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Why this Documentary?
The e-mobility revolution is a reality. It raises important questions.
What does e-biking mean to society and nature?
What is the Impact?
The documentary focuses on the impact of e-biking in the United States.
Is it a clean, safe and affordable means of transportation?
Hype or Game Changer?
E-biking is a great way to be active and improve physical and mental health.
What about "cheating" with an e-bike?
About the Team
Dr. Gregory F. Maassen - Producer
Dr. Maassen is a multimedia, strategic digital marketing, videographer, and (interim) manager with over 23 years of experience, including 18 years of senior management experience with the IFC/World Bank and USAID programs in Armenia, Southern Africa (15 countries), Afghanistan, Russia, Iraq, Macedonia, and Jordan. See the BBC and NYT articles featuring Dr. Maassen.
He is the founder of Wandel Guides LLC, the production company for the documentary. He is a Fulbright scholar and has a Ph.D. in business administration.
Creative Director
Brian McCotter specializes in strategic communications, brand development, and program management. He has extensive experience leading and managing integrated organizational communications, stakeholder relations, and corporate strategy projects.
He possesses an BA from Duke University and an MA. from the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University as well as course work at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, and the University of Cape Town.
We are looking for answers
E-bike Documentary examines a new genre of cycling that makes for a good conversation on the trail
Meet the Director
Starting in April 2022, we are going to e-bike over 3,500 miles cross-country, in search of e-bike stories. Do you live along the trail and have a story to tell? Please let us know.
Animations
The documentary goes back into the history of e-biking, and we use historical prints for our stories. Did you know that a volcano lead to the development of the modern e-bike? And what has Napoleon to do with this? You will need to see the documentary, when it is produced, to find out.
Meanwhile, we want to share an example of a historical print colored by our artists.


"1815, Napoleon's old guard at Waterloo" was created on Jan. 24, 1898. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Digital Id pga 01686 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.01686 - cph 3a11931 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a11931
E-bike Stories
This documentary follows remarkable e-bikers of all walks of life who have a story to tell.
Join our Heroes Biking From San Francisco’s Bay Area to the Brooklyn Bridge and Ground Zero
On August 1, 2021, cyclists will be leaving the San Francisco Bay Area to ride for forty days to the Brooklyn Bridge and Ground Zero.
This is the group's second event, and the public, including e-bikers, is invited to join the cyclists as they ride and connect with everyone across the US.
Our equipment and why it matters!
We have selected highly-portable Netflix certified equipment with a small footprint. This allows us to interview and film on location as efficiently, unobtrusively and discreetly as possible.

Do you live in the United States and have an e-bike story to tell on camera? Positive, negative, remarkable, unusual, all opinions count. No interview experience is required. Interested?
E-bike Documentary examines a new cycling genre (e-biking) that makes for a good conversation on the trail. Do you have an opinion about e-biking in the United States? Are you concerned about e-biking? Has it changed your life? Did you meet your lover on the trail? Let us know.
Did e-biking get you into trouble, whatever that may be?
Have you been advocating for e-bikes, or do you know of someone (siblings, spouses, friends, yourself) who is opposed to e-biking for whatever reason?
We would love to hear from you if you have a story to tell.
Call to Action. Can you help?
We are particularly interested in video contributions.
Did you produce your own video on e-biking and want to share it?
Did you capture something interesting with your cell phone related to biking safety, conflicts on the road, interesting moments?
Let us know. All formats are accepted for consideration.
Want to participate in the documentary with your story?

Call to Action. Can you help?
Do you know the owner of a Swind EB-01 E-bike in the United States? We would love to get in touch.
Want to participate in the documentary with your Swind? You have footage to share?

