VBikeBlog

MOTHERLOAD, Internationally-Released Cargo Bike Film Features Brattleboro & VBike

9/17/2019

MOTHERLOAD - A Lesson in Making the Mundane Extraordinary
Friday, September 27th at 6:30 pm @ Retreat Farm in Brattleboro, Rt 30
Presented by VBike - info@vbikesolutions.org / 802-258-7013
Facebook event post - www.facebook.com/events/432646490682162/

VBike is excited to announce the Vermont premiere of MOTHERLOAD. Released in June 2019, MOTHERLOAD is an award-winning, crowd-sourced national documentary about a mom searching for freedom & connection in a fossil fueled, digital and divided world. She then discovers how cargo bikes are helping to reshape and reframe our communities and how we get around. The film is largely a story of how we can redeem ourselves by making the mundane extraordinary.

For most of her life, filmmaker Liz Canning almost exclusively used a bike for transportation - that is until she had twins in 2008. Hauling babies via car was not only unsustainable but took the freedom and adventure out of life, and Liz felt trapped. Frustrated, Canning went on the internet to search for “family bike” and uncovered a global movement of people replacing cars with cargo bikes designed for carrying children, groceries and virtually anything a household needs to move around. She also found out about how that electric-assist bike technology - coupled with the new, innovative cargo bike designs - is a game changer in places like Vermont with hilly terrain. Cargo bikes and e-cargo bikes started showing up everywhere, like they are in Brattleboro. Canning then set out to learn more and MOTHERLOAD was born.

Dave Cohen of VBike providing a free bike consultation in a scene from MOTHERLOAD

Early on in the project Canning ran into people like Emily Finch, a mother of six who transports all her children on a cargo bike and became a sort of celebrity featured on syndicated talk shows and news media. Emily’s moment in the media spotlight helped to spread awareness about the utility of these bicycles. Canning not only found an emerging and growing community across the country of inspired families and households, but that they were making sustainability look really fun and joyous with their cargo bikes! MOTHERLOAD asks why this is so and what it can teach us about mainstream culture.

Scene with Dave Cohen riding through downtown Brattleboro.

An exciting moment in MOTHERLOAD for Vermont and Brattleboro highlights the work VBike, a Brattleboro-based nonprofit advocacy organization. One scene features colorful footage of downtown Brattleboro and captures VBike founder Dave Cohen providing a free bicycle consultation with a local family. The documentary then follows Cohen delivering an exploration of the sensory, emotional and social isolation that occurs within the automobile and the culture perpetuated by car and fossil fuel corporations. This sets the stage for Canning to expand on this theme and explore the fragmentation of our experience in a hyper-motorized and frenetically technologized society and what we can do about it.

MOTHERLOAD powerfully conveys a sense of urgency to reconsider our mobility options and the possibilities to be envisioned beyond our current paradigm that can bring engaged and active hope in an age of climate change and immense ecological disruption. The film also investigates the history of women's rights and how that issue is inextricably tied to the history of the bicycle as a form of independence and agency in the world.

Just prior to this debut showcasing of MOTHERLOAD, local residents will be joining in a Critical Mass bike ride starting from the Brattleboro Common at 5:30 and ending at the Retreat Farm for the film screening. This film premiere will also feature a stunning photography exhibit from the work of Marco Yunga Tacuri who has been chronicling the growing climate and bike activist movement in Brattleboro.

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Green Mountain Power Boosts E-Bike Rebates for Global Week of Climate Strikes & Actions

9/13/2019

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Janice Malin, shown her with her Gazelle bike, she was one of the first to act on the GMP e-bike rebate program. She is very pleased!!

Many of you might be aware that Green Mountain Power (GMP) recently launched what is likely the most extensive e-bike rebate program to date in the US. However, the utility just announced that during the week of global climate strikes and action from September 20 and continuing through to September 27th that they plan to boost many of their rebate programs designed to replace fossil fuels with electric power to reduce carbon emissions in the state. That's so cool!!

