Keep Cycling, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Library’s Collection of Things Now Offers E-Bikes
A new e-bike pass has been added to the Library of Things collection at the Santa Barbara Public Library. Starting May 26, anyone who has a library card can rent out a pass for one of BCycle’s e-bikes, as long as a pass is available.
There are a total of 6 passes in circulation, two each at the Central Library, Eastside Library, and the Library on the Go van. Library cardholders can borrow a pass for up to a week, “and patrons can have unlimited one-hour rides for the duration of the checkout period,” according to the library press release for the new program.
These e-bikes can often be seen gliding along State Street or zipping up and down the beach front. They are very accessible, and they go at a decent speed of 17 miles per hour on the road according to Bosch Senior Sales Manager Rick Hoak at a launch event on May 25.
The usual price to borrow a BCyle costs $7 for every 30 minutes of use, with a monthly option of $30 or an annual option for $150 on BCycle’s website. The company has 250 e-bikes and 500 docks in the city, and are pre-approved for a new station at Butterfly Beach according to Jesse Rosenberg, the general manager of BCycle.
“It’s cool, as soon as you stop pedaling, it just starts to decelerate,” said one participant at the launch event. “I never even used the brakes. It was great.”
The bikes are user friendly and regulate energy usage according to Hoak. They also work well for all skill levels from experienced riders to newbies who haven’t ridden an e-bike before. The electric bikes have baskets to carry a small amount of gear, and a place to rest a cell phone and its maps and directions.
