Electric bikes gaining in popularity

Two retailers now offer rentals and bike tours in Mammoth Lakes.

Russ Markman is not new to the rental business; as he has been renting ATVs and snowmobiles in Mammoth for the last 28 years.

“I’m always looking for something exciting and fun,” he said. Markman found what he was looking for in electric bicycles (ebikes), pedal bikes that can also be used with the help of an electric battery. “When I first tried an ebike with my wife, it was love at first ride,” he said.

Markman said ebikes are extremely popular in Europe and Asia, while they remain a novelty in the U.S. But he believes the bikes are “not a fad,” and has heard major cities, such as Chicago, are building ebike infrastructure to accommodate commuters. Markman began renting ebikes in Bishop a year and a half ago.

“I searched for about three years around the electric bike market,” he said. He now carries Prodeco Ebikes out of Miami, Florida. “Our first ride was from our house in Bishop to South Lake. Once they proved themselves to me, they were our company.”

Prodeco offers 41 different styles of bikes, and Markman rents 23 of their models. “All the beach cruisers aren’t really relative. The mountain bikes are more conducive to our area … and the commuter bikes.”

“People don’t understand that you get a killer workout on ebikes,” said Markman, who burns 600-700 calories during a single bike ride. “They afford a longer ride, with better views, and you can appreciate it because you are not breathing so hard.”

Markman, 60, said the bikes are “really more accepted by the aging baby boomer crowd. If I do a 50 mile ride, I don’t have to recoup for two days afterwards.”

Markman and his wife, Kyle, often ride their ebikes from Bishop to the backside of Crowley Lake through the Owens River Gorge. They also offer guided tours in the Gorge from both Bishop and Mammoth, which Markman leads himself.

“We tried to market in Bishop first because that’s where we live now,” said Markman, who moved away from Mammoth six years ago. But he only rented a few bikes in Bishop during the winter “because there’s not much business,” he said. “Eight million cars a year go up this highway [395], but the tourists are either coming [to Mammoth] or continuing on. They don’t really plan on stopping in Bishop.”

So Markman began renting ebikes out of his spot in Mammoth Business Park at the beginning of June. Due to the past three years of bad winters, Markman has rented more ATVs than snowmobiles and said he’d rent ebikes during the winter as well. “You’ve got to make it work when you live in these parts. You have to be diverse,” he said. Markman also rents kayaks and inflatable tubes from Bishop and provides a shuttle service to the Owen’s River.

Epedel had a booth at Mammoth Brewing Company over the Fourth of July, taking full advantage of the holiday weekend. “That was phenomenal. We rented about two weeks worth of bikes in day in half. It was overwhelming,” Markman said. “We knew it was something that would take off and it really has.”

Markman claims 100 percent satisfaction with the ebikes and has “not had one negative comeback.” He’s also sold a few of his ebikes, which range from $1,100 to $5,000, to locals.

The location in the business park suits Markman, who said he gets plenty of phone calls without much advertising. He operates the business by himself, with help from his wife Kyle. “We feel if we were in town rent would be out of control and I would possibly have more business than I could handle,” he said. “And I really do quality work and I want to give my customers my time.

“I’ve been living here for 35 years and I have a pulse on what works here and what doesn’t,” Markman said. “I believe what I got is what works.”

Local Ashley Brussel opened the Pedego Electric Bikes Dealership in the Mammoth Mall on Friday, July 4, after showcasing the colorful beach-cruiser styled bikes in the Fourth of July Parade. The following two days, Brussel rented out all 12 of her electric bikes by 11 a.m.

“It’s every business-owner’s dream to run out of product,” she said. “I want everyone to be able to go out and have fun.”

Brussel plans on expanding her offering based on the demand she experienced over the holiday weekend, but until then, recommends calling and making a reservation.

It only took Brussel six weeks to open shop, which is the 53rd Pedego dealership in the world. Pedego Electric Bikes were created in 2007 in Orange County. According to Brussel, a Laguna Beach businessman who was frustrated when he couldn’t find an electric bike that would get him up the hill to his house started Pedego.

“He could ride a bike down to the beach but then had to drive it back up,” she said. Brussel noticed the same issues with other brands of electric bikes in Mammoth. “Is it really going to get me up to the Lakes or up to Main Lodge?” she asked.

All of Brussel’s bikes come with 48-volt lithium batteries that can last for 30 miles, going 20 miles per hour. “People can really fly,” Brussel said. “20 miles per hour feels a little too fast, honestly.”

Over the weekend, she had customers who took their bikes up to Minaret Summit, came back down and had lunch in the Village, before riding up to Horseshoe Lake, all without needing to charge the battery.

“And if you can’t make it up any hills, just bring it back and we’ll give you a refund,” she said.

Brussel offers two different models of Pedego bikes: the Cruisers come with a throttle to engage the battery, and the Interceptor model comes with a speedometer and pedal assist in addition to the throttle. The pedal assist gives the rider an extra boost as they pedal the bike themselves.

“It’s nice to be able to pedal like you’re on the flat while the battery helps you up the hill,” Brussel said. “They are still great pedal bikes. If you get half way up the hill and you’re getting tired, the extra boost from the pedal assist makes it possible.

“I’m a local, and I don’t know if I can or if I want to ride up to Main Lodge or the Lakes Basin,” Brussel said. “There are a lot of us that want to enjoy the scenery. Why do you think people put the bikes on the Trolley?”

“People who want to take big burly mountain bikes and crash aren’t going to come in here,” Brussel said. “I’m happy not to be in competition with Footloose or Mammoth Outdoor Sports.”

Brussel is partnering with CJ’s Grill to offer a guided picnic lunch tour on the Pedego bikes. “The guides will pick up a picnic from CJ’s and then take people to the hot springs or the Lakes Basin—wherever they want to go,” she said.

At this point, Brussel has “just ideas” for the Pedego shop during the winter. She plans on selling “fancier, more fun stuff” such as “gadgets, outdoor tech, and upscale accessories.” She is researching high-end snowshoes, which she tried in Park City last winter and felt “ like gliding on clouds,” as well as ice skate rentals.

There’s also the possibility of renting Pedego bikes during the winter with a Bike-Board—a mini snowboard that attaches to the front wheel of the bike.

“These guys sent me the board and a video. You can use the throttle to get up hills, like the Sherwins,” Brussel said. “And then you can carve all the way downhill.”

If Brussel decides to rent out Pedego bikes with the bike board this winter, it will only be with guides. “I don’t think I’d just let people take those out into avalanche territory,” she said.

Regardless of winter business, Brussel “really believes in the product” and she seems to be in for a busy summer season. Plus, “the bikes are fun. We’re up here in the mountains and mountain bikes aren’t supposed to be cute,” Brussel said. “The cute factor does not escape anyone.”