Why Buy Your E-Bike from a Local Bike Shop Instead of Online?
In the world of convenience, buying an e-bike online might seem like a no-brainer. But there are significant benefits to visiting your local bike shop when you’re looking to make an investment in an electric bike. Here are some key reasons why buying an e-bike locally will benefit you, your riding experience, and even the local community!
Personalized Guidance and Expertise At a reputable local bike shop like Bike Works Kona, you’re not just browsing products; you’re meeting people who live and breathe cycling. Our staff is passionate and knowledgeable, and we’re here to help you navigate the vast world of e-bikes. By buying in person, you’ll receive tailored advice to match your needs, whether that’s for commuting, off-road adventures, or just recreational rides.
Online, it’s often hard to get direct, personal answers to your questions. Specs and features are great, but they don’t replace a knowledgeable salesperson who can ask you the right questions to ensure your new bike meets all your needs.
Test Rides & Hands-On Experience The test ride is a crucial part of buying any bike. E-bikes can feel and handle very differently from traditional bikes, and subtle details like weight distribution, battery placement, and pedal-assist responsiveness are things you can only gauge by riding. At Bike Works Kona, you can try different models before making your decision, which gives you the chance to make sure you’re truly comfortable.
Online retailers don’t offer the test-ride experience, so you won’t know if an e-bike feels right until it arrives. Returns for large items like e-bikes are often costly and time-consuming, so choosing the right bike in person is invaluable.
In-Person Assembly & Safety Check E-bikes purchased online often arrive partially assembled and require the buyer to handle final assembly. E-bikes have complex electrical and mechanical systems that can be challenging to set up correctly without specialized tools and knowledge. When you buy from a local bike shop, your bike will be professionally assembled, fully tuned, and double-checked for safety before you even take it out the door.
At Bike Works Kona, our technicians ensure every component is secure and functioning correctly, so you can ride with confidence. This also means your bike is ready for immediate use—no setup or troubleshooting required.
Service and Repair Assistance Any bike, and especially e-bikes, will need regular servicing to maintain peak performance. When you buy from a local bike shop, you’re not just getting a bike; you’re establishing a relationship that supports all your future service needs. E-bikes often require specific parts and components that aren’t typically stocked by most shops. Buying locally ensures that the shop you buy from will carry or have access to those parts, making it easier and faster to get your e-bike serviced. At Bike Works Kona, our service team knows the unique requirements of each e-bike model we sell. When your bike needs a tune-up, battery check, or other maintenance, we have the knowledge, tools, and parts on hand to keep your investment in top condition. Online purchases may limit your repair options, and some online retailers only honor warranties if you return the bike to them—shipping, delays, and all.
Local shops like ours simplify the entire process, providing convenience and peace of mind when it comes to the care and longevity of your e-bike.
Warranty and Repair Assistance E-bikes are a substantial investment, and their warranties are critical. When you buy locally, shops like ours assist with warranty claims, helping with paperwork and communicating with manufacturers if any issues arise. This ensures that you’re covered if a part malfunctions.
Online purchases may come with a warranty, but processing claims and obtaining replacement parts can be a complex and frustrating process. Local bike shops are advocates for you, making sure your e-bike stays in the best shape and that you’re taken care of under warranty.
Supporting the Local Community By purchasing your e-bike from a local shop like Bike Works Kona, you’re contributing to your community. Local businesses are integral to the economy, and shopping locally creates jobs and keeps money circulating within the area. This helps improve infrastructure, create more local cycling events, and support community-building efforts, like our monthly bicycle repair clinics, that enhance the cycling culture and promote sustainable transport.
Conclusion
While online shopping offers certain conveniences, the value of buying an e-bike from your local bike shop far outweighs the potential perks of shopping online. From expert guidance and test rides to maintenance support and community impact, Bike Works Kona is here to make sure your e-bike experience is exceptional from day one. So next time you’re considering an e-bike, stop by and see what the local difference feels like—you’ll find it’s worth every pedal.
