It’s that time of the year again when the sun peeks through the clouds and the days warm up for the perfect bike ride. Cruising around town is a joy – stopping by the farmers market, visiting friends, or just gliding along the bike trail with the cool air blowing. Ashland Electric Bikes is fully stocked and ready to help you find the best bike to meet all your cycling needs. In today’s interview I speak with local bike shop owner and electric bike enthusiast Samantha Smith.
Hi Samantha, thanks so much and welcome back to LocalsGuide for your annual interview.
Thanks Shields. I’m happy to be here, and looking forward to talking about our wide selection of bikes and what’s new at the shop.
Samantha, the weather is getting near perfect for riding, and I see more and more electric bikes as I look around town.
Yes, as more people see the fun their neighbors and friends are having on electric bikes, they want to be part of that, so electric bikes are definitely growing in popularity.
Samantha, when a customer is looking for a new electric bike, what are some questions they should be asking themselves?
The biggest question is how do they intend to use the bike? Is this going to be your school or work commuter? Will it be used for weekend trips to ride trails around the local lakes/mountains? Do you plan on getting your small children around on this bike? Will your bike need to hold your fishing gear to get you to your favorite fishing hole, ten miles away from the nearest trail?
After you have figured out how you want to use the e-bike, the best thing to do is come into a local shop and talk to folks there about your needs and then go for a test ride. New customers are often surprised by what an e-bike feels like, and no amount of internet research can tell you how they’re going to feel. You just have to get on one.
You guys have a great selection of inventory on hand at Ashland Electric Bikes. Please tell us about it.
Yes, we have the widest selection in the valley. From the different styles of bikes (cruisers, cargo, mountain, road, fat tire, and fold-up bikes) to the different types of drive systems (hub motors vs mid-drive motors, and bikes with and without throttles). We also carry trikes and recently became a Catrike dealer for folks who want a local electric recumbent shop.
Samantha, you get to help your customers all the time. Please tell us more about your favorite parts of the job.
As a sustainability enthusiast, I love when I help someone find the right bike so they can switch from commuting by car to commuting by bike. I know it’s going to save them money, improve their health and help us all towards our sustainability goals for our children and our planet.
My other favorite thing is helping someone overcome health issues. It definitely pulls at my heartstrings the most, and therefore brings great satisfaction. I have customers who have overcome cancer or strokes. I have customers who have only one leg, who struggle to find good ways to exercise. Some of these people have found themselves in a dark place after these set-backs. Their electric bikes have given them the means to start getting healthy and lose weight after their illness or to get back to an activity they loved and enjoyed, but no longer have the energy to do on an analog bike.
You are joined at the store by your very special dog, Andre. How is he doing?
Andre is definitely special, and he is doing great, but he is spending less time at the shop these days. I recently moved in with my partner in Phoenix, so it’s harder to just drop him off at home, when I have a long day in Ashland. It was much easier to do when my commute was just across town. Not to worry, though, he still goes on rides with me in his trailer.
Electric bikes offer a great way to meet fitness goals. Please say more about this.
Well the studies show that people who ride electric bikes on average burn more calories than those that ride regular bikes, because they ride their bikes more. Many people give up riding analog bikes because they live on the top of a steep hill and it can be demoralizing to get off and walk up the hill. Electric bikes allow them to stay seated and still climb those hills.
Personally I find I’m always putting my workout routines on the back burner because my life is so busy. Riding my e-bike is the one thing that tends to stay because I’ve got to get to and from work either way, and I find my mood is much better when I go by bike. It’s also a really good way to wind down before I get home.
Your customers are continually giving feedback to you about all the great cycling adventures they go on. What have been some recent stories you have enjoyed hearing?
My favorite story is from a two-time cancer survivor named Glen. With his depleted energy levels and setbacks from cancer he thought he’d never ride again. So the first time he came back to my shop after purchasing his e-bike, it was great hearing about his epic 185-mile ride down in the Etna/Fort Jones area. 185 miles is no easy feat even on an e-bike, and it sounds like there was a lot of elevation gain, beautiful views, and amazing comradery with the folks he rode with.
Let’s talk about price points and how you get what you pay for. What can we expect to pay for a quality electric bike?
That varies greatly. You might be able to get a quality commuter bike in the $2000-$3000 range, but a quality mountain or cargo bike is going to cost you significantly more, often north of $5000. I understand that a good quality bike is off limits for many people’s budgets, but people need to understand that they’re taking risks if they buy a cheap bike online. We have our thoughts on which brands are better than others and are happy to share that information with folks. In my opinion, if you buy something new for less than a thousand dollars, you’re putting you and your family at huge risk. Ancheer is a bike company that sells at this low price point and they recently had to recall 22,000 batteries because they were setting people’s homes on fire. These cheaper products aren’t going through the same certifications and testing as the higher-priced quality bikes. It’s one of the ways they keep their costs low.
Samantha, piggybacking off that last question, what else could go wrong with an internet bike?
That’s a long list, but other than what we just talked about I’d say these are the top ones.
First and the main one, if you buy a bike off the internet it greatly increases your risk that a bike shop won’t work on it. Electric bikes are complicated and if a bike shop doesn’t have the training and or skills to understand the system, they’re not going to work on the electrical components. Some won’t even work on the tires and chains. So you need to be prepared to do all this work yourself, including the electrical. People often find this out the hard way after they have already purchased the bike and have an issue they can’t fix.
