Propel Bikes

To understand Propel, you need to know our

founder, Chris Nolte.

At only 18 years old, Chris saved up to purchase 55 used bicycles from a police auction. His plan: to restore & resell each one, putting the money towards a college degree. To cover the rest of his tuition, Chris enlisted in the US Army Reserves. Following the 9/11 attacks, Chris was shipped out to Iraq to transport fuel.

After suffering a back injury and returning home as a disabled combat veteran, Chris found himself unable to live an active lifestyle. Riding a bike, something he couldn’t imagine not doing, was suddenly out of reach. Rather than dwell on his misfortune, he searched for alternatives. It wasn’t long before he purchased his first pedal-assist electric bike.

The E-bike turned his life around.

Chris recognized that this technology could transform transportation as we know it. After his experience in Iraq, Chris felt compelled to do what he could to lessen the United States’ dependence on foreign oil. In 2011, Propel was born (then known as Long Island Electric Bikes).

Propel became one of the nation’s leading e-bike dealers.

Beginning with only six bikes in an office building, Chris gambled that the US was ready for an e-bike boom. Sure enough, he was able to quickly expand to a warehouse with an ever-growing selection. Propel soon became one of the nation’s leading dealers of electric-assisted bicycles. Today we have a storefront & warehouse in Brooklyn, and we recently opened a second location in Long Beach, CA.

We're contributing to a better future.

Although we’re best known for selling high-quality e-bikes, we’re also working to educate our local legislators to ensure e-bike riders are treated fairly under the law, and making sure that e-bikes are represented responsibly in the media. E-bikes can enrich a lot of lives and transform our transportation economy – we’re doing everything we can to make that future more likely.