“There is a joy in setting your mind on something and working hard to accomplish that goal!” exclaims Mele DeMille, Ironman World Championship finisher and Mom of four. And that joy lit up the faces of her oldest children as they competed in the Bike Works Virtual Duathlon earlier this year.
On the last weekend in August, 12 year-old Naomi, 10 year-old Gianna, and 8 year-old Clara DeMille ran 1 mile, biked 12 miles, and ran 3 miles off the bike in their first duathlon.
“The girls had never tackled a challenge like that before. It was so amazing for them to take that on and complete it!” says Mele of an experience that could very well be a stillframe taken from the DeMille’s daily life.
This family of six doesn’t need a virtual race to get them outside and keep them moving, but they aren’t exactly absconding from the opportunity to do a du either. And you can probably blame Mom for that!
Setting an Example
Mele, whose Dad is originally from Hawai’i, grew up on the move. Her Father was in the military, and as a result, Mele grew up travelling often. And swimming!
“You could say I was born into swimming,” she explains of a childhood spent swimming year-round. “But my parents signed us kids up for other sports too.” Among those, she lists basketball, soccer, and running. “Sports were a big part of my life.”
Then Mele met Matthew DeMille, who she married in 2004. By 2008, Mele and Matt were the proud parents of a baby girl… and then another. By the time Dallin, the youngest and only boy, arrived in 2016, Mele had her hands full with 4 kids under 10 years-old. She kept active, but didn’t consider being competitive.
That is, until Lydia Blackburn suggested that they do Honu in 2017, referring to the 70.3 Hawaii triathlon, which is typically held the last weekend in May. Coaxed by her training buddy, dear friend, and fellow Mom, Mele took the bait.
For Mele, competing in the 70.3 was just the beginning. Shortly after finishing the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run for a third time in 2019, she realized that she had qualified in her age group as a Hawai’i resident for the 2019 Ironman World Championships. With only four months to jump from 70.3 miles to 140.6 miles, Mele had all hands on deck for her training.
“In a way, our whole family trained for Ironman! And it gave me the opportunity to show my kids how to plan and make time for everything,” says Mele of the support her family offered. Her youngest, Dalan, even got to “train” with Mom, as she pushed him in the stroller on some of her runs.
By the time race day rolled around, all four DeMille children had witnessed all the steps that lead up to such a monumental event. “That went such a long way in prompting them to set their own goals, even if it was run to a mile or two!” Mele elaborates, noting that small goals lead to big goals.
More importantly, all those daily steps were communicating a deeper message: Fitness is a lifestyle and healthy activities are something everyone can integrate into their lives. When children watch the adults in their life get outside, commit to being healthy, and even try different sports, they see a bigger picture.
“They realize they can do any adventure they dream up!” adds Mele.
Raising Active Keiki
In between 140.6-mile efforts and running a few miles as a family, the DeMilles have been working on daily goals that equate to an active lifestyle. So when the Bike Works Virtual Duathlon was announced, Mele knew it would work into her family’s existing plan.
“I hoped my oldest two would want to do the virtual race. And Clara was watching her older sisters and told me she wanted to do it too. She was excited, so I said yes!” says Mele of her 8 year-olds determination. As race day approached, Naomi and Gianna suggested to their Mom that they do the Bike Works Virtual Du as a relay. Little Clara had other ideas.
“I thought she’d do a part of the du, but Clara ended up motivating her older sisters to complete the entire race.” So on the 29th of August, the DeMille’s headed to the Mauna Lani Resort to do the longest race they had ever run… and biked and run.
As support crew, Dad and 4 year-old Dallin set up aid stations on the course and provided water, while keeping the event safe and fun, which is a priority to the DeMille’s. “For kids, you have to put in the effort to make it a fun family event,” Mele points out.
With the 12-mile bike ride behind them and a 3 mile run left, the sun was nearly setting and Mele wondered how long her youngest daughter would hang in there. “But Clara had her mind set on it, and she went after it!”
For Mele, seeing her children set a goal and work hard to attain it was gratifying, but witnessing the joy they experienced when they realized that anything can be achieved when you set your mind on it was the best part. As far as the next challenge, the DeMille kids have already expressed an interest in going off-road.
