Day #319 Electric Bikes

As I've mentioned before, electric power packs can be purchased now for bicycles.
Yesterday, I found out just how difficult this is going to be.
Small bicycle dealers, and even mid-sized ones, cannot afford to handle them. Manufacturers, like Panasonic, insist that they first invest 10's of thousands of dollars before they will let them become a dealer. These bike shops cannot afford to take this on.
So, if you want to purchase one, you have to go to a major city.
Thus, getting it serviced will be a major endeavour.
So who would want one.
The bicycle manufacturers need to smarten up.
Mike, from Doug's Bicycles in Belleville, ON said there are power packs that you can re:power by pedaling, and ones that re:power themselves.
In the latter, your bike is pedaling by itself so your feet are being forced. Others re:power by your own pedaling.
And still others are electric bikes, similar to motorcycles, that you don't pedal at all. The legal limit for them to go is 30 km/hr.
This difficulty in purchasing and servicing of an electric bike and/or an electric power pack for a bicycle is a definite disappointment to me, although I will talk to other bike shops asap.
There's electricity in the air, and the big manufacturers, and the politicians alike, are ignoring it. But it's not going to go away, fellows.
People like me are going to insist that they become available, and financially viable.
Karen