And so, we just learned that the e-bike rebates will see a bit of a boost from $200 to $250 for the climate action week. And while that rebate amount might sound very modest it has had a really awesome impact on e-bike sales throughout GMP's service area. In the Brattleboro area alone there's dozens of residents who have taken advantage of the original rebates, including folks like Brattleboro Town Manager Peter Ellwell and State Legislator Mollie Burke. These local residents are riding more often, further and just adding in way more overall biking for their everyday transportation. The rebates have been used for purchasing new e-bikes, used e-bikes and conversion kits installations.

Gino Palmeri was one of the earliest to have his bike converted with a Bafang mid-drive under the GMP rebates.

GMP states that "these programs, encouraged by the state’s leaders and legislation, and reviewed by regulators, help increase affordability and predictability for Vermonters while helping meet state decarbonization goals. When customers choose to go electric it helps cut carbon emissions because GMP’s power supply is 60% renewable and 90% carbon free. The switch also directly helps to cut costs for all GMP customers." When a utility starts talking like that you know that the times are changing! And it's not only the utility in this case, but also our state's leaders and legislators! It's good to live in Vermont.

Here's climate activist Martha Ramsey with her Gazelle e-bike that she purchased with the GMP rebates.

What is totally cool is that the Green Mountain Power rebate program gives a significant boost of bike mobility for its 265,00 customers and that represents a whopping 75% of Vermont's population! So, if you are interested and inspired, stop into participating Vermont bike shops and receive a rebate off an electric bike, electric cargo bike or an installed electric-assist conversion kit on a new or used bike. And do it between Sept 20 - 27 and also take advantage of the extra GMP rebate boost.

And just so you know, this rebate became possible when Vermont adopted a new and innovative "renewable energy standard" in 2015 that included a provision incentivizing Vermont's utilities to replace fossil fuels with electric power. Arguably nothing can do that better than an e-bike.

Hey (or hay), we had to post the pic of MD Baker's wonderful converted Yuba Mundo cargo bike. She just sent this to us. We are hearing about lots of folks going for e-cargo bikes or converting their cargo bike under the GMP rebate program. If you have done this, please send pictures!!

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Trailblazing Electric Bike Rebates from Vermont Utility in Response to Climate Change

5/18/2019

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Electric bikes and electric cargo bikes as serious modes of transportation are getting a huge boost in Vermont. So are the state's bike shops and nearly half of Vermont’s residents.

E-cargo bike riders in Brattleboro on a Critical Mass bike ride.

Green Mountain Power (GMP), Vermont’s largest utility, just launched a unique rebate program aimed at improving bike mobility for its 265,00 customers - that represents a whopping 75% of Vermont's population.! At participating Vermont bike shops, GMP customers can receive a $200 rebate off an electric bike, electric cargo bike or an installed electric-assist conversion kit on a new or used bike. This rebate became possible when Vermont adopted a new and innovative "renewable energy standard" in 2015 that included a provision incentivizing Vermont's utilities to replace fossil fuels with electric power. Arguably nothing can do that better than an e-bike.

To step-up the potential success of the rebate program, GMP teamed up with VBike, the state's e-bike advocacy organization, to help connect its customers with VBike's unique bike consultation program. This service is absolutely free for Vermonters via funding through the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and Go Vermont, the state’s alternative transportation agency. VBike's consultation service provides advice around the specific needs of each client based on their budget, riding experience, terrain and distance typically ridden, cargo hauling requirements and much more. It's the only program of its kind in the United States.

This scary looking image actually details the concentration of e-bikes in Vermont from a study done in 2018. The lower right red area is Brattleboro and the upper left red is Burlington.

Vermont’s hilly terrain and frequent lack of infrastructure have historically presented significant challenges to anyone looking to ride for everyday commuting or errands. These factors are particularly notable for families and households wanting to join in on the rising popularity of cargo bikes. Dave Cohen, director of VBike stated that “e-assist solves so many of these issues by enabling a bike rider to go further, climb our hills with ease, feel and be safer, be more comfortable and, as studies have shown, just ride more for transportation. And with an electric cargo bikes you can carry the children and groceries wherever you want to go. It’s pretty amazing. For many in Vermont this is an absolute ‘game changer’ and a great way authentically respond to climate change.”

