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Pedal-assist bicycles, or pedelecs, have lifted the bicycle industry. Electric bikes have boosted sales, created new categories of customers, and inspired a host of innovative technology. They make retailers smile, and motivate engineers to be creative and squeeze top performance out of their products.

Bicycle retailers are used to swapping out bike parts to satisfy the wishes of a customer. lf the customer wants a softer ride or a more upright seating position, for example, it's always been a simple matter to put on wider tires or replace the handlebars.

It's hard to imagine roads in most European countries that don't have cyclists cruising along on Electric Power Assisted Cycles (EPACs), also known as pedelecs. If one believes sales statistics, these standard pedelecs, which are limited to assisted speeds of 25 kph (15 mph), outsell traditional bicycles by 10 percent in some markets.

They're unisex, convenient, and they let just about anybody become a cyclist no matter how athletic. They are pedelecs with low step-through frames, and they have become the top sellers on the e-bike market. Even without knowing exact sales figures, it’s easy to see that this style is the No. 1 pedelec on the roads of Germany. A central tube that curves very low to the ground for an easy step-through makes these bicycles available to broad target groups. That's a welcome development, because it enables people who are overweight or have a disability to start cycling. That's healthy for them and gives them more mobility. Young mothers can reach the saddle easily and comfortably. When riding with a mounted child seat, they don't have to risk the shaky business of throwing a leg over the top tube, as is the case with conventional frames. In short, low step-through pedelecs have a lot going for them.

Following this year’s poor sales season, there are a lot of pedelecs sitting on retailers’ sales floors, and a lot of batteries sitting in manufacturers’ warehouses.

The press has reported on pedelec riders who knock down pedestrians or hit cars at full speed, and on a bicycle expert who says 80 percent of pedelecs shouldn’t be on the market. Then there are the stories about exploding e-bike batteries that burn down bike stores, or send cyclists flying through the air and suffering serious injuries.