I Joined the Revolution:
The E-Bike Shift That Reframed How I Move Through the City
It’s official. I made a mid-life crisis purchase. And no, it’s not a Porsche, and it’s definitely not a Harley Davidson. I didn’t even realize what I was doing until my best friend showed me her husband’s mid-life crisis Harley. I laughed and showed her mine instead: a big, fancy cargo e-bike. Basically the minivan of e-bikes.
The tipping point was Eden’s fifth birthday party, where the picnic area filled with e-bikes belonging to the same parents who glide into our elementary school each morning, park, and actually talk to one another. Meanwhile, I’ve been doing curb drop-offs and racing to the next thing. At some point, I decided I wanted to be part of the scene instead of waving from the sidelines.
Here’s the funny part. For nearly a decade, I was terrified of Matt biking in San Francisco. Too many stories, too many close calls I’d heard about. But with this mid-life purchase, I tossed the fear aside and suddenly started experiencing a version of the city I had never allowed myself to see. And the truth is, the bike infrastructure here is incredible. As a realtor, I’ve always had a unique window into the city. Now I’m seeing even more.
More people are joining the e-bike wave every month, and it’s clear that the future of getting around San Francisco won’t be shaped only by AI or autonomous vehicles. This movement is already changing how people move, how neighborhoods connect, and how we experience the city we call home.
