A Two-Wheeled Option (With a Battery) for Commuters (NYT)

[jpak]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/business/yourmoney/06bikes.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

JEFF BAUM has a breathtaking daily commute. He travels 10 miles each way from his home in Frisco, Colo., to his office in Breckenridge — up and down winding roads that eventually climb to 9,800 feet in the Rockies — to his job as the executive director of the Breckenridge Music Festival.

For most of his 10 years with the festival, he had driven a standard gasoline-powered sport utility vehicle. Last September, though, he started leaving it at home for something cheaper, quieter and cleaner: an electric bicycle.

It takes him a little longer to get to work, but the bike is more dependable, more nimble, more invigorating and just more fun than the S.U.V., he said.

“I personally feel very good about it,” said Mr. Baum, 53, who spent $7,000 for an Optibike. “I get the fresh air and, in fact, by switching to the bike, here is one of the few ways in which I as an individual can have a good impact on our environment.”

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[Warpy]

1. Mine is a similar and I've used it for four years.

http://www.egovehicles.com



It was pricey, but it's beautifully thought out. I ride it anywhere I'd ride a bike, and that includes some of the main streets here in the city. Collapsible wire baskets on the rear can hold 2 standard paper shopping bags, so I use it for most errands.

It's more than paid for itself. I used to go 6 months on a tank of gas before my surgeon moved out to the back and beyond.