SAN DIEGO — Between the pandemic and current gas prices, electric bikes are bursting onto the scene and one local company is getting in the mix. FLX Bike is a San Diego based business helping folks get around in a whole new way.
In 2020, FLX Bike, located on Morena Blvd in San Diego, made a splash in the bicycle industry with an astonishing $13.3M crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, helping their operation get off the ground and launching its Babymaker electric bike into the world market. A few years later on 2/22/22 at 2:22 FLX released the Babymaker II.
While electric bikes have been on the market for some time now, the mission of FLX Bike since the beginning has been to make an affordable, reliable and American made option to an industry typically known for breaking the consumer's wallet.
There's no denying the spread of e-bikes. According to The New York Times, the electric bike industry saw a 145% boom from 2019 to 2020, with an estimated half a million people purchasing the new age ride.
FLX Bike's Founder and President, Rob Rast is not surprised by the influx of e-bike riders. "Now that more and more people try it, they tell their friends about it and say hey, this thing is actually life changing. I can ride faster, I can ride up hills that I've never ridden before and actually enjoy cycling again. And that's why we're seeing a big, widespread adoption," said Rast.
Rast added, "So if you've never ridden a bike before, get ready to have some fun. It's just like a normal bike, you literally just press one button to turn it on. Then what happens is as you pedal, the motor will go in and give you some assistance. So it's like adding horsepower to your legs and feels like you're Superman riding the bike."
It's projected that between the years 2020 and 2023 that 130 million electric bikes will be sold worldwide.