Banker-Turned-E-Bike Retailer Anticipates Busy Summer
SHEDIAC CAPE–After retiring from a 32-year banking career at the end of March, Stephen Robinson took on a charge. Now, he’s catering to a growing demand for e-bikes in Greater Moncton.
Robinson, owner and operator of eDrive Powersports, is now selling electric bicycles and scooters from a shop just outside of Moncton in Shediac Cape. He’s anticipating the region’s appetite for e-bikes will spike this summer.
Robinson, an avid biker himself, expects increasing demand because of a price point for e-vehicles that’s gradually coming down to a reasonable range for the average New Brunswicker.
“People are recognizing they’re no longer expensive and that you don’t have to pay $5,000 or $6,000,” Robinson said, alluding to bikes that can these days sell for more than $4,000.
“A lot of people are realizing that now and saying ‘hey, this kind of makes sense.’ They’re absolutely becoming more accessible,” he added.
While eDrive is only open two days a week, Robinson–the only person running the shop–said there has been a steady stream of appointment requests coming in from customers since February. He noted he will be opening more often and for longer hours this summer.
The frequent appointments and growing interest are a turnaround from earlier in the winter when few people visited the store as he built up his inventory.
That fulsome inventory is a point of pride for Robinson, who carries vehicles from Canadian makers like EMMO, Dost, and Daymak. He sells many variations on the electric recreation vehicle that range from electric fat bikes to Vespas and electric motorcycles–and even tricycles.
“Everyone comments on how much inventory I have and how they’re blown away by how much I have,” he said.
“My goal is to keep that up, keep expectations up, so when people walk in, they don’t have to wait a week–or five; they can walk away with the bike right away. I want to have enough bikes through the summer that everyone can come in and find one.”
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Robinson said the automation aspect of e-bikes is driving sales, making bikes, specifically the hottest-selling conventional electrified mountain bike, a viable urban commuting option.
“E-bikes opened up the market for people who quit riding because they’re living next to a hill and are never able to get home because it was too hard. Now, they’re out on e-bikes and taking bikes to work. Why get to work covered in sweat when you can get to work without sweat? That’s a big attractor,” said Robinson.
Robinson’s business, at 109 Old Mill Road, is next door to the one it splintered off from–Etech Scooters.
Etech launched in 2008, selling mobility scooters to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and P.E.I. with a Shediac Cape-based showroom near Highway 11 and a delivery service.
“The owner was selling his business but he was selling everything electric, including mobility equipment. I was only interested in the two-wheel side of the business,” said Robinson.
Robinson launched eDrive as a standalone retailer of electric bicycles and recreational vehicles in November 2021, while Etech continues to sell mobility vehicles.
Robinson told Huddle that by selling only electric bikes and vehicles, he considers himself in a niche that sets him apart from local competition like Velo’s two shops in Moncton and Dieppe.
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“This was not started as a bike shop, whereas others started as a bike shop. Part of their inventory is electric, where mine is basically all e-bikes. If you come here looking for a pedal bike, you’re not going to find any,” he said.
Robinson has no immediate plans to hire any staff, noting that it was his intention to run things “as a one-man show and see where it goes from there.”
While he has solid plans for eDrive, Robinson noted there’s one area he remains uncertain about.
“I’d never purchased an electric bike until I bought the company, and now I’m having trouble deciding which one I want for myself.”
Sam Macdonald is a Huddle reporter in Moncton. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].