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Bike to Work Day 2015

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments

Today was the official Bike to Work Day here in our hometown of San Francisco, and the Faraday crew marked the occasion by heading to Market Street to greet riders with our friends at Huckleberry Bicycles.

After months of nothing but clear skies, the forecast called for rain. But it turned out to be a perfect morning for riding, with just a few clouds and no wind to speak of. We saw hundreds (maybe thousands?) of folks ride through in a virtual bike parade down Market Street through the heart of San Francisco, and it was a fantastic site to behold.

From high-end road bikes to dusted-off old mountain bikes, new city bikes, several long-tails, and even a few Faraday Porteurs, we saw just about kind of bike and rider imaginable. A great reminder that it doesn’t really matter what you ride, it’s all about getting out and riding. (though obviously we have a certain bias toward a particular electric bike. Especially for daily commuting!)

Here are a couple more shots from the festivities this morning. Thanks to Huckleberry Bicycles for having us out in front of their shop with them to hand out flowers and smiles to all the bikers-by.

Posted in commuting, Electric Bikes, fun

April showers bring May Faradays

Posted on May 05, 2015 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments

After a whirlwind month in which we delivered our first full production run of bikes to nearly every corner of the United States, and some far reaches of Canada, we’re happily easing into May. The Spring riding season is in full bloom, and we’re thrilled to see so many new Faradays out on the road!

In fact, there’s nothing we’ve enjoyed more this Spring than seeing all of our new riders out having fun on their Porteurs. So much so that we thought we’d share a few of the photos your fellow Faraday riders have shared with us.

Here’s a great shot from Cheryl in Los Altos, CA, who added some custom carrying baskets to her back rack for a true French Countryside vibe.

Out in Austin, Jeremy has been getting many miles in on a bike that he called, “…my new ride, my new resolution, and objet d’art. Hi yo Silver!”

This trusty steed has taken Marc and the hills of Santa Barbara by storm, leading him to exclaim, “Wow! Love! Just took it for a 1st ride around Santa Barbara. Straight up the hills!”

And, speaking of hills, what town knows more about them than our own home - San Francisco. Check out this brilliant shot from the top of Bernal on the cities southern side. Didn’t realize we’d created a mountain bike!

And finally, a smiling face from back east. Dave in Cincinnati picking up his bike and ready for his first ride.

Where has your Faraday taken you? We’d love to know. It’s as easy as sharing it with us @FaradayBikes, or on Facebook and Instagram.

Posted in commuting, Electric Bikes, faraday owners, fun

The most unexpected of places

Posted on January 07, 2015 by Adam Vollmer | 0 Comments

No one is a more fervent e-bike evangelist than a brand new, first-time e-bike customer. Sometimes you meet them in the most unexpected places.

...

I have a love-hate relationship with my car. It's taken me on great adventures and it's an important part of my own personal transportation mix, yet I go out of my way to leave it parked in front of the house and go by foot or by Faraday whenever possible. More trips by e-bike equals fewer cash outlays on gas and oil changes, but more importantly, ditching my car in favor of my Faraday means I am happier, healthier, and less-stressed - and that's worth even more to me than cutting back on the estimated $5k per year that Consumer Reports tells me I'm spending on automotive upkeep.

A big chunk of that annual automotive spending bill comes from semi-regular trips to my local mechanic for upkeep on my aging Mazda. I'm lucky to have had the same car mechanic for the past 6 years ... the kind of local shop that knows me by name and knows my car even better. It's the sort of shop were you can feel good about being a customer, even when you discover that a slashed sidewall is going to set you back for a brand new set of tires.

It was on just such a trip to the automotive garage, this morning, that I spotted a shiny new e-bike in the back of the shop. I asked around and was happily surprised to learn that it belonged to none other than David, the owner of the shop. Just two weeks earlier, he'd sold the gas-guzzling oversized truck he's driven for years and upgraded to an e-bike for his ~4 mile commute to work. He loves the exercise, the opportunity to get outdoors, and the thrill of riding his speedy new bike - he couldn't be happier with his new set of wheels.

I walked home and rode by later in the morning on my Faraday, let David take it for a spin (he loved it), and chatted e-bikes for a bit. He hadn't heard of Faraday when doing his research (shame on us for the missed marketing opportunity) but loved the bike's classic lines and smooth ride. We may have missed the chance to win him as a customer, but now his wife wants an e-bike ... hopefully she has a Faraday in her future.

I rode away with a bigger-than-normal smile on my face, already thinking about this blog post. It's the greatest thing in the world to me that a guy who's lived and breathed automobiles for 30 years or more can so happily walk away from his own car (or truck) and become an electric bicycle evangelist. David's enthusiasm is contagious, and I like to hope that many more of his future customers will come in for an oil change and leave with something far more inspiring - a glimpse of a new alternative for the future of transportation, in the most unexpected of places.

