Elec-Tric Ave-Nue

E-Bikes Are Reshaping Redding Rides…

E-bikes have added an unmistakable energy to the North State bicycling scene and it doesn’t appear the buzz is going to die down anytime soon.

Jasper Hudson, the proprietor of Pedego Redding on Hilltop Drive, has a simple explanation why e-bikes, also known as pedal-assist bikes, continue to gain in popularity in the Redding area: “They flatten the world.”

“When you get asked to go for a ride, the usual questions are where we going and how far? An e-bike makes up that gap. It doesn’t matter as much if the other person is way more fit. It closes the gap,” Hudson says.

You can go farther and have more fun, says Tracey Cooper, who owns The Bike Shop with her husband, Ryan. “The biggest need (for e-bikes) around Redding is our hills,” Cooper says. “An average cyclist can hop on an e-bike and head out to go see Shasta Dam even though there’s a 12- to 14-percent grade heading out there,” Cooper says. “An e-bike makes it doable for everybody and all rider types.”

Redding is pretty hilly country, agrees Cody Smithson, owner of Redding’s Adventure Hub, and having a pedal-assist bike to take some of the difficulty out of a ride is often enough to motivate someone who’s not interested in riding a conventional bike.

As its name implies, an e-bike features a battery-powered electric motor, located either in the rear hub or in the central crankset, that helps propel the bike as it’s being pedaled. Some models feature a throttle that allows the motor to work without pedaling.

Cooper says Trek brand e-bikes have been on the market in Europe for about 25 years. The Bike Shop began carrying them 12 years ago. “About 10 years ago they started getting some traction and the last five years it has really picked up.” According to Statista, a global data company, e-bikes made up 1.3 percent of U.S. bike sales in 2020 but grew to 4.9 percent in 2024.

E-bikes “had to overcome the haters, but now everybody understands they’re a really good choice for people who wouldn’t ride otherwise,” says Hudson.

“Redding is in the game now” thanks to pedal-assist bikes, says Anne Thomas, executive director of Shasta Living Streets, a nonprofit organization working to reenergize downtown Redding by making it more walkable and bikeable.

Shasta Living Streets operates Redding Bikeshare, a network of pedal-assist bikes and docking kiosks that allow for low-cost hourly bike rentals. Redding Bikeshare dovetails with the existing grant-funded Downtown-to-Diestelhorst dedicated bike and pedestrian path and the in-progress extension on California Street that will complete a 5.1-mile loop through downtown and the Sacramento River Trail.

E-bikes also fit into Shasta Living Streets’ goal of reducing vehicle traffic and making streets more livable, says Thomas, who points to survey data indicating most car trips in Shasta County are less than five miles while the average length of a comfortable e-bike trip is nine miles. People who ride or walk tend to support local stores more and, in general, enjoy better health, she adds.

In addition to Redding Bikeshare, Pedego Redding, Adventure Hub and the Chain Gang offer e-bike rentals, which can be a good way to find out if an e-bike is for you.

Class 1 and 2 e-bikes (capable of speeds up to 20 mph with or without a throttle) can go anywhere a conventional bike can go, including the Sacramento River Trail, Pedego’s Hudson says. Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach speeds of 28 mph, are limited to roads only and must be ridden in a bike lane. Class 3 riders must be 16 years and older and are required to wear a helmet.

“We promote good rider behavior and general e-bike safety,” Cooper says. “We want to make sure they know what’s expected of them. The speed limit is clearly marked on the (Sacramento River Trail) is 10 mph, e-bike or not. Everybody should be taught what’s considered good rider behavior with a purchase.”•

Shasta Living Streets
www.shastalivingstreets.org

Redding Electric Utility offers an e-bike purchase voucher for income-qualified customers. For details, visit www.cityofredding.gov and search for “e-bike.”

The California E-Bike Incentive Project provides up to $2,000 toward the purchase of a new e-bike:: www.ebikeincentives.org