We moved our oldest daughter, Katy, this weekend to her first "real adult" apartment (the three she had in college didn't count, apparently, because she didn't have to pay for them!). We didn't see the apartment until we arrived on Saturday, following the moving truck. It was so nice, I threatened to come live with her for a change!
She and her roommate looked at dozens of places before deciding where to live. At the top of Katy's list of "must haves" was that it had to be close to work in Buckhead. She hates commuting. So when I saw this story today about how people are snapping up the new electric bikes, I thought of her.
According to the AP story I read, people who are buying these bikes are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, get some exercise, and save money on gas. Those are all priorities for a lot of people in Katy's (Y) generation.
But guess what? It's the Boomers who are especially interested in these pricey bikes. One person interviewed, who is 60, said she selected it for all the same reasons a Gen Y would, but also found it a good way to get the kind of exercise that helps to treat her arthritis.
Like hybrid cars, also popular with Boomers, electric bikes are also getting sleeker, more stylish and can vary tremendously in price.
Already, these bikes are very popular in Europe and China. In fact, according to this article, there are 70 million electric bikes in China, and about 2.6 million are rolling off the shelves every year.
I'm not at all surprised that Boomers are attracted to these quasi-scooters. After all, we were among the first to buy hybrid cars, in part because we do care about the environment (we even look for vacations that let us help the environment in some way). We also have the money to drop $1500+ on the coolest electric bike we can find.
Watch for more of us to start riding them to work, to visit with friends and even to get in some afternoon exercise after work. What a great solution to Boomers' desire to get fit, look good, and, of course, look cool while we're doing whatever we're doing (whether it's reducing our carbon footprint or reducing our wrinkles by heading to the spa or to the doctor for Botox shots).
