Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Travelers should be alert for wet, but changeable weather Urban goats take to Ashland's yards and sidewalks Ashland Calendar, Nov. 26 Community rallies to light the night for boy 10 things to know for Wednesday Education Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student SOU Honors College team takes on Food Bank project Kiwanis club invites fifth-graders to write flag essay AHS club helps fill Ashland Emergency Food Bank Ashland High School: Students get schooled in interviewing Environment Don't like weather where you are? Move a mile or two Salmon: A force of nature can be restored Students nurturing nature SOU eyes burning biomass instead of gas Navickas ordered to pay court filing fees Business Southern Oregon reports growth in lodging industry Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda CR-V Dear Monty: Violation of HOA rules creates conflict Standing Stone stands up for Emergency Food Bank Find your holiday spirit in Ashland’s Season of Celebration Politics and elections Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat Granlund cartoon: GOP wrecking balls Oregon voters narrowly reject GMO labeling measure Kitzhaber wins fourth term Merkley wins re-election by wide margin State News GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Fred L. Higginbotham Death Notices Stephen A. Read Death Notices Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Ducks' season has Lone Star roots SOU invites fans to fly with football team Tow overcomes heart condition to spark Raiders Atanda makes most of fresh start Raiders rout Pioneers, to play Carroll in QFs High school Six Grizzlies voted MWL first-teamers Grizzlies roughed up at Silverton Upset-minded Grizzlies brace for undefeated Foxes Georgia Williams commits to Columbia Gabe Lehrburger, Grizzlies clean house in MWL all-star voting Southern Oregon University Ducks' season has Lone Star roots SOU invites fans to fly with football team Tow overcomes heart condition to spark Raiders Atanda makes most of fresh start Raiders rout Pioneers, to play Carroll in QFs Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Thanksgiving Our View: Pool is not a priority Letters to the Editor, Nov. 26 Jim Brock: Preserving American values? Granlund cartoon: Ferguson verdict Editorial Our View: Pool is not a priority Our view: Keep it simple in OSF courtyard Our view: Expanding the season Our View: Our view: Generating a good idea Letters Letters to the Editor, Nov. 26 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 24 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 15 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 11 Letters to the Editor, Nov. 10 Guest opinions Herb Rothschild Jr.: Greed, love and the Shmoo Guest Opinion: Save the SOU swimming pool Chris Honoré: Was the midterm election a mandate? Herb Rothschild: TPP agreement draws opposition from all sides Guest Opinion: A meaningful step toward political bipartisanship Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Oregon Poetry Association's fall contest winners Movie listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Best Bets: Nov. 20-28 Caleb Klauder Band and The Steel Wheels play the Unitarian Stewart crafts a fine film in 'Rosewater' Theater New design for Bricks takes shape Hard to keep a straight face with 'Red Noses' 'Red Noses' is a romp through slapstick and pathos 'The Drunken City': Bachelorettes meet bar-crawlers Music Peter Chianca: Top 40 songs even a dad could love The Farr Side: Different artists, common songs Longtime area musician Steve Read, 64, dies The Farr Side: CMA telecast was a disappointment Bass Clarinet Takeover Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘Foxcatcher’ will leave you shaken and spellbound Movie review: Outrageous comedy, dirty words make ‘Horrible Bosses 2’ tick Movie review: ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ stays true to form Interview: Jennifer Aniston continues to shed good-girl image Movie listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Blue bows out of Granite Street site, Agave moving in Chef count up at feast for the senses Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Ford Mustang 9 ways to green your gift wrap Kent Bush: Don’t regulate Thanksgiving shopping Book review: ‘The Indestructibles: Breakout’ offers twists and turns galore Shayne Looper: Relationships are acts of faith Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Travelers should be alert for wet, but changeable weather ... Urban goats take to Ashland's yards and sidewalks ... Ashland Calendar, Nov. 26 ... Travelers should be alert for wet, but changeable weather ... Urban goats take to Ashland's yards and sidewalks ... Ashland Calendar, Nov. 26 ... ASHLAND ELECTRIC BIKES With e-Bike business booming, Ashland vendor expands Pioneer retailer Jerry Solomon opens store on Ashland Street By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 15, 2014 @ 2:00 am By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 15, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News Ashlanders are warming to the energy-friendliness and (relative) low cost of electric bikes, enough so that pioneer retailer Jerry Solomon, after six years in the business here, has opened a big storefront in Ashland Shopping Center.  E-bikes, he says, are catching on in a big way, as people get more and more bad news about greenhouse gases, global warming and weather extremes tied to it — droughts, cyclones, wildfire. Governments aren’t doing much about the problem, but individuals, at least in Ashland, are responding, buying up to 100 e-bikes a year now from Solomon — and enabling him to move from his small, non-visible shop in the Hersey Street light industry complex. His spacious new shop is on the corner between Blue Toba and the Dollar Store, with one side facing Ashland Street. E-bikes are outside the box, so, says Solomon, buyers usually go through a process of overcoming their preconceptions. They think “bikes” should be cheap so they get sticker shock with e-bikes. “But when you compare the price with cars or motorcycles, then they seem cheap.” People tend to think of e-bikes as not very powerful, “but they are pleasantly surprised when they try out the bona fide equipment,” he says. Buyers are wary that the local shop and/or the manufacturer will go out of business, but, he says, he and the most dependable companies are now well established and will be here decades from now, for parts and maintenance. Usually, the convincer is just taking an e-bike for a test drive. The logic of e-bikes, he says, goes like this: • They’re no longer cute luxury toys. They make sense economically and environmentally and make a logical adjunct to a car. •  You don’t need a car for everything. Who needs space for five people when most of the time you’re just running errands, going to the gym, meeting someone and commuting to work? A family in this carbon-conscious age should have one economical car for trips or schlepping big items or if it’s bad weather, but every family member should have an e-bike. •  They cost a fraction of a car. They start at $1,600 and average $2,500 to $3,000. That’s under 10 percent of the cost of a new car. •  You don’t use the main planetary carbon polluter, gasoline. You charge the e-bike up in a couple hours and goes 20 or 30 miles, depending on terrain. •  They’re fitness-friendly. You just throttle back and pedal. But if you’re going to work, you don’t get hot and sweaty and need a shower, as with bicycles. •  They’re fun. You’re out in the fresh air and can see and enjoy everything. Many of his buyers have gotten e-bikes to eliminate the commute in traffic, as well as all the problems of gas and car repairs from stop-and-go driving, he notes. Most of the commuters to Medford use the Greenway, which is flat, so they get maximum miles from their charge, then recharge them at work. As for luggage space, Solomon sells all kinds of baskets, saddlebags and even trailers. An e-bike doesn’t need a license plate and you don’t need a driver’s license to drive them, since they operate under 25 mph. Because of this some of Solomon’s customers have gotten DUII’s and lost their license. An e-bike takes care of that problem. The e-bike wave is just starting to build in America, which sold 150,000 last year, compared to China’s 30 million, Solomon says. Europe is close behind. However, their bikes don’t work well for America, which has wider distances and more hills, so we’ve had to engineer bikes with more voltage, he says. Now all the pieces are in place for it to take off. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Email him at [email protected].   By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Nov. 15, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501