The strange story behind Colorado’s ‘no catch’ free e-bike company

A Colorado e-bike retailer's "free bike" promotion has turned into a mess worth knowing about if you're considering the state's e-bike tax credit. Bear Trail Bikes, formerly COE Bikes, offered to match Colorado's statewide e-bike tax credit, which meant customers could sign over their credit to the company and pay little beyond sales tax for a bike. The deal spread fast on social media and word of mouth, with the company promoting it as "No Catch! Free E-Bikes."

Trouble followed. Thousands of customers report waiting months, even over a year, without receiving a bike, and complaints have piled up with the Better Business Bureau. Some customers did get bikes, though a number complained about poor quality or wrong models. Questions have also surfaced about whether delivered bikes carried the safety certification the state's rebate program requires, and about how some customers' tax credits appear to have been claimed even though they say no bike arrived. Colorado officials have said retailers are normally reimbursed only after a bike is delivered. The FBI recently seized assets tied to the company's owner as part of an ongoing investigation, though no criminal charges have been filed.

For homeowners, the takeaway is not about your house but about caution with too-good-to-be-true retailer promotions layered on top of state rebates. Colorado's e-bike tax credit itself remains a legitimate, widely used program; this case is specific to one retailer's practices, and it's worth checking a company's track record before signing over any credit or rebate to them.