jlaw

Agreed - this was the first thing that came to mind when I saw your question.

I think that e-bikes might help some LBSs stay in business so that they can continue to sell non-motorized bikes also. A friend of mine is a Trek dealer and he ordered as many of the Trek Verve e-bikes (value-oriented commuter model) as he could get - supplies were limited - and he sees a future for his 40-year-old bike shop that definitely includes e-bikes.

And, the next-next big thing will be repairing e-bikes - which will also help the LBS, although there will be training and new equipment costs involved. The motor-controller-battery systems are complex and the average consumer won't be diagnosing and repairing problems. Most name brand e-bikes with name-brand systems should work fine for many years if the batteries are maintained. But, there will always be problems to fix at some point - especially with the off-brand bikes that are being marketed direct to consumers.

I've read that car dealerships make more $$ from service than they do selling new vehicles. Perhaps bike shops can take advantage of this business model with e-bikes.