“They really want to do the Waipio to Waimanu hike!” Mele affirms.
Balancing Family & Fitness
So you’re a parent who wants to do an off-road duathlon. Or maybe you just want to pull your kids away from their phone and get the family outside. Perhaps you’d like both for your family, but that seems like a tall order.
“There’s always a way!” Mele assures other parents. “If you have young kids and you want to fit fitness in, push your little guy in a stroller. Include your kids in your workout if you can.”
Mele also suggests analyzing your day and identifying down-time that would be ideal for training. For some that may be 9:30 at night after the kids go to bed. For Mele, that meant getting on the trainer at 3:30 in the morning.
Finding a friend who is a fitness-enthusiast and tag teaming with them is also beneficial. The DeMille’s often buddy up with endurance athletes Lydia and Ben Blackburn, and their children, to ensure that the whole family gets outside and parents get their workouts in.
“Having the Blackburns to do this active life with gives my family a community to be part of,” says Mele of how she and Lydia take their children to the beach and alternate watching all the kids while the other one swims.
Being part of an active community also offers the added benefit of nudging parents toward their goals because of, not despite, their kids. Mele experienced this firsthand when she and Matt moved to Hawai’i in 2014.
Every year, on the second Saturday in October, Mele joined the throngs of other spectators in cheering for the rockstars of triathlon as they competed in Ironman. In her heart, she wanted to be racing too, not observing from the sidelines. In her mind, however, it wasn’t the right time. Until Lydia encouraged her to consider participating in Hawaii’s 70.3-mile Honu triathlon.
“Never put a goal on the back burner because of kids. I know, because I did that. I needed a friend to get me to consider making it a priority,” advises Mele, who realized that if she continued believing that motherhood was why she was putting off her goals, she was actually conveying to her kids how to neglect their own goals.
“Set that example and raise your kids knowing that we CAN accomplish those goals!” Mele says enthusiastically, adding that the determination to reach a goal translates to many other aspects of life, including overcoming emotional challenges in adulthood.
According to Youth Sports Psychology, children who meet and exceed their goals while setting new ones develop the foundations of confidence. And regular exercise has been shown to be incredibly effective in boosting your mood, relieving stress, reducing anxiety, and minimizing depression, no matter what your ability or age. Essentially, being physically fit improves your mental health.
“And I’m a believer that physical movement moves kids to open up,” says Mele of the link between movement and communication, which is apparent in everything from running to volleyball. “You connect with someone when you’re progressing in the same direction as them. Moving together offers opportunities for our kids to open up and share how they are doing, which is SO important right now!”
Undoubtedly, sport creates an atmosphere where people are comfortable opening up to each other. And when it comes to communicating our thoughts and expressing our feelings these days, we could all use more opportunities to do so without judgement.
The world of Ironman has Mike Reilly and here on the island of Hawai’i, we have Eddie O! To my recollection, Edgar “Eddie O” Ombac has been the voice of every race I’ve been a part of since my first triathlon, the Lavaman.
Whether it’s Kona’s Jingle Bell 5k or the Hilo to Volcano 50k, Eddie’s at the finish line, infusing the athletes with his enthusiasm in the moments before the race starts. And he’s still there one, four, even eight hours later, making each of us feel like we just won the Olympics as we cross the finish line.
Eddie with his daughters Katrina and Skye at one of many finish lines
Eddie O’s energy is seemingly unwaning. And I suspect that witnessing us finishing what we set out to accomplish actually fuels him! His love for local races and the athletes who compete in them is undeniable, and few know this better than his twin daughters, Katrina and Skye.
“Dad’s always been a big fan of races,” Skye recalls, “When we were in elementary school, he used to take us to Hawi to cheer for the Ironman athletes at the turnaround on the bike.”
“And by the time we were in fifth grade, we started volunteering with Dad at Ironman,” Katrina affirms. “We worked at the volunteer tent, feeding them. And there was even a photo of me in the newspaper, pouring Gatorade for the volunteers.”
