Varsity Bike & Transit has gone greener. We have purchased wind credits for our electrical consumption through X-Cel energy. Wind credits are a promise by the consumer to support financing wind power that goes into the national grid, which of course for now is more expensive to produce than conventional “brown” energy. Our power consumption increased when we moved to our new space down the street. This is because it is larger space, recharging the batteries for the electric bikes that we now sell( though it is only 5-10 cents per charge) and because of the grow light we have for our green wall( it is working and the plants are growing like crazy). We felt a need to offset the increased power usage and decided to purchase wind credits to go with an environmentally sound and renewable power source. It was very easy and is only going to increase our monthly bill by about $20. The only odd thing is that you must sign up for a 3 year term with X-Cel energy. This is ok with us because we are planning to try and go green for the long term no matter what happens. This is not just a response to a trend but a change in our outlook and business model. We are always looking for other ways to make Varsity Bike & Transit greener. Currently we recycle tubes and aluminum. We would like to do tires and steel but have not found an effective way to yet. Suggestions are welcome.

Bikers,

We’ve been getting a lot of requests for several colored parts. -just wanted to let you all know that we have them in stock to buy or have installed, or both. Happy riding!

-Kingston

Check out the Varsity Bike video. Watch Rob and Jameson talk about what makes Varsity Bike special and their move to the new locations.

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August 29, 2008. The move to a bigger location for Varsity Bike & Transit was highlighted by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. With more space comes more customers. Head over to the Business Journals website for the story.

August 29, 2008. Writer Emma Carew highlights Rob and the exploding popularity of electric bikes in her article titled The bike buzz around the Twin Cities for the Star Tribune. Read the full article online at the Star Tribune.

July 31, 2008. WCCO’s shopping correspondent, Scott Schneweis, mentions the Varsity Bike Human Bike Chain event for Varsity’s big move to it’s new location. See the video at wcco.com

August 13, 2008. Minnesota Daily features Varsity Bike online, talking about the new location and a healthy competition between Varsity and their neighbors at the new location. Read the whole article here, at mndaily.com

August 15, 2008. CNN dives into the subject of electric bikes, why they are gaining popularity and discusses some of the new technology behind them. With several examples, statistics and a few quotes CNN describes the trend that is following in the wake of high gas prices and global climate change. Read the whole article at cnn.com

In early July Kare11 talks about electric bikes with the help of Rob Dehoff. Rob shows a few examples and explains the benefits of electric bikes with the help of his family. Check out the article and video at kare11.com