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By Kate Ruder, KFF Health News

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — E-bike of Colorado sales manager Perry Fletcher said his sales and repair shop saw an increase in back-to-school sales to young riders and families this fall as the popularity of the battery-powered bicycles revs up.

But the kids’ excitement for their new rides is tempered by a recurring question from worried parents: Are they safe?

That can be a difficult question to answer. The federal government’s e-bike regulations are sparse, and efforts to expand them have stalled, leaving states and even counties to fill the void with patchwork rules of their own. Meanwhile, the seemingly endless variety of e-bikes for sale vary in design, speed, and quality.

In that environment, retailers like Fletc

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