascination in the couple of hours I spent test riding them.  I was captivated.  Riding those bikes made me feel like a kid again.  I'm into gadgets and technology.  I'm into alternative forms of transportation (in addition to my car I have a scooter, a bicycle, roller blades and a kayak).  I wanted one right away.  Not surprisingly, the one I like best is one of the most expensive one...a little over three grand...not in my budget right now.

But I loved the concept and the feeling of cruising without peddling and without any noise.  I felt like a kid again and couldn't imagine anyone riding an electric bike and not absolutely loving it.  My enthusiasm was obviously apparent - Scott and Mark asked me if I would consider working for them in some capacity.  I already have too many things going on in my life but this is really cool. 

After a lot of talking, we came up with an idea:  I would give up my car and see how long I could live without driving.  I would get around by electric bicycle - showing property, running errands, commuting to work - everything!  And I would blog about my experience.  So here we go...