Jake Frick-Trend: Moped Madness

By Jake Frick

One of the newest up and coming consumer trends is mopeds, derived in Europe from the idea of a motor and pedals. Mopeds first became popular in the late 70’s due to a spike in gas prices and are once again becoming a fad because gas is now at outrageous prices.

People are buying these mini motorcycles because they get awesome gas mileage, some up to 125 miles per gallon. Mopeds are also very convenient because riders can maneuver in and out of small areas and have free access to park almost anywhere they want. They are also better for the environment because they consume less energy and produce less harmful emissions than an automobile would.

Store owners have been reporting spiked increases in sales in the past few years, most of them having trouble even keeping an adequate stock for consumers. Back in the late 70’s there were over 140 different suppliers of mopeds, however now there are only three main makers of the bikes. They are still made in Europe and shipped to America. Most of the consumers are of the younger demographic, from 18-24. There isn’t very much advertising or marketing for mopeds but despite that, they are still becoming very popular among America’s youth. Many people who are purchasing the mopeds are joining “moped gangs.” These aren’t evil gangs set out for hell bent destruction, but just to have fun and promote the popularity of the fun bikes.

One of the biggest organizations is the Moped Army, located mostly in the north east. There are currently 14 different chapters in the army and they even have their own website where they promote their different events. Members can also upload photos of their bikes and chat in forums with other members.

Mopeds are quickly sweeping the nation with popularity and are allowing consumers to travel while saving on gas money and having fun. There are many advantages to having a moped and I see the moped madness to continue to grow in the future.