Aspen’s Best E-Bikes Relocates to South Hunter Street

The wind off the Aspen snowfields still bites, even in late spring. But on South Hunter Street, the silence of the old gift shop is gone. It’s been replaced by the low hum of electric motors and the clatter of clipless pedals.

Aspen’s Best E-Bikes has moved.

The business is now at 409 South Hunter Street. It’s a short walk from its previous spot. The new space sits in an outdoor patio area. That space used to belong to Harper and Hudson, a gift shop that closed in 2025. Now, it’s filled with Aventon models.

This isn’t just a change of address. It’s a signal that e-bikes are no longer a niche curiosity for tourists. They’re becoming infrastructure.

Co-owners Andrew Amato and Austin Nelson started small. Six bikes in 2022. They grew slowly. Organic growth. By the second year, they had ten. Now, they have about 60.

“We saw demand for it,” Amato said. “We grew very slowly and organically.”

The move was necessary. The fleet outgrew the old box. The new location offers room to breathe. It offers room to sell.

Nelson sees this as part of a global shift. He points to Europe, where e-bikes dominate the market. The U.S. is lagging. But that gap is closing.

“The U.S. market is pretty far behind,” Nelson said. “We’ll start seeing the usage of e-bikes shooting up in the next couple years. We’re trying to get ahead of the curve.”

For locals, the appeal is practical. It’s about commuting without hunting for parking. It’s about covering ground faster.

“A ride that would have taken me three to four hours on a normal mountain bike, I could do in about an hour and a half,” Nelson said. “When I simply don’t have time in the day to go on such a big ride, it’s pretty nice to be able to cover more ground faster and go further.”

The bikes themselves are diverse. Road models. Mountain bikes. Kids’ bikes. Comfort models. Athletic builds. They all come from Aventon. They all cost more than a standard pedal bike. But they offer accessibility.

Rules of the road are shifting, too. Class 1 e-bikes are allowed on streets. They’re allowed on paved and gravel trails in Pitkin County. The Rio Grande Trail. Owl Creek Trail. Brush Creek Trail.

But single-track trails? Mostly no. White River National Forest? Mostly no.

Snowmass Village is testing the waters. They approved a summer-long Class 1 e-bike trial for select trails on Snowmass Mountain. Amato and Nelson want more restrictions lifted. They believe the trails can handle it.

The founders have a unique bond. They’re both hearing-impaired. That shared experience forged a strong friendship before it became a business partnership. It’s a detail that doesn’t show up on a press release, but it matters. It explains the patience. The organic growth. The focus on community over rapid expansion.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to grow,” Nelson said. “We’re excited that the demand is increasing year after year.”

The new location is just a few blocks away. But the implications are further reaching. As e-bike usage spikes, the friction between cyclists, drivers, and trail managers will intensify. Snowmass is just the first step. If the trial holds, other counties may follow.

The bikes are ready. The fleet is expanded. The location is set. Now comes the hard part: convincing the rest of the mountain that this isn’t cheating. It’s just better engineering.