Now electric-assist bike technology is emerging as a mobility revolution in Vermont. Currently, Burlington (in the northwest part of the Vermont) and Brattleboro (in the southeast) are the Vermont hotbeds for electric-assist bikes and e-cargo bikes. However, since Brattleboro is in Green Mountain Power’s service area, this rebate program will significantly boost the numbers already pioneering e-bike mobility in this bustling town. Abby Mnookin, a e-cargo bike riding mom of two and leader with 350 Vermont, stated that “the GMP rebate program is just the sort of thing we need to help people move away from such car dependent lives. Everyday in Brattleboro I’m seeing more and more people on bikes and the cargo bike families are flourishing. We need to make this more affordable and the rebates certainly will help.” Other areas such as Rutland, Bennington, Middlebury and Montpelier will also benefit greatly.

Brattleboro's Abby Mnookin on her e-assist Bike Friday Haul-a-Day with her two daughters.

It has been estimated that an e-bike is at least 40 times more energy efficient than the average gas power car and nearly 10 times more efficient than an electric car. As far as carbon pollution, nothing really compares to the ultra-light carbon footprint of the hybrid combination of human and electric power that drives an e-bike. At a time when we are waking up to a planet in crisis, these are important numbers to consider. Also, bicycles, in general, offer a far more socially and community friendly profile than any type of automobile and riding promotes physical and mental health as well as offering the benefits of time outdoors.

E-bikes require only a fragment of the energy needs of electric cars and therefore place only a minimal demand on the electrical grid. This, along with the energy profile of GMP, permits the rebate program to take full advantage of both the superb efficiency of the e-bike and the clean energy from the utility. “Our energy supply is 90% clean carbon free and 60% renewable energy” said Josh Castonguay, a GMP Vice President who leads innovation and power supply. “Together with customers we are creating a cleaner, more cost-effective and resilient energy future. GMP has committed to being 100% clean carbon free energy by 2025 and 100% renewable by 2030.”

Dave Cohen of VBike (photo credit Marco Yunga)

The partnership between GMP and VBike provides a unique opportunity for Vermont to position itself as a leader in adopting new bike design and technology innovations and to vastly improve the quality of life in its cities and towns. For its part, besides providing its free bike consultations, VBike has been assisting Vermont bike shops with various aspects of the emergence of the e-bike. In addition, in 2015, VBike helped establish Vermont's first low-interest loan program for electric bikes through the Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU). And in 2018, Local Motion in Burlington and VBike helped to initiate Vermont's first e-bike rebate program with the Burlington Electric Department for its some 20,000 customers. Furthermore, look for VBike's work to be featured in Motherload, a thrilling documentary about the cargo bike revolution in the US.

Dave Cohen said that “we’re looking at a multitude of other possibilities like subsidies and other incentives to lower the cost of an e-bike purchase., especially regarding the e-cargo bikes for families. One dream is to have a special low-income family subsidy that would make this so affordable that barely anyone would refuse. We think that the e-bike and e-cargo bike are the real future for a community healthy and ecologically viable Vermont.”

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Bicycle Petting Zoo at Rise for Climate 2018 Rally Inspires and Wows the Crowd

9/11/2018

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Laura's red Madsen and other Zoo specimens (photo by Marco Yunga)

What happens when Brattleboro area activist bike riders come to show off the amazing bike revolution emerging in town? It's a zoo. Well, a Bike Petting Zoo.

Many of you have seen the stunning pictures from the Rise for Climate ride (see iconic pic below) that we had on Saturday, September 8th for an international day of action around climate change and organized worldwide by 350.org. In their perfect wisdom, Brattleboro's 350 node group decided to mark this day with a Critical Mass type bike ride, along with a march and a well-organized and all-around positive rally at the Brattleboro Common. Our ride had over 100 cyclists, including all sorts of electric cargo bikes, ebikes and bikes of all types. And at least 20 kids joined in the great fun and important message we're propelling! There was some 250 in total at the rally.

