COURTESY OF EBGO; © LUCA PB / STOCK.ADOBE.COM

E-bikes excite

Ebgo is making electric bikes fun and affordable

by MARK CARDWELL

Eric Alain is proud of the success that Ebgo has enjoyed since he started the electric bike company in 2013 in the garage of his family’s home in Victoriaville, Quebec. But he’s even more pleased by the boost he believes his business has given to the popularity of e-bikes in Canada by supplying the market with quality products at affordable prices.

“It’s easy to build a $10,000 electric bike using the best brand-name parts,” Alain says. “The challenge is to make a reliable bike for under $3,000. By doing that, we’re helping to democratize e-bikes, which are great for people of all ages who want to get around and go further in a safe and environmentally friendly way.”

According to Alain, quality and affordability were top of mind when he and his son Charles first started tinkering with e-bike designs in 2013. “We saw it as a promising business venture,” recalls Alain, a former florist and sporting goods store manager who had seen and ridden many electric bikes at trade shows. “There was no doubting their growing popularity.”

It took three years for their company—dubbed Ebgo (an acronym for “Electric Bike—GO”)—to launch its first commercial model. That was the CC47, a step-through design that remains the company’s bestseller. Designed by Alain exclusively for Costco and built in Asia, the first 200 units of the new bike sold out in just two days at the Costco warehouse in Drummondville.

Since then, Ebgo has been on a journey to the top of Canada’s e-bike industry, selling tens of thousands of its three models—with Costco being the only retailer the company sells through.

Alain says Ebgo provides its customers with first-rate after-sale service both online and over the phone. “We have instructional videos on our website and a dynamic team that is always eager and happy to answer questions people may have in regard to maintenance or riding their e-bike,” he says.

According to Alain, Ebgo is still growing and its products are evolving to embrace market trends, such as the recent addition of model CCEF, an off-road fat tire bike.

“We’re always tweaking our designs in an effort to make our bikes easier for people to use and enjoy,” Alain says. “We’re very passionate about what we do.”