Currently all motorized vehicles are prohibited on the Saucon Rail Trail, but Steve Labrake, owner of Saucon Valley Bikes in Hellertown, made an appearance before council to ask for the approval to use Class 1 e-bikes on the trail.

He brought along an e-bike to show and explain the benefits of using one. An e-bike, otherwise known as an electric bike, is just like a standard bike with pedals except the rider has the ability to pedal easier with the assistance of an attached electric motor that runs off a rechargeable battery. According to Labrake, Class 1 e-bikes gives a rider assistance only when pedaling and it maxes out at 20 mph. Class 2 e-bikes are more of a road bike that maxes out at 28 mph and a class 3 bike is a throttle, not pedal assisted bike.

LaBrake said he believes in the near future e-bikes will become an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) vehicle. He referenced an 82-year-old with multiple sclerosis who uses an e-bike to get around. He said, “This allows the older generations and people with muscular dystrophy or something along that line to do this kind of stuff and not take a toll on their bodies.”

Mayor David Heitzelman is an e-bike owner and apologetically admitted he didn’t know it was not allowed on the rail trail. He explained he bought one “to keep up with my daughter…it does help the older person to keep up with the younger people.”

Labrake explained that there are a lot of people on the rail trail now that using them and many don’t know about the restriction either. According to Labrake, “We’re staying ahead of the curve by saying you know what, it’s going to be a thing, it’s going to be a bigger thing here in five years.” The Saucon Rail Trail Oversight Commission has already approved the Class 1 use, however it’s up to each municipality to change their ordinances to allow it.

Prior to the vote to start the process of an ordinance change, Heitzelman said, “I would strongly, strongly suggest that council considers this action as a positive.” Other members of council seemed enthusiastic about the change and the vote to start the process was unanimous.

Here is some more background information on the e-bike. With the advent of improved technology, changing demographics and trends, the e-bike is becoming more and more popular all around the world. Ironically, the technology sounds new, but the concept was actually invented by Frenchman Gustave Trouve in 1881. Fast forward to 2019 and the e-bike is the wave of the future.

Currently, many still do not know what an e-bike and its benefits are. The major benefit comes from a silent motor that gives the rider the ability to pedal easier, especially up hills and longer commutes. An important feature allows the rider to decide how much the motor assists with different settings or they can turn it off anytime if they want the bike to operate like a standard bike.

Depending on the level of pedal assistance, your weight, speed, terrain and so forth, some e-bikes can go up to 100 miles. Depending on what battery is used, an empty battery can take anywhere from 2-6 hours for a full charge. According to a 2018 bicycle industry analysis, e-bike sales increased 83 percent between May 2017 and May 2018. Currently, the average cost for an e-bike is in the $2,000-$3,000 range.