Photo by Eesha Williams at valleypost.org

But what we'd like to tell you about here is VBike's Bicycle Petting Zoo at the Rise for Climate rally. It was a mind-blowing collection of bikes showcased by their owners. There were were cargo bikes from Madsen, Yuba, Xtracycle, Bike Friday, Juiced Bikes, and Larry vs. Harry. And then there was a bunch of bikes that were converted into e-bikes at Brattleboro's local shops and quite a number of purpose built ebikes. Things were topped off by the VBike fleet of cargo bikes, including our new Argo super cargo bike attachment.

Check out some of what we had at the Bike Petting Zoo. We will certainly do this again! Folks got a good taste of this emerging bike revolution in Vermont and how that connects with issues of climate change and making our communities just so much better. And thanks to 350 Brattleboro for organizing this wonderful day of action.

Roll over the below pics to see a brief description -

Milling about in the Zoo

Eddy & the Argo cargo bike

Ward's stunning Bullitt

Dave on VBike's Mundo

The RadMini

Abby's Haul-a-Day

VBike's Super Yuba Boda Boda

Playing with the Argo

Cynthia's Yuba Boda Boda

Dog's love to ride, too.

E-cargo bike fleet heading to the rally

Arriving to the rally...

And check out how the day went on our Facebook posts and these articles in the Commons and Reformer.
Wait to you see what comes next!

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VBike Riders Show What it's Like to Reboot the Bike in Vermont

6/5/2018

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Wendy Levy leading the pack on Flat St. This is what rush hour in Brattleboro will look like in 5 years!

A great crew of VBike supporters gathered to ride in the Strolling of the Heifer parade on Saturday, June 2nd. We totally showed solid bike diversity - electric longtail and midtail cargo bikes, a solar-electric cargo bike, e-bikes, converted e-bikes, an e-bakfiets (made by Fhar Miess), folding bikes, bike trailers (one carrying hay), a chicken biker (see below), a bunch of great kids on bikes with their parents and more.

That's Dave Cohen on VBike's extraordinary electric Yuba Mundo with a powerful e-assist. This bike can go anywhere at any time with its 1000 lumen front light. Behind is Fhar Miess' unique and handmade (by him) electric bakfiets.

You can't imagine how many folks still talk about the time we showed up at the Stroll in 2014 with a bunch of great bikes. After Saturday's showing we've already received numerous emails and phone calls from Brattleboro residents wanting to shift up to the bike and get a free bike consultation from us. It's all about car-reduction therapy!

Nothing like an e-cargo bike with a potent message! Actually, riding a great e-cargo bike like this is irresistible.

Uber kid activist, Lucy Mnookin, decorating the family electric cargo bike. Kids these days...

Quite a number of the Brattleboro area cargo and e-bike people had other competing commitments in the parade (marching with their kids' schools or some other org) and numerous bike inspired folks were out of town, but our showing was more than enough to get folks excited and thinking. We could have added at least another 15 or so e-cargo bikes and 50 some odd e-bikes (that would have violated the parade rules), but just take a look at these photos to get a sense of the fun and excitement we generated.

Sabrina Daigh Smith and Alaya on a VBike Yuba Boda Boda. Fahr Miess' e-bakfiets cargo bike is in the background.

As the number of bikes of all kinds rises in Brattleboro there will be ample opportunity to provide the community with rides like this to showcase the bicycle as a viable form of mobility. On Sept 8th VBike and 350 Brattleboro are planning a major day of action around transportation. It will be a great opportunity to do this again with an even larger crowd of riders. But now for more pics from Saturday...

The crowd taking in Rachel and Cody riding on a Bike Friday Haul-a-Day with e-assist

More of Rachel, Cody and part of the VBike gang.

Katie and Jubilee riding their e-cargo bike while Rolf "The Bike Chicken" with a Hilltopper e-assist kit eggs her on.

So, what do you say? Would you like to see more of this in Vermont? How do you think we can make that happen? But before you answer, here's some more pics...

Sheila on her e-Mundo & Eddie on an e-Madsen look on.

Wendy Levy's nicely converted e-bike. She's proud!

Karl Kemnitzer's amazing solar-electric cargo bike. The dude climbed Mt Washington on this yellow dream.

This trailer was attached to VBike's electric Yuba Mundo with a 1000 watt mid-drive e-assist. That's our banner.