Setting an Example
As much as Eddie is driven by the energy of the racing community, there is a deeper force motivating him to leave his mic at the start line and pin his own racing bib on.
“When the girls were babies, I read a study about how daughters look up to Dads who exercise. They are more likely to be active if their Dad is,” explains Eddie. “After I read that, I decided that I needed to set an example for my girls!”
It would be tempting to assume that this decision launched Eddie (or Edgar to his close friends) into an active life. It didn’t. Eddie was already there.
Before he was the most in-demand emcee at events and races all over the island, Eddie was just a kid playing soccer in his hometown of Burien, WA. In high school, he was a standout athlete, playing football at John F. Kennedy High School. After getting injured, however, he went out for the track and field team and became a standout in the 110-meter hurdles, going on to place fifth in States.
Although he took a brief hiatus from running, Eddie took it up again while attending college in the Philippines. After graduation, Eddie returned to the states to work for a commercial radio station. But the former radio DJ didn’t get into the sport of triathlon until moving to Hawai’i Island to work for KBIG FM.
“KBIG used to cover the Ironman World Championships. So in 1994, I found myself stationed on the Queen K in the middle of the race,” Eddie says of the fortuitous day that Ironman first came into his life. It wasn’t long before cheering and volunteering at the iconic triathlon became an annual family tradition.
Being involved in sport, however, was far from a once-a-year affair. Fraternal twins Skye and Katrina grew up walking with Mom and biking with Dad. And without fail, Saturday was adventure day.
“I used to bike with Katrina and Skye around Volcano National Park on Saturdays, and when we’d get to the top of a hill, I’d say ‘Let’s bomb it!’ and we’d fly down the hill,” recounts Eddie. “One day, we’re at the top of the hill and Katrina says ‘Dad, can we vomit?’”
“‘What?’ I asked. ‘Can we vomit it?’ she repeated. It took me a moment, but I finally realized what she was asking! ‘Sweetie, it’s BOMB it, with a B! And yes, we can bomb it!’”
By the time they were in sixth grade, the girls athletic accomplishments included joining Eddie for a 50-mile bike ride. And when they were old enough to participate in team sports, Skye and Katrina became athletes in their own right, with Eddie encouraging his daughters to join Waiakea High School’s cross-country team.
Katrina, the free-spirited twin and mermaid of the family, was also on the swim team and water polo team.
“They have to tread water the whole time! When I heard that, I couldn’t believe it!” adds Eddie.
The self-professed competitive of the two, Skye also joined the track team. Having completed her first 10-mile road race at 10-years old, it wasn’t hard to feel at home among the other runners. With Eddie as her hurdle coach, she even made it to States individually for track in the hurdle event. That was the first time Skye went to States. In her senior year, she made it to States for the 300 and 100 hurdles.
Bringing out the Crazy
In addition to coaching, Eddie was his daughters’ number one cheerleader, all while balancing his job, his own athletic pursuits, and eventually, his charges as highly sought-after race emcee.
“I finished the Kona Marathon, maybe in the late 1990s or early 2000s when it started and finished at Kona’s old Keauhou Beach Hotel on Ali’i Drive. I got into that race by promising Sharron Faff that I would emcee at the finish line… After I ran 26.2 miles!” says Eddie of his first of many emcee experiences.
By 2008, Katrina and Skye were able to put everything they’d learned from their Dad about cheering into practice, rooting him on as he raced the Lavaman Keauhou triathlon.
“We were in eighth grade, and I remember walking to KTA with Skye while Dad was on the bike. As a kid, the bike just seemed to take so long!” says Katrina.
Eddie had encouraged his daughters to go out for cross-country, and now it was their turn to return the favor. For years, Katrina and Skye urged their Dad to go after the Ironman dream. And with every race he did, Eddie was closing the gap on that dream. In 2014, he competed in the Hilo to Volcano 50K Ultra Marathon, a 31.1-mile uphill road race. In May of 2015, Eddie finished his first IRONMAN Hawaii 70.3 triathlon.