Our approach to documentary filmmaking.
We use a participatory documentary format, allowing the team to acknowledge the documentary as a collaboration with participants, rather than just observing them.
faq
The Zoom F6 is the first professional field recorder to feature both 32-bit float recording, providing an unprecedented amount of dynamic range. With 6 inputs, Zoom’s solid time code, multiple power options and wireless control, the F6 is poised to be our new secret weapon for high-quality sound recording.
We are reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
We are using the exact same tools used by Hollywood professionals!
DaVinci Resolve Studio by black Magic is the world’s only solution that combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post production all in one software tool! Its elegant, modern interface is fast to learn and easy enough for new users, yet powerful for professionals.
We are reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
We are using the exact same tools used by Hollywood professionals!
The Sennheiser AVX-ME2 SET is the perfect digital wireless microphone for film projects. The system fully self configures and is ready to film within seconds. Its ultra compact receiver fits directly into the XLR audio input of your camera or recording device. The bodypack transmitter and lavalier microphone is ideal for hands-free interview and documentary situations.
We are reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
We are using the exact same tools used by Hollywood professionals!
The Manfrotto MVG460FFR is a Professional 3-Axis Stabilized Handheld Gimbal. Able to support up to 10.1 lbs, it's perfect for videographers looking for a versatile device with a variety of modes for dynamic shooting.
We are reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
We are using the exact same tools used by Hollywood professionals!
Editing a 4K documentary requires a lot of processing power. We use a custom-built Lenovo ThinkStation P620 Workstation with 16 TB hard drive capacity and 4 graphic cards. Here are the specs:
- AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ Pro 3945WX Processor (4.00 GHz, up to 4.30 GHz Max Boost, 12 Cores, 24 Threads, 6 MB Cache)
- Windows 10 Pro 64
- 2x 64 GB DDR4 3200MHz RDIMM ECC
- 4x NVIDIA® Quadro® P1000 4GB
- RAID 1 (2 Drives min) 2x 256 GB M.2 Gen 3 PCIe SSD, OPAL
- 256 GB M.2 Gen 3 PCIe SSD, OPAL
- 4x 4 TB 7200 HDD 3.5"

Utilizing 45 megapixels of visual sensing from six 200 degree color cameras, Skydio 2 can see everything in every direction with unprecedented resolution and clarity. This is the foundation of trustworthy autonomous flight that is essential to the production of the documentary.
At the heart of Skydio 2 is the NVIDIA Tegra TX2, the fastest, most power-efficient embedded AI computing device available. With 256 GPU cores capable of 1.3 trillion operations a second, Skydio 2 is the flying supercomputer.

E-bike Documentary
Be part of the conversation
Our Contributors

Tim's research interests at Oxford Brooks University focus around how urban environments can be (re)configured to support and promote sustainable and healthy urban mobility, particularly walking and cycling.
Dr. Timothy Jones
academic advisor



Adele Schmidt co-founded Docs In Progress in 2004, is the co-owner of Zeitgeist Media LLC, and has been an adjunct professorial lecturer for film and video production at American University since 2009.
Adele Schmidt
story-writer consultant



Sol Mobil LLC, is an E-Bike company like no other. Sol Mobil offers professional quality custom E-bikes, repairs, and upgrades, as well as component sales, remote support, solar E-Bike charging systems, and more.
Sol Mobil
contributor



Brandi Bohannon
Associate Producer



Janet is a lawyer who enjoys a good book and traveling to lesser-known destinations and exploring new cultures and cuisines.
Janet Katz
Senior editor, advisor and legal counsel



Larry is the owner of Mount Airy Bicycles, a broad-spectrum bicycle dealer in Mount Airy, catering to a range of bicycle purchase, repair, and rental needs of cyclists across the United States.
Larry Black
senior advisor and bike retailer



On August 1, 2021, a group of firefighters left the San Francisco Bay Area to ride their bicycles to the Brooklyn Bridge and Ground Zero for the 20 Year Anniversary of 9/11.
BaytoBrooklyn
Contributor



Sushil Reddy is the founder of the Sun Pedal Ride and Guinness World Record holder for riding a solar bike across India.
Sushil Reddy
Contributor



Jay has over 60-years of experience in the human powered transportation business. He is Resident Futurist at Human Powered Solutions, the most experienced team in the bicycle industry.
Jay Townley
senior advisor and futurist



AlfarialCreator is responsible for the parallax effects of historical images and cartoons, animated maps and other infographics.
AlfarialCreator
Animations
Approach
Making a Film Through a Collaborative Process
We believe that the making of a documentary is a collaborative process. Documenting different opinions is a complex undertaking. Some people may embrace new technology, others may oppose it.
The truth often lies somewhere in the middle.