That's the wrap up. We'd love to hear from you and for you to join this emerging mobility revolution that touches upon so many of the things we all want to see in the world. You know this is the future (the good one). And most of you already know our rap, so let's hear yours and stay tuned!!

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The Rolling of the Bikes Returns to Brattleboro

4/17/2018

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It was June 2014, at least a year before the realization and birth of VBike, a group of us organized a great showing bikes for the Strolling of the Heifers Parade...

Four years later folks are still asking about that mass of cyclists, remembering what fun it was to see such a large and diverse contingent of bikes, cargo bikes, e-bikes and other human-powered vehicles. We've been approached a number of times about when we might show once more. It definitely was an absolute blast and so the time has come for us to do this again! Come join us for the parade on Saturday, June 2nd at 8:30 (details on the staging area will be available later).

Check out below an amazing slideshow from 2014

The big difference is that we now have so many more families, households and individuals taking to the streets and bringing this human-scale type of mobility to our community. There are at least 120 residents in the Brattleboro area that have some sort of e-bike, including some 23 electric cargo bikes. VBike wants to grow this even faster and the Heifer parade is an excellent way to show the community what is happening.

This is also a great way for us to connect as a growing community of folks that are the pioneers in what is emerging as a revolutionary mobility movement. Whether it is for the exercise, concerns around climate change, resisting being colonized by the power matrix of car or fossil fuel corporations, wanting to make our communities more livable, your sanity or some, all or other reasons, this is a an absolutely superb gathering to come join.

Let us know at info@vbikesolutions.org if you are planning to join us. The parade is on Saturday, June 2nd & we'll meet at around 9 am. The parade starts at 10 am. The theme this year is May the Farms Be With You, so if you can dress the part, whatever that might mean, go for it!

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April 15th, 2018

4/15/2018

E-Cargo Bike Mom Talks Vermont Car-Free Joy

4/13/2018

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Listen to Brattleboro's Laura Goldblatt talking about her Madsen cargo bike outfitted with a 1000 watt Bafang BBSHD mid-drive motor. She covers everything about her bike, the experience of riding, lights, vestibular stimulation (wow!) and how drivers respond to her.

VBike helped Laura's family find the right cargo bike for their needs and consulted with them on outfitting it with an e-assist kit would work well with the Madsen. It was a blast working with them and now it's just pure joy watching them out is the real world. You know, the world we actually live in!

Check this out...

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A Tree-Based E-Cargo Bike Grows in Putney

4/6/2018

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Last month, VBike received an email from a guy announcing that he was in the process of designing and building a cargo bike made out of local wood. We just have to say that most folks that tell us something like this our reaction is a sort of "wait and see." We try not to pass judgement, but we’ve heard plenty of things that just haven’t come to fruition, or even remotely close. How about an electric bike that can haul 500 lbs and made out of discarded pistachio shells. Seriously folks.

However this is different - this is Ward Ogden. Ward is a master woodworker and carpenter and has put his enthusiasm and mind to the idea of wood and bicycles. To date he has to his credit a badass gravel grinding bike he made out of, yes, wood. Just check this out. This bike rocks, if that could be said of a bike frame mostly made from tree-based material.

The thing we especially like about Ward is that he has a nicely balanced and refreshing vision of bikes. He believes that bicycles can not only be great fun, but that they can also be profoundly useful, serious, yet joyful transportation. And so it's time for us to move beyond the bike as only recreational and start looking at replacing as many car trips as possible. Being in the world, engaging our bodies and connecting with the terrain is so much more "Vermont" than confining ourselves as well as our experience of our great state and our blessed communities inside an automobile. That’s the message that VBike has been working to bring to Vermont in introducing new bike designs and technologies to our state. We're changing the landscape of the bike!

So, Ward is now not only designing a cargo bike with a frame mostly composed of wood, but he is going to electrify it. Where he lives in Putney there's a bit of climbing to do to get home from jobs or errands downtown, so Dave Cohen at VBike had the pleasure to sit down with him to discuss e-assist options for the bike. We have to tell you, Ward is on fire about the whole process of designing and making this, but he is not just thinking about this one prototype. He is eyeing the idea that he may even develop this into a small business. With the fast growing popularity of electric cargo bikes on the market, Ward believes he might find a niche here. This is the sort of thing that we at VBike love to see grow in Vermont.