- Adam

Posted in commuting, electric bicycle market, testimonials

Electric bicycles on NPR

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Adam Vollmer | 1 Comment

We enjoyed reading this week's All Things Considered, in which NPR reporter Susanna Capelouto interviews Atlanta e-bike commuter Joel Bowman. A central theme of the story is the trajectory of e-bikes in Europe, which originally entered the market primarily among older riders, before being embraced by a much wider and younger audience. E-bikes have in fact become SO successful in Europe that Holland is now considering widening its already ample bike lanes to accommodate the surge of cyclists that e-bikes have added to the roads. It's a common question - when will the popularity of e-bikes take off here in the US? And if it does, who will be the early adopters, what trajectory will the market take, etc. An assumption from the article is that like Europe, older riders (like 66 year old Joel) will be the first to embrace this new form of transportation. This may be true, but just listen to Joel's description of why he is wildly in love with his e-bike to understand why the appeal of electric bicycles transcends age:

"The real contrast is the old [non-electric] bike, somethings I got a little, 'Arghh, I gotta bike home, I'm tired,' " he says. "This, I just look forward to being on because it is pure fun."

Whether 66 or 36, who hasn't, at the end of a long day or work, resented the prospect of riding home after a long day at the office? Commuting by bicycle is a wonderful experience, a welcome opportunity to stretch the legs, lungs, and mind before or after a long day of work, and for many of us, the highlight of our work day (how many people can say that about our commute??). That said, we can all relate to the feeling of begrudging our bicycle after an especially long day - or worse yet, being tempted to choose the car over the bike at the start of our daily commute. Joel's comment says it best - a great electric bicycle elevates the experience of cycling, and if you're a commuter, helps ensure that that daily ride to and from work is always a highlight of your day that you'll simply look forward to.

Susanna cites the statistic that only 1% of Americans (about 3 million people) regularly bike to work as an example that the market for electric bicycles in the US is limited. Certainly, even another 0.5% of Americans would be a welcome addition - but at the same time, there is a lot of potential in those numbers. That's because only 150,000 electric bicycles were sold in the US last year. Or in other words, less than 5% of those 3 million American bicycle commuters are riding e-bikes. I can attest from personal experience that the vast majority of the remaining 95% have never even ridden, much less considered, an ebike. And that right there is an incredible opportunity; to show the population who has the most to gain from an electric bicycle - those 2,850,000 American bike commuters - what they're missing. (Not to mention the other 99% of Americans who don't yet bike to work!)

So with that said, if you live in the bay area, sign up for our brand new demo program and try a Faraday on your commute to work. If you're outside the bay, get in touch to find out about test ride opportunities near you, or pre-order your Faraday Porteur. Our next limited edition batch of bicycles ships in March, and with free shipping and our 30-day return policy you can be sure that you'll have the opportunity to fall in love with your Faraday before you commit to becoming a lifetime owner. Get on board and join Joel ... and Mike, Stuart, Amo, Tiffany, Matt, Jean, Echo, Chris, and the many, many others in the Faraday family who are happy e-bike converts. We know you won't look back.

Posted in commuting, demo, electric bicycle market

Bike commuting for the love of it.

Posted on November 07, 2014 by Bridget Duffy | 0 Comments

People start riding their bike to work for many different reasons. Terrible traffic, congested or hard to access public transportation, expensive parking, etc. My path to becoming a bike commuter has nothing to do with any of those things.

A few years ago I moved from the Bay Area to a small town near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I traded life in the big city for a small house on Main Street. No really, my address was literally 600 Main Street. However despite the amazing rental market, I struggled with small town life. In a fleeting attempt to make new friends and adjust to southern life I embraced a variety of hobbies. Attempted to enjoy cooking, bought a skateboard, took surf lessons on the weekends, hip-hop dance class during the week and even joined the local tennis club out of desperation. In case you are wondering if any of these stuck, to this day I am a terribly mediocre cook/skateboarder/surfer and tennis player.

The moment that changed everything was the day I bought my commuter bike. I wandered into the local bike shop during lunch one day just “to browse” and fell in love with a shiny grass-green Specialized Globe. The details are hazy but I think the transaction took place in under 15 minutes with a 30 second test ride and plenty of remarks of how pretty I thought that bike was. It might have been the least technical bike sale in history.

My love affair with bikes was born that day. As silly as it sounds my favorite parts of the day were riding my bike to and from work. I quickly discovered small town life was perfect on a bike. The other riders waved when you passed by, I passed my co-workers in their cars when they were stuck at the traffic light, and my bike was a conversation starter and friendship-maker with strangers at the local coffee shop. To ride was freedom, and that was amazing. I explored ever inch of town, got out of the house and found random adventures that I would have never discovered if it wasn’t for my trusty two wheeled companion.

Now five years later I find myself back at home in the Bay Area and working for a bike company that has created the ultimate utility bike. Sure riding a Faraday is one of the most efficient ways to commute here but the real utility to me is the the joy that riding the bike brings. I still smile every time I pass a car, I still wave to my fellow riders and I meet even more curious strangers with a Faraday then I would have ever imagined. Call me crazy but commuting is still my favorite part of the day.

Bridget is a self proclaimed "boost-mode-only" rider and the Director of Community at Faraday Bicycles. You can find her riding a Faraday through the streets of San Francisco, Oakland and Marin County.

Posted in commuting, faraday staff, ulility