What is an E-bike and why are they increasingly popular?
You may have found yourself wondering what exactly is an e-bike and why recently there has been increased popularity? An e-bike is just like an ordinary bike, however, it has a battery and a motor to assist you when pedalling which can be very useful for that large hill on the way to work which may have been putting you off making the switch to cycling. E-bikes have actually been around a lot longer than we think, with models produced within the 1990’s but only within the past 10 years have they taken to holding a market share within the cycle industry.
How popular are E-bikes?
Within 2020 we may have all noticed the high demand for bicycles across the U.K, with a 60% increase in sales, however electric bikes had a whopping increase of 230%, with 370,000 sold in 2019.
How much is an E-bike?
E-bikes prices vary depending on their wattage as well as the style and brand, with entry level bikes staring around £450.
The wattage determines how far you can go until you need to re-charge your battery, 30Km may not seem like very far, but this is based on you not contributing to the pedalling at all.
There has been discussion that the government are likely to offer grants within 2021 to offer up to 1/3rd off the purchase price. You can also purchase an e-bike on cycle to work schemes which allows you to purchase at a reduced price and pay monthly from your wage.
Running costs?
Once the battery needs charging you can remove it from the bike and bring indoors to charge which is recommended during the winter. A full re-charge will only cost you between 10-15p with the charge time varying from 3 – 6 hours, again depending on the wattage and power supply.
How do they work?
You do still pedal as you would any bike, however if you need assistance you can turn on the power which will have various power modes, varying from low power (slower) to a higher power (faster). With speeds around 15mph without you assisting, however if you were assisting the speed would be higher.
What are the types of E-bikes?
For any type of bicycle there is an e-bike version, including road bikes, mountain bikes and even Brompton folding bikes for easy storage.
What’s the catch?
The only issue that has been bought to attention is that they can be considered quite heavy due to the battery which may be an issue if you live in a flat with no elevator, other than this they are the next best form of sustainable transport, saving you time, money and are environmentally friendly!
If you would like to trial an E-bike Halfords are currently offering 30-minute trials from selected stores, find out more on their website.