However, from here on we'll leave it to Ward to describe some pics he sent to us. Some of what follows is a bit technical, but we thought you might like to hear from him in his own words.

We can’t wait to see how this will turn out!

Evidently, Winter isn't over because this weekend I started designing a wood e-assist cargo bike for Maria and I. The idea is to do more of our errands fossil fuel free, and since our PV panels generate WAY more power than we use, an electric Bakfiet style cargo bike looks like the ticket. We have 3 miles of climbing getting back to our house, with an average grade of 5.5%, and the last half mile being closer to 8%, so e-assist will be necessary. The frame will (may?) be constructed out of four main bent wood structures, plus seat and chain stays. For a motor drive, a Bafang BBSHD looks like the affordable option, and I'll need to build the 52v, 20ah battery myself from individual 3500 mah cells. Of course as I learn more, this may all change!

After spending a week away riding in NC, I am back to chipping away at the cargo bike. This morning I pulled out the rear module from the forms and put the second rear half in. Here you can see the mocked up top half. There will be an equally thick component that will run continuously underneath these pieces. The resultant "beam" will be 3x3 inches, which will be rounded over and routed out. The wood is ash, cherry and walnut and is courtesy of Mark Tarmy at Vermont Plank Flooring (www.vtpf.com)

In other news, I have decided on the electric drive unit, Bafang BBSHD mid-drive that has pedal assist. It will require a bit of fussing in the BB area, since there are clearance issues, but it shouldn't be too hard to adapt and offers all the power and features I am looking for.

This morning I pulled half of the bakfiet frame out of the form with all three main components epoxied together. I have had concerns about how vertically rigid the frame would be, so wanted to conduct a VERY rudimentary static test. I placed the frame on two 44mm tall blocks, clamped one end to keep it from tipping over and then proceeded to place 320 pounds of tractor suitcase weights on it. I was stoked to see that there was virtually zero deflection. I am sure that a micrometer would have picked up plenty, but for my purposes, the number is zero. The moment arms at both ends will be greater once the chain and seat stays, along with the forks come into play, but this gives me confidence it will be strong enough. The beam will be 3x3 inches, routed out and rounded over once done. At this point, there is no carbon fiber reinforcement, but I will likely add some to the bottom bracket area later on.

VBike will be keeping tabs on this project and we'll be back with more as Ward's amazing project develops!

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Vermont Electric Bike Report & Why VBike is So Worked Up!

3/18/2018

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After a bit of waiting and some suspense, the Vermont Electric Bike Report is here. Generated by a nicely crafted online survey that VBike helped with and disseminated in 2017, this report is an exciting snapshot of what we at VBike consider to be an early stage of an e-bike revolution in Vermont. The findings are impressive and we firmly believe that as this phenomenon develops, bringing a fun, socially connected and ecologically sane form of mobility to our state, that it will have a profound impact on how we look at our communities and the infrastructure we build. It's already happening and so we're sticking the plan!!

While the VT E-Bike Report is really important, we hope you'll bare with us here for a bit as we place our work and the report in greater context... You probably already know (namely because we've mentioned this a few times before) that VBike is so much more than about "bikes." Our big question continues to revolve around how we can live and move around on this beautiful, yet radically endangered planet and be far more in tune and aligned with the places and locales we inhabit. And so our work has a lot less to do with paying allegiance to any particular technology, but more towards solutions that can generally help us to be more connected to the world as well as to our own selves.

VBike promotes electric bikes, electric cargo bikes and other hybrid human/electric powered vehicles (and walking and biking in general) not because we are a "bike organization", but because we are an organization that is deeply concerned about how the unbridled and indiscriminate application of the automobile is eroding the world. We certainly believe that the automobile has its place and in no way are we saying that it has to go. That would be foolish (especially in Vermont), but we do completely challenge the unchecked and eccentric use of it and how it is applied. Furthermore, we take a firm stance on how absurdly normal it has become to undermine of our communities, landscapes, soundscapes, biosphere and all the species with whom we share this planet. We also shed our light on how "automobilism" is driving us to disengage from our own bodies, senses and emotional attachment to the human and more-than-human world.

