What to know about e-bikes after recent Glens Falls crashes

More electric bikers are pedaling their way onto the roads, but after some recent e-bike incidents in the North Country, many are learning that not all e-bikes are alike.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- More electric bikers are pedaling their way onto the roads, but after some recent e-bike incidents in the North Country, many are learning that not all e-bikes are alike. E-bike sales have been skyrocketing for many shops such as the Freewheel Bike Shop in Albany. Matthew McGowen, the owner of Freewheel, said nearly 80% of the bikes in his shop are e-bikes.

“I think everything on this bottom row is electric, so you can clearly see the proportion of bikes that we have,” said Matthew.

E-bikes are separated into three different classes, yet only two of those classes are legal in upstate New York.

“Class one bikes do not have a throttle, that’s the most important thing,” said McGowen. “I can make this go by hitting that without pedaling at all.”

McGowen said class one bikes are very common, especially for beginner riders. Niskayuna resident Christine Canavan just started riding her class one e-bike with her family last year – an experience she’s grateful for.

“It’s been so much fun. I feel like biking has opened up all kinds of new worlds for me,” Christine said. “I’ve gotten to do more exploring, and even if you go down the same bike path, there’s something new to see, whether it's new plants, we’ve seen eagles – it makes you feel like a kid again.”

However, class three e-bikes are only legal in New York City and can travel the fastest – up to 28 miles per hour.

“They can go really fast — almost like a small motorcycle — and those can be concerning, but it’s all about the operator,” Christine said.

Just over a week ago, Glens Falls saw two e-bike accidents within two days. Police said it was still unclear if the cyclists modified their bikes to make them go faster.

“I was really concerned when I heard about the stories up north, but I think it’s more important to get the message out that it’s not the e-bike, it’s how the e-bikes are used and how drivers and bikers interact,” said Christine.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed new legislation in July to promote safe e-bike riding, but many said more work needs to be done.

“I think they need to do a better job of integrating e-bikes into the motor vehicle laws so that it’s clearer what roads you can use them on,” said Matthew. “Maybe add more classification, because ultimately, there are bikes like this – this is clearly in a different category than something like that.”

E-bikers like Christine just want to ride safely.

“I think the crux of it is more awareness that we are sharing the roads more and more with cyclists and empathy,” said Christine. “The realization that the person you’re passing or the person you’re encountering at an intersection could be your mother or your son or your neighbor and just being careful.”