From Neon Tommy:
In search of a speedy, yet green alternate way to get to work, Calvin Phuong used an electric bicycle conversion kit on his bike. The 32-year-old Marina del Rey resident took his modified bicycle for a ride around a parking lot and was amazed by its speed and handling.
“One day my wife and I stopped by an Izip store in Venice and rented a couple electric bikes for the day. We had so much fun, we didn’t want to return them,” Phuong said with a smile.
In the last couple of years, electric bicycle shops such as Izip, Hollywood Electrics and Pedego have sprung up in southern California to try to tap into the alternative transportation market. Popular consumer stores such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Costco have already begun selling e-bikes nationwide.
An e-bike, or an electric bicycle, is exactly that – a bicycle with a small electric motor that can power the vehicle or help a rider with pedaling.
“I was thinking about a motorized bike for my commute,” said Phuong, a fraud manager for the online retailer Hautelook in downtown L.A. “I’ve got a big truck and it takes a good amount of gas, so I was looking for a way to reduce my carbon footprint.”
Phuong is part of a growing trend of economically and environmentally conscious southern California commuters seeking alternative forms of transportation, including riding bicycles, buses and trains. Read more HERE
