The Joy of Rediscovery: The Story of EbikeCityZen's Founder

As a kid and to this day, I have always loved cars, too (and Legos). My elders regale that as I kid I knew every car make and model and of course had posters of sports cars on my bedroom wall. This led me to a career path in the automobile service industry. For 25 years, I worked my way up from the bottom through every type of job in automobile service, eventually becoming Service and Parts Director for entire car dealerships. I knew cars inside and out and I prided myself on providing excellent customer service. But I also saw the darker side of car dependency, especially in the last few years. I started to notice a change in consumer attitudes toward cars. Drivers were becoming more and more dismayed with car ownership. The cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle began to increase rapidly, but consumers felt trapped. They were so used to their car-centric lifestyle, that they couldn't even fathom other transportation choices.

I remember one customer in particular, a young mother, near tears because she discovered a flat tire as she was about to leave home for a doctor's appointment. The doctor's office was just over a mile from her home, but the thought of walking or biking never even crossed her mind. Instead, she had her car towed to the dealership to get the flat repaired, and completely missed the important appointment. I helped many other people with similar examples to this, saw people's look of utter helplessness in these situations, and it sparked something in me. There had to be a better way.

After 25 successful years as an employee in the automobile industry, I decided I wanted to start my own company. I knew that I wanted to help people, improve society, and make the world a greener place while offering an alternative to the car-centric existence that so many people feel trapped in. Being in the transportation industry and seeing the dismay of consumers over the ever rising costs of a car-centric existence I knew that there was a real need for something better. I saw the expansion of bike friendly infrastructure being built in cities across the country, but also noticed that relatively few folks were adopting traditional bicycles as a legitimate way to reduce their car dependence.

Then I discovered Ebikes. These aren't just bicycles; they're a revelation in helping bicycles become a real viable mode of transportation for everyday Americans. Electric pedal assist allows Ebike riders to effortlessly climb hills, and ride for longer distances - they remove virtually all of the strenuous effort that holds people back from traditional bicycles. This new technology opens up bicycling to a vastly larger percentage of the population. People of many more body types, ages and fitness levels can ride an electric bicycle. Virtually anyone who has the ability to walk can use an Ebike. Electric bicycles are the perfect blend of nostalgia and innovation, technology and practicality. 

Will Ebikes replace cars completely? Absolutely not, but they will offer many folks an alternative. I still own a car, and probably always will - but I use my car much less frequently. The car is now reserved for longer trips, because the vast majority of everywhere I need to go on a daily basis is actually easier to get to by Ebike. 

I got myself an Ebike and started riding everywhere – to appointments, to the grocery store, to meet friends. I challenged myself to ride everywhere I used to drive. I rediscovered the joy of exploring my city and felt connectedness with my community, through the simple pleasure of not feeling trapped behind a windshield stuck in traffic with road rage seeping in. I was no longer separated from the world around me, I was part of it. I was feeling the beauty of nature as I rode along miles of bike paths along the lake, smiling at passers by and discovering hidden gems that I never noticed before. I knew that there were so many other benefits, too. Environmental benefits, benefits to my community and the small business in my neighborhood, benefits of not taking up 12 times as much space on the road traveling solo in a car. And I wanted to share all the awesome attributes I found in Ebikes with others. So I founded EbikeCityZen.com in hopes that I could help you get the same benefits I do.