I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of commuting by bike. It’s not practical for my job, unfortunately, but it just sounds very appealing to combine exercise with commuting — plus it’s far cheaper than using a car. I have a few issues with using a bike as a main vehicle, though: One, I would constantly worry about being sweaty, and two, I am a very poky bike rider. Even on a fully tuned up bike, there are children on tricycles who would zip past me! If I were in a position to seriously try biking every day work, though, the solution to both my issues could be both techy and stylish — a Polaris eBike!
Polaris’ eBike has a few features that make it stand out from the typical “we bolted a motor to a bike” electric bike. For one, they have a removable battery that goes 30 miles per charge. So you could ride ten miles to work, top off the battery, and take the long way home. Plus, this has regenerative braking, meaning the battery gets incrementally charged from the energy generated by the brakes. It’s the same concept that hybrid cars use to keep their batteries charged as you go. Finally, this is built on a mountain bike frame, so it’s tough enough to take the really off the beaten path trails.
Sadly, I don’t see an electric bike in my future quite yet, but we are moving to a town with a downtown, and we’re hoping to eventually dust off our bikes and ride to the grocery store a few times. If it sticks, well, who knows…the Polaris eBike is only $2,999 which is a great deal cheaper than another car!