“Katrina and I were watching Dad do the Honu 70.3 and all I kept thinking was ‘It is SO hot! Dad’s crazy’!” Skye says. Despite the heat, however, Eddie completed the race, walking away with a finisher’s medal and a slot in the IRONMAN World Championships later that year through the Big Island Drawing.
After all those years, their Dad had his golden ticket to the big dance. But there was one problem. Skye and Katrina would both be in North Dakota, where they attended the University of Jamestown.
“And it was homecoming weekend!” Katrina laments.
“But we facetimed everyone throughout the day so it felt like we were there cheering,” Skye adds. And in their hearts, they truly were.
Five years later, Katrina and Skye are back on the Big Island, teaching fifth grade at Honokaa Elementary and Kahakai Elementary, respectively, and proving that they are just as crazy (in a good way!) as their Dad. In the midst of pandemic-related cancelations and shutdowns, Katrina channeled some of Eddie’s famed positivity and found the silver lining: Working from home meant that she would not have to commute two hours each day. Katrina chose to use that extra time to workout and swim, this time in the ocean.
“Swimming gives me the time to reflect on my life, whether it’s the lessons I’ll be doing tomorrow in school or thinking about my grandparents and other deeper things,” she says. “One lesson that I’ve learned from swimming and sport is that it isn’t always about the competition. Sure it’s fun to win and beat your colleagues, but for me, I’ve found much more joy in the activity itself!”
She also notes that watching Skye find her own love for the ocean has inspired Katrina to be active and keep up with her own swimming.
Skye also elected to make the most of the lockdown, training for her first 50k. “My daughter is crazy!” Eddie declared on Instagram in May. “She signed up for her first 50K!”
Skye was quick to remind her Dad that she gets the crazy from him. A mere six years after Eddie finished his own 50k, his daughter followed suit. And naturally, Eddie and Katrina were her support crew every step of the way.
“My dad has ridden his bike or followed me around in his van during 5ks, half marathons, and my 50k,” Skye affirms. “Katrina and my dad are always there to share positive thoughts, which remind me why I run. Without my cheering squad I feel like I would have quit races or not hit PRs!”
Skye confirms that she has indeed wanted to quit before. “But thankfully, I never have. I would’ve been more upset with myself if I quit than if I finished slower than I would’ve liked. In teaching, or in anything I do, I remind myself to keep on going no matter how hard things get. And I remind myself that I’m doing the best I can and quitting is never the right option.”
Enjoying Some Friendly Competition
The Ombacs have certainly come a long way since the days of Volcano “vomit” rides. And they’ve learned a thing or two about supporting each other and staying motivated.
In training, Eddie’s intention has always been to instill good values in his daughters and encourage them to have fun. In the case of meets and races, his goal was to be Katrina and Skye’s biggest fan!
“Yeah, I was that dad… The loudest Dad out there!” he concedes. “No matter where or how they finished, I congratulated them for doing their best. That’s all you can ask from your child… Do your best! There were a few tears here and there, but the girls always had Dad’s shoulder to cry on.”
“When it comes to staying motivated, there’s truth to the runner’s high,” Eddie says of finding the drive to run and bike. “And the simplicity of getting on a bicycle brings me back to when I raced BMX and my Redline was my only form of transportation around Burien.”
“It’s good to feel like a kid again!”
As for his daughters, well, they’re driven by the possibility of beating their Dad, among other factors.
“I can beat him swimming,” Katrina asserts.
“I’m training for Lavaman. That keeps me motivated!” Skye adds. “That and beating my Dad in the HOKA ONE ONE Off-Road Challenge!”
“Skye can’t beat me!” Eddie exclaims, with what might be a faint hint of fear in his voice.
For all of us Team Ombac fans, we’ll simply have to wait until the weekend of November 13th to see how this competition plays out. But you can be certain that no matter who claims the off-road victory, at the end of the day, the Ombac cheering squad will get all the credit.
Want to follow the Ombacs as they train for the Off-Road Challenge? Find them on Instagram: @Edgar_eddieo_ombac, @Skye.ombac, @katrinana_
