IT'S TIME TO GET OFF THE FENCE AND ONTO AN EBIKE. HERE ARE 10 REASONS YOU SHOULD BUY AN EBIKE.
Gradually leaving the stigma in their dust and ignoring the uninitiated who scream "heathen" and "cheater" while still at the bottom of the first hill as you break over the crest with barely a bead of sweat in sight, eBike popularity in all aspects of cycling is on the rise and at its greatest ever pace.
Regardless of what type of rider you are, there is an eBike for you. It doesn't matter if you're new to cycling or clock up thousands of miles each year. Nor does it matter whether you ride road, MTB, cross country or downhill. It doesn't matter whether you ride for fitness, to commute, or just to nip to the shops. Manufacturers are actively ensuring that every base is covered and that no-one is left behind.
If you've been on the fence about joining the ever growing eBike community or making the switch from a conventional bike, here are 10 reasons why 2022 is the year to do it.
EBIKES ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET BACK INTO CYCLING.
Haven’t ridden in years? Worried you’re not as fit as you were? An eBike is a great way to get back in the saddle, rediscover cycling and immediately start improving your fitness without being worried you’re only going to make it around the block. With eBikes ranges as high as 100 miles, you’ll be racking up miles like a pro from day one! If you're struggling to work out what type of bike you need or is best for your intended riding, why not get in touch or Book an Appointment to visit our showroom in Surrey today?
EBIKES ARE FOR EVERYONE.
Whatever your goal and whatever you want to conquer, there’s an eBike to help you do it. Want to beat the traffic to work? There’s an eBike for that. Looking to keep up with your mates on those huge mountain climbs? There’s one for that too. Something just to nip to the shops and run errands in the sun rather than use the car? Yup… you guessed it. We've even got one for that!
Not only is there a bike for every use case, but manufacturers work hard to ensure they're as easy to use as an ordinary bike and technology to assist this evolves every year. You don't have to be technical whizz-kid to operate them either. Almost all in their most basic form only require one button to switch it on, and an up and down button to change how much assistance it provides. The electrical system aside, they work exactly the same as a normal bike.
EBIKE RIDERS DO IT MORE.
And it's not cheating - because multiple studies between 2017 and now have disproved that myth. Because of their versatility and range, eBike owners spend much more time in the saddle than regular bike riders. In a study in 2018, the Transport Research Laboratory reported that owners of regular cycles use them on average, less than 25 times per year with only half of those studied only using them around once a week.
The study found that in comparison, over 30% of eBike owners use them every day, with over 80% of them making it out at least once a week making eBike owners twice as likely as conventional bike riders to use them!
EBIKES HELP YOU GO FURTHER, FASTER AND FOR LONGER.
With readily achievable ranges of over 100 miles on a single charge, eBike technology continues to evolve at an ever faster pace.
They've never been more effective at covering ground with minimal effort and they’re only getting better. Although their principle is the same as a conventional bike, with upto 250w of power added to each pedal stroke getting where you’re going will be quicker, easier and much more fun. Regardless of your fitness level or cycling ability, much more is within reach on an eBike.
EBIKES CAN OFTEN BE FASTER THAN CARS.
There’s a good reason that companies like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, multiple Same Day Couriers and Pizza delivery businesses use bikes, even conventional ones, in large cities. While cars get faster, there are also more of them on the road than ever. Did you know, the average daily speed in central London is just 7mph!
An eBike on the other hand can reach 15mph in just a few pedal strokes, making them a much better and time efficient way to get around heavily congested towns and cities. Taking off from the line in many cases more quickly than a car, they allow riders to safely stay ahead of the moving traffic. They also don't require Tax, MOT or a license to ride. Nor will it ever need defrosting on a cold morning or trips to dirty fuel stations!
EBIKE RIDERS HAVE A GREATER CHANCE OF INCREASING FITNESS.
Because eBike riders now spend more time on average in the saddle than conventional bike riders (TRL research mentioned previously), they stand a much greater chance of increasing their fitness than those who own a normal bike, but barely ride it. “Its better to do something than nothing” and that statement is very true of eBikes.
Not only do eBike owners use their bikes more frequently, they cover more miles than conventional bike users. Electric bikes don't "do all the work". They require continual rider input and so the longer you spend with an elevated heart rate, the fitter you'll get!
You’re still having to pedal, steer and put some effort into balance (which works your core) and so no matter how many times someone says, “its cheating”, its definitely not!
EBIKES ARE ECONOMICAL, IN EVERY WAY.
