Homer Alaska - Business -

Homer bike commuter Will Schlein gave up his car this spring, and put his money into a BionX electric motor. Mounted on his mountain bike's rear hub, and with a 36-volt lithium battery and 350-watt motor, the BionX gives him an extra boost. Pedal to start, flick a switch and the motor turns on silently.

"It makes you feel like Superman," Schlein said. "I just keep going. You feel like you're pedaling effortlessly."

A governor keeps the motor below 20 mph, preserving a BionX bike's legal status as a bicycle. The system adds about 17 pounds of weight. The motor and hub comes on a bicycle wheel with spokes. Installation involves putting on a bike's gear cluster and changing the tire and tube. The battery mounts on the water-bottle mount of the bike frame or on a rear rack.

BionX, a Canadian firm, makes four models with either 250-watt or 350-watt gearless, magnetic drive motors and nickel-hydride or lithium-ion batteries. Prices range from about $1,095 for a 250-watt nickel-hydride battery system to $1,695 for a 350-watt, lithium-ion system.

With an optional throttle, the BionX can be run like an electric bike, with no pedaling. Schlein recommended pedaling a BionX bike anyway, since running just on the motor drains the battery faster. With pedaling, the motor can provide an assist of from 25 to 300 percent. At its lowest power, the assist compensates for the extra weight of the battery and motor.

Ben Jones uses electric-assist bikes in his Anchorage bike rental business, Coast Trail Rentals. With electric-assist bicycles, less-fit or younger customers can keep up with other riders in their party. Jones recently became the main BionX distributor for Alaska. Later this month he plans to visit Homer for a demonstration of the BionX. Homer customers who put down a $200 deposit with him can get a $100 discount and free shipping.

Schlein bought his BionX through Derek Reynolds of Cycle Logical on East End Road in Homer. Reynolds said he has literature on the BionX and can order and install it for customers. Homer Saw and Cycle also can order the system.

Schlein paid about $1,500 for his BionX. The owner of Homer Hostel on West Pioneer Avenue, Schlein is the information technology manager for Cook InletKeeper. He hasn't had a working car for about a year. The BionX gives him one less excuse not to ride a bike and to get the physical enjoyment that comes from regular exercise.

"I'm happiest when my car is broken," Schlein said. "So now my car is permanently broken."

That's an advantage with electric-assist bikes, Jones said. People sometimes get lazy and don't get out on their bikes the road is too steep or the ride is too long. A BionX also makes it easy to keep a steady heart rate, or stay in a cardiovascular fitness zone, he said. Big hills don't wear out the rider.

"Sure, you get exercise. You get more than you usually would," he said. "It's a lot of fun. You look forward to getting on it."

A sealed case protects the motor and battery from rain and road spray. The battery is good down to minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit. It should be taken off and stored at warm temperatures inside an added anti-theft precaution. It takes about three hours to recharge the battery using an AC charger. The motor can be set in charge mode while pedaling a bike, and a control box keeps track of the charge left in a battery. The battery also recharges when coasting downhill, and the rear motor acts as a brake. Depending on the model and the percent of boost, the battery lasts for 16 to 60 miles. Schlein estimates it costs about a nickel a mile to recharge.

Steep hills like Baycrest require a little more work, Schlein said. He's driven his BionX bike out to McNeil Canyon on East End Road, but needed to ration his battery charge at certain points. Shorter trips would be easier. Schlein averages about 20 mph on his rides.

"You could commute to work from Fritz Creek (at Mile 6 East End Road)," he said. "It's awesome for going out to the Spit in a head wind makes it a piece of cake," he added.

Jones said he's ridden a BionX bike from Indian to Girdwood on the Seward Highway and used his highest gears on some hills.

"Even on those inclines, you can have it in a pretty intense gear and pedal along pretty easily," he said.

The BionX also extends a bicyclist's range. A Homer man recently contacted Jones about using the BionX on a planned 1,300-mile New Zealand expedition.

Despite the high cost about the price of some gas-powered scooters Schlein said the BionX is a lot cheaper than a Toyota Prius. It's also a way for him to reduce his carbon footprint something he helped Cook InletKeeper do when Schlein researched buying a gas-hybrid Ford Escape for the Homer environmental organization.

"To me, it's supporting a technology that can hopefully get us out of our quagmire which is being addicted to fossil fuel," Schlein said. "Everybody has to change their lifestyle. I had to change mine by this."

For more information on BionX, visit its Web site at www.bionx.ca. For information on ordering BionX through Jones, visit www.coastaltrailrentals.com or e-mail him at reservations@coastaltrailrentals.com or call (530) 575-7419.

Cycle Logical's phone number is 226-2925 and Homer Saw and Cycle's phone number is 235-8406.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.