Secondly, you may not be buying an electric bike that meets the state and federal laws for what qualifies as an electric bike. Electric bikes have strict limits on them, like cannot exceed 28mph, and max motor wattages. We are seeing more enforcement of laws across the nation, including bikes being impounded. Again many people don’t know better, and find out the hard way. Unfortunately the internet will sell you anything, and call it an electric bike. If you’re not sure you can always call your local bike shop and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
Third, I would say proper fit and meeting expectations. There is so much technology to electric bikes that how they operate varies widely. Just because your friend likes a certain bike doesn’t mean that you will. Just because you have read all of the specs and watched all the videos on YouTube doesn’t mean that you’ll actually know how the bike rides and feels. I recently had a woman in who bought a Lectric brand bike, at her friend’s recommendation, come into my store. She doesn’t like it. She’s already looking at a different bike, and that’s an expensive way to learn you don’t like something.
Fourth, is poor customer service and quality. A lot of cheap internet bikes don’t have name-brand components on things like brakes and motors. This is partly why most bike shops won’t service them. When we don’t know what the parts are it’s hard for us to find replacement parts. Even if they are name brand, these cheaper bikes often have cheaper mechanical brakes instead of hydraulic brakes. I don’t think there is a bike shop in town that will tell you they think it’s a good idea to ride a seventy-plus pound bike on our hills with mechanical brakes. On the customer service side, there are so many examples of bad service. Here’s just one: I had a gentleman bring me his bike back in April of 2022. He had only ridden it a couple of times, and already needed a new shifter and wheel. These were proprietary and had to be ordered through that company. He paid for and ordered the parts and they finally arrived just before Christmas. This is a common issue for a number of internet bikes. I’ve had Rad customers wait 5 -7 months for their proprietary tires. This is often how the internet companies make their money.
Samantha, what sets you and your team apart from the other local shops in the area?
First, we are electric bike focused. Most of the local bike shops were bike shops first, and have adapted to electric bikes for the brands they carry. Here I have a couple of guys with very extensive electrical backgrounds, including an electrical engineer. It’s not always possible, but sometimes we are able to save people tens or hundreds of dollars by being able to fix a component on their bike vs having to swap the whole thing out. It’s also why we’re able to work on more bike brands than most.
Secondly, of the six shops in Ashland, we’re the only shop that sells hub motor bikes with throttles. I understand why a lot of the other bike dealers only go with mid-drive motors, and honestly I prefer them myself. However, that doesn’t mean that they’re right for everybody, and having options to meet the customer’s needs, and not just selling the bike brands I want to sell is important.
Third, as far as I’m aware, I’m the only non-traditional cyclist owner of all the shops in Ashland. This means I don’t approach new customers with a “this is the way you must do it in cycling mentality,” which can be intimidating for newbies. Before I met Jerry, the previous owner, I hadn’t been on a bike in years. I literally hopped on my analog bike and rode it around in the driveway to make sure I wouldn’t fall over and look like an idiot when I went for a ride with him. So I can relate to that person starting out who has never ridden an electric bike and hasn’t been on a bike in years.
Lastly, I’m the only local female-owned shop. While I’m hoping that changes in the future, we are still a very male-dominated industry, and for a subset of the population they feel more comfortable being able to talk with a woman.
What have been some of your favorite local rides that you have done recently?
My favorite rides are less about the ride and more about the company I’m with. My team loves to ride from the shop down to Clyde’s Corner. My partner and I like to get up for Sunday morning rides to our favorite breakfast spots. We also like Sweet Beet Station in Talent when we want easy outdoor seating for Andre. My favorite this year was probably our ride to Blue Royal on New Year’s Day. I find we bond more on our bikes, versus zoning out in the car.
What bikes are you most excited about this season?
I wrote about the NBD last month and honestly that’s the one I’m most excited about, because I think it’s going to meet the needs of a lot of people who couldn’t find the right electric bike before. I already mentioned becoming a Catrike dealer, so now recumbent riders will have a local shop. In general I’m always very excited about Tern bikes for all their various uses. This year I’m also stoked about the Bulls brands of bikes with the new Bosch smart systems and what people will be able to do with that.
Moving forward into the future of electric bikes here in Ashland, how would you like to see our town transform?
I’d love to see our town become more like those iconic biking towns in the Netherlands, with conscious design around safety for all types of travelers. I would love to see cyclists come to Ashland not only for our mountain biking trails but also to explore the many wonderful shops and restaurants we have on two wheels, because our bike infrastructure makes them feel safe.
I’m looking forward to the day when deliveries are being made by bikes. I hope to see young entrepreneurs start up their own cleaning services, lawn care, and other businesses because electric bikes allow them to transport tools and other equipment at a fraction of the cost that a regular vehicle would. I recently had a young lady in my shop who is looking at a cargo bike so she can provide coffee and breakfast at music festivals and other venues where getting around in a car would be too hard. The possibilities are really endless.
Thanks so much for your time and for being a pioneer of this awesome technology here in Southern Oregon.
Thanks Shields. I don’t really feel like a pioneer. I think the previous owner, Jerry, justly deserves that title. I’m just really fortunate that I get to carry that torch and share the wonders of electric bikes with our community, and hope I get that privilege for years to come.
?
