(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- New York City officials say the fire in an e-bike store that killed four was caused by lithium-ion batteries, and the New York Times is reporting that those batteries have been the source of more than 100 fires so far this year.
Here in Chicago, bike shops are weighing-in, as WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports.
First of all, the Chicago Fire Department says fires caused by lithium-ion batteries from e-bikes have not been a problem here.
But as e-bikes and e-scooters get more popular, Green Machine Cycles owner Ezra Hozinsky says buyers need to do their due diligence.
"That's probably the best advice I'd give people as somebody who doesn't really deal in that stuff,” he said.
WBBM: Do your homework.
"Yeah, I would say do your homework, but also maybe not look for the absolute cheapest deal that you can find because it could be more trouble than it's worth, ultimately."
Dave Dybczynski, manager of Kozy's Cyclery, which does sell e-bikes, says they're "almost always generally safe."
But he says watch out for cheap merchandise.
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