We don’t just mean you’re helping to save the planet (you are) - they’re cheap to run. Taking away the initial purchase price (we’ll get to that), the running cost of an eBike is almost the same as a normal one.
It costs on average, about 7-10p to fully charge an eBike battery from your home (less if you get permission (or sneak) it on charge under your desk at work!). With up to 100 miles of range, that’s just 0.07p per mile. To put that into perspective, an average family car doing 40mpg around town uses around £15 of fuel to cover the same 100 miles. Over 2000% more!
Ongoing service costs are also directly comparable to an ordinary bike. The motor, battery and control systems are sealed, self contained units which dont require servicing. The rest of the bike components are exacly the same as conventional bike components.
Wear and tear components like brake pads are around £15 per pair and easily fitted in 2 minutes at home. Tyres are between £15 and £50 (some are more, if you go for really swanky race tyres on your road bike!) and you'll readily see several thousand miles from a set. They too can be changed at home.
As you can see, not only are many of the normal service items inexpensive, you can fit them yourself with minimal and tools, and a couple of YouTube videos!
AN EBIKE CAN HELP YOU SAVE MONEY.
eBikes aren’t “cheap”. There. We said it. But they do help people save money. Forget the initial purchase price for a moment and consider what you can easily do and achieve with it.
eBikes don’t require road tax, insurance or a MOT and are exempt from congestion charges. This is where they really start to become more economical, especially for city commuters where the initial purchase cost immediately starts being saved.
The average cost of even the cheapest small motorcycle/moped is around £3,000. Insurance due to rising theft rates in London is now around £600 a year. Road tax is around £100 per year, not to mention an up to 2000% higher “fuel bill”. Add in an obligatory helmet and you're already in the region of £4,000 before fuel and servicing costs.
The average number of miles covered by UK drivers is around 10,000 per year. At average 40mpg, that’s £1500 in fuel. Can you really afford not to be using eBike for your commute this year?!
Even if commuting on a bike is either prohibitively difficult due to distance or time (or perhaps just don't want to!), replacing the car on short journeys to pick up groceries, popping to a friends and other small errands is another easy way to save fuel, help the planet and get fitter all at the same time!
EBIKES ARE A MUCH MORE FUN WAY TO GET AROUND.
Forget walking (does anyone still do that?!). No more getting on the tube, into a train or being stuck in traffic. You can forget standing like a packed sardine hanging off a weathered leather strap in a packed train carriage too. No standing in bus stops wondering whether the bus will be late (or turn up at all!). Electric bicycles are a far more rewarding way to get from place to place quickly, while improving your health.
Despite being a “motorised vehicle”, you don’t need a license but can still use all the cycle lanes. Whether its zipping through the city or taking a relaxed weekend ride through local trails and countryside (even the big cities have some brilliantly scenic places to ride on their outer fringes!), an eBike is one of the most economical and stress free ways to enjoy getting around and with the motor providing as much or as little assistance as you decide, you can do it all without breaking too much of a sweat if you don’t want to!
EBIKES ARE GOING TO BE A BIG PART OF THE FUTURE OF PERSONAL TRAVEL
The ban on combustion engines is being bought further forward each year. More towns and cities are going to see restrictions and complete bans on fossil fuel vehicles. In fact, this is already the case in some cities. These bans will leave walking or public transport as your only option.
The rest of Europe is already miles ahead of the UK. E-mobility hasn’t suffered the same legal restrictions (and fines!) and the industry has been allowed to flourish naturally. It’s no surprise then, that many of the biggest eBike manufacturers aren’t based in the UK!
In London, its estimated that in 2021 just 3% of journeys were undertaken on bicycles. To put this into perspective - in the Netherlands, 43% of the population ride their bike at least once a day. The UK figure is a miserable 4%. This is aided by most European countries having invested more heavily and over a longer period in the infrastructure and enablement of choice to use a bike instead of a vehicle.
Only 13% of those in the Netherlands never ride their bike. The UK, has one of the highest rates of non-use. A whopping 69% of the population don't use or own a bike at all.
The government has already pledged an extra £5 billion to increase the cycling network and infrastructure, literally paving the way for greater adoption of eBikes.
WE HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR "10 REASONS YOU SHOULD BUY AN EBIKE IN 2022".
If these "10 reasons you should buy an ebike in 2022" haven't been enough to tempt you down off the fence, pop us an email, give us a call or Book an Appointment to come and see us at our Surrey showroom.
We can have a chat over a coffee, get a good understanding of your needs and make sure you have everything to make a fully informed decision on the best investment you can make this year!
Convinced already? Take a look at our extensive range of eBikes here.
