DENVER — The Electric Bike Expo heads to Denver on Friday, giving consumers an opportunity to test ride more than 100 electric bikes from several exhibiting brands.
The Denver Expo will be at the Colorado Mills Mall in Lakewood. Hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Attendance is free.
On Friday, Bosch and PeopleForBikes will host a "policymakers ride" from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. VIPs are invited to go on a group ride and learn about the planning and public health implications of e-bikes.
For more information or to RSVP, email Sarah Berman at Bosch, Sarah.Berman@us.bosch.com.
Several exhibitors are offering discount coupons on their bikes. Tempo will raffle off a bike to benefit a local charity, and Easy Motion will give away one of its bikes to someone who takes a test ride.
While consumers are not allowed to buy e-bikes at the Expo, exhibitors refer them to their local retailers. Some Denver-area e-bike retailers also will have booths at the Expo. The Expos have also been a draw for IBDs who want to learn more about e-bikes — and the people who buy them.
The Denver expo is the sixth stop on the Expo's national tour. Ray Verhelst, director of the organization that produces the Expo, said five earlier demos, in Phoenix, San Diego, Houston, Palo Alto, Calif., and Portland, Ore., have attracted more than 7,000 consumers.
Some travel long distances for the chance to test ride a range of e-bikes in one place. Verhelst said the Portland demo in June attracted IBDs and consumers from as far away as Anchorage, Alaska and Durham, N.C.
The organizers collect a wealth of data on attendees, which they say is valuable market research for exhibiting brands.
By the end of 2017, Verhelst said, "We will have collected extensive market research and ride reports from more than 50,000 consumers who have expressed detailed interest in electric bikes."
The Expo heads to Seattle on July 15-17, and then to Washington, D.C., Oct. 7-9, Atlanta, Nov. 4-6, and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 2-4.
Organizers plan to host Expos in 15 cities in 2017.
To pre-register for the Denver expo, visit www.electricbike-expo.com.
