The E-Bike Revolution Is Here

E-bikes are growing in popularity, and it’s not hard to see why, after all, who wouldn’t want some free speed to take the sting out of any ride?

Still need a bit of convincing? Here are a few other reasons to join the e-bike revolution…

Of course, electric bicycles offer many of the same benefits that regular cycling does but because you’ve got an added bit of oomph on board, you’ll be able to travel greater distances and ride for longer. They’ll also allow you to go faster than most cyclists and in some cases cars.

Although modern motors can travel at 50 times faster than cars of 100 years ago, gridlocked roads mean that the average car speed in traffic hasn’t increased at all. You can get up to 15mph almost instantly on an e-bike, while the average speed of cars in most central places is 7.4mph!

According to a recent report by the Transport Research Laboratory, regular bikes make it out of the shed fewer than 25 times a year, with 46% being used just once or twice a week.

In comparison, 30% of people with electric bikes use them once a day, while a whopping 81% ride them at least once a week. Which means that e-bike users are twice as likely as regular riders to get out there and ride.

Because you’re riding more, you’ll be pedaling more, even if that electric motor is helping you out on occasion. Which is good news for your heart, your lungs and your blood pressure because endless scientific studies have proven the link between regular exercise and reduced stress levels.

E-bikes are great, too, for people who love the idea of riding a bike, but feel they can’t because their fitness isn’t what it could be, or isn’t what it used to be due to age or illness.

You can pick up a new, decent quality e-bike from as little as $650 while upkeep costs are roughly the same as running a regular bike (for consumable parts like tyres, chains and brake pads).

In other words, far cheaper than buying, insuring and maintaining a petrol or diesel car, and a lot less than forking out for a season ticket or taking regular trips on public transport.

As for the cost of recharging your bike’s battery, we’re talking pennies when it comes to what it’ll add to your electricity bill. Most bike accidents on the road take place at junctions such as crossroads or roundabouts.

This is often down to the fact that it takes a few vital seconds for a halted cyclist to build up speed. Having that little motor to help you accelerate will get you out of the danger zone faster. For the same reason, you’re also less likely to jump a red light because you won’t feel so aggrieved about having to abandon all that nicely built up momentum.

You’ll be more willing to slow for bends and corners, too – where most cyclists come off – because you can use the bike’s motor to accelerate out the other side.

Finally, because you’ll be able to keep up with the flow of traffic more easily, fewer cars, buses and lorries will need to overtake you, which also means safer riding.

Yes, riding an e-bike is similar to riding a regular bike, but once you engage the motor, you’ll find that every time you push on the pedals – depending on the setting you’re using – you’ll get three, four, five or maybe even as much as 10 pedal strokes more for your money.