And now, with the coming invasion of the "self-driving carbots", we feel that it is imperative that there is an organization that can demonstrate ways we can transport and organize ourselves on this terrain we inhabit that makes sense and that has a vision of what a human-scale community looks like. We're completely cognizant that we are up against a profoundly deep colonization and ideological trance perpetuated on us by car companies and fossil fuel execs and now purveyors of artificial intelligence and so many others. They feed off of us.

Look around you and witness it nearly everywhere on our land, in the air, when you step out the door, what you hear. Notice it in the media and advertising, what our infrastructure tells (our perhaps screams at) us what to do and how it's shaping us all physically and mentally. These corporate and technological entities are tirelessly at work enlisting us to violate our own world and communities, while we desecrate our atmosphere and throw our climate into chaos. And all this while we abandon our bodies, deny much of our relationship to the Earth, and cloud our potential for a deeper inner and outer sense of who we actually are. What's the endgame?

We are sold the promise of great freedom, comfort, speed and all that jazz at a profoundly horrendous cost for us & our children. Chances are that most of us know that at some level. Perhaps that awareness sits at the far end of the threshold of our own minds, bodies and understandings. And that's precisely how colonization works - it exiles our imagination and our potential to reclaim our dignity. Colonization sucks the life meaning out of the world and out of us.

So, now that we got that straight, you know that VBike's work centers on helping Vermonters to authentically show up, reengage our bodies, celebrate our interdependence and dignity and start moving towards creating human-scale communities and local living. The more of this the better!! But perhaps you already knew that, so now let's talk more about the report...

See the full Vermont E-Bike Report by clicking here.

One of the coolest things the Vermont E-Bike Report points to the fast growth of electric bikes in Vermont. First, if you look at the image to the right you should notice the large red splotch on the lower part of the Vermont map. That's not actually the decommissioned VT Yankee leaking, but a representation and indicator of the high number of folks riding e-bikes and e-cargo bikes in the Brattleboro area, right where VBike has been most active. You'll notice Brattleboro rivals that "big city" to the north. VBike has also done many consultations with Burlington area residents and we're about to do a lot more as the innovative e-bike subsidy program and E-Bike Lending Library gets officially rolled out in May. More on that real soon...

Crack open the report and you'll see for yourself that folks are predominantly using their bikes for commuting and errands. That means a lot of automobile miles being displaced by bikes which also translates into people using their bodies and actually functioning in the real social and ecological world. And among other things of interest in the report, it's great to see e-cargo bikes getting named and understood for what they can do for families and households.

For those of you interested in how the project got started, here's the story...Back in late 2016 VBike was contacted by Nicole Carpenter of the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation about the idea of conducting an electric bike survey in Vermont. We thought it was a great idea and encouraged them to move on it. VBike provided assistance with the development of the survey and then reached out to our greater community in the state to as many folks as possible to participate.

Towards the middle of last year Nicole got a great gig to go off to South America and left the project in the hands of Tom McCarrran. We think that Tom did a great job and he has made a point that we should all recognize that this project would not have been possible without the generous support of Efficiency Vermont and Burlington Electric Department. Thanks y'all.

Tell us what you think about the Report and anything else you read here. Let's get thinking & feeling, doing, decolonizing our bodies and common sense and get more connected to this great world and state we share together.

Now that's so much better.

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<<Previous

MOTHERLOAD, Internationally-Released Cargo Bike Film Features Brattleboro & VBike

Green Mountain Power Boosts E-Bike Rebates for Global Week of Climate Strikes & Actions

Trailblazing Electric Bike Rebates from Vermont Utility in Response to Climate Change

Bicycle Petting Zoo at Rise for Climate 2018 Rally Inspires and Wows the Crowd

VBike Riders Show What it's Like to Reboot the Bike in Vermont

The Rolling of the Bikes Returns to Brattleboro

April 15th, 2018

E-Cargo Bike Mom Talks Vermont Car-Free Joy

A Tree-Based E-Cargo Bike Grows in Putney

Vermont Electric Bike Report & Why VBike is So Worked Up!

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