When I first learned to ride a bike – after a lot of time on training wheels – Dad did the classic dad thing. He jogged along with his hand on the back of the cycle. And, when he decided I had my balance, he quietly let go and watched me pedal off.

Sometimes all you need is a little help to get things moving.

That’s the idea behind LPC’s new e-bike program. Yes, e-bike, as in a bicycle with battery assistance. It’s a great substitute for the car on longer local trips, especially at distances where riding a traditional bike might be difficult or impossible for some.

But not everyone’s in a position to buy a bike right now. We get it. So to help things along, we offer a $500 rebate on the purchase of a new e-bike. If you’re income-qualified (if you’re not sure, check out the qualifications for Longmont CAReS to see), we’ll even raise that rebate to $1,000.

Think that might get the wheels turning?

It’s easy to get started. Just fill out our e-bike rebate form to apply. That’s also where we’ve got the rules and restrictions, which are pretty common-sense:

• You have to buy the bike in Longmont (or, if it’s an online purchase, it has to be delivered to Longmont.)
• You can’t get a higher rebate than the purchase price
• You can only get one rebate and you can only use it on one e-bike
• The City isn’t liable for any purchase or equipment

Since this is a new program, there’s also a chance we’ll contact you later to find out how everything went. Meanwhile you get to reduce emissions as you ride. Which makes it more pleasant to travel. Which encourages you to ride more.  

It’s a pretty cool cycle. Almost as cool as those e-bikes.

So come on. Let’s ride.