As the threat of tariffs once again looms large over the bike industry, one company is betting on used e-bikes to keep America in the saddle and introduce new riders to the revolutionary mode.
Billed as "the Carvana of e-bikes," the French-founded second-hand e-bike platform Upway has been making big moves into the U.S. market lately, opening an L.A. companion to its Brooklyn warehouse this spring where locals can test-ride a range of gently-loved electric cycles that have been refurbished and certified safe right there on-site.
The company's real ambition, though, is to ship those bikes to communities across the continental U.S. where electric mobility is still relatively scarce, but could prove a truly transformative mobility tool — if would-be riders had access to affordable bikes whose quality they know they can trust. And since the only other way to buy a used e-bike in many U.S. cities is from some sketchy stranger on Facebook marketplace, Upway thinks its platform could potentially serve a massive untapped market.
"The goal is not just to become the clear leader of the e-bike reselling, but [to be] the company that sells the largest amount of e-bikes in the U.S. — plus Europe," explained Maxime Renson, Upway's general manager. "[If you buy a used e-bike peer to peer], you're always living with your uncertainty that your bike can break down and you're not under any sort of guarantee. So Upway tries to solve for that, bringing trust to the second-hand bike market — but at the same time ... [offering] a warranty, more affordability, and more selection."
Renson points out that since the pandemic first unleashed a biking boom that has yet to slow down, even pricey new e-bikes have been outselling electric cars in the U.S. Today, he estimates that between one and 1.2 million are being sold every year, despite America's slow embrace of infrastructure that gives people safe places to ride for transportation — particularly if they choose the kind of slow-speed, sub-20 mile per hour e-bikes that are legally allowed on bike paths and mixed-use trails in many communities.
That surge in new-bike buying, naturally, has left a lot of used bikes sitting idle in American garages and bike racks, particularly as people upgrade their rides, or decide that riding on bike-hostile roads just isn't right for them until their cities invest in more infrastructure. Outside of a handful of big-city metros, though, even the best-equipped local bike shops might not have a single e-bike in stock — nevermind being able to order used ones that meet a range of rider needs.
"Most of our customers are not really living in big city centers," Renson says. "They are mostly living in the suburban areas; the bike shop right next door has probably two or three bikes on the floor that they can choose from, but that's it."
Renson says that while Upway does work with about 200 partner shops — and sends those shops more customers over the long term when the bikes they buy at Upway eventually need tune-ups — no U.S. resident should have to wait for affordable e-mobility access they can count on.
Upway's direct-to-consumer site has about 2,000 different used cycles in stock at any given time, and they're easily sortable by style, size, battery type for people whose local laws demand UL-certification, and just about anything else you can think of. Unlike Craigslist, Nextdoor, or the minor universe of bike-bro Discord servers where many early adopters secured their first electric rides, they also offer one-year warranties and customer service to help new e-cyclists feel comfortable shopping online if they can't test-ride in person, as well as a 14-day money-back guarantee if a bike doesn't fit or ride as expected.
Because it's also a modern e-commerce company, Upway customers also enjoy a lot more financial protection than, say, PayPalling a stranger hundreds of dollars for a used bike sold by a "neighbor" that might end up being a scam. They can also pace out their payments with limited-time 0-percent interest, buy-now, pay later services — the closest thing most e-bike customers have to a real financing option.
As President Trump's unpredictable trade policies wreak havoc on the economy, e-bike affordability might soon become a bigger issue than ever.
Because an estimated 97.8 percent of all bikes sold today are imported — and virtually all "American-made" bikes contain at least a few foreign-made components, especially when it comes to battery components that are overwhelming sourced from China — experts have warned that the price of new e-bikes will likely increase as the trade war drags on.
The average price of an e-bike, meanwhile, is likely to go up even more following the recent closing of the "de minimis loophole," which allowed sites like Alibaba and Temu to ship e-bikes under $800 without undergoing basic safety inspections required on more expensive vehicles.
Renson applauded that decision overall, which he acknowledged could stem the tide of cheap, uncertified bikes with spontaneously exploding batteries that have sparked deadly building fires in communities like New York City. Still, he says an estimated 20 percent of all e-bikes sold last year fell beneath the de minimis threshold — and the e-bike market will need companies like Upway, which only sells American-serviced bikes to American customers, to fill the gap for riders who can't afford the top of the line.
"[The de minimis loophole] being shut off — it might delay the bike market from reaching its full potential, because it was still an entry point into the market for a lot people ... who could upgrade to a safer, more reliable e-bikes later," he said. "For budget conscious e-bike purchasers, [Upway] will be the next best option, especially if they want something more competitive and safer. Overall, I think it's a catalyst for faster maturity in the market."
As America's biking future becomes more uncertain under a volatile administration in Washington, Renson hopes that cities and states will step up to make e-bikes more easily available by funding their own e-bike vouchers — and that they make used cycles from reputable companies like Upway eligible for those programs. And if enough of them do it, it could help stretch scarce subsidy dollars and put more e-bikes on U.S. roads than ever before.
And it could help Americans deal with a potentially volatile car market, too — by giving them the option not to own one at all.
"When you think about it, the tariffs are also impacting the car market, and we have bikes that can definitely replace a car," he added. "In the US, 80 percent of car trips are below 10 miles. ... If your next new car is a lot more expensive, you're going to ask yourself: do you really want a new car? Or maybe, could an e-bike actually do these most of your trips?"
