So why do people ride electric bikes? There must be something that’s making them more and more popular? So popular that electric bikes account for two-thirds of the money spent on cycling in the Netherlands.
So popular that electric bikes may become the new normal for cyclists within a decade or two in some countries. Pedal cycles may become a minority niche.
In some parts of the world – China, Japan & Germany – they’ve been a common sight for many years. But now they’re really catching on across the rest of Europe and the United States has seen a breakthrough in popularity lately.
Every day brings a new story about electric bikes. They have long been illegal to ride in New York, but now it looks like that will change. New electric bike brands are being launched all the time, with Panasonic and Yamaha-powered ebikes entering the US market in 2019. There’s even an electric bike that connects to Alexa.
Word is spreading about the health benefits of electric bikes too. They’re a great way to become more mobile, meet friends and get more exercise (without exhausting yourself).
Electric bikes do nothing less than make cycling make sense for more people than ever before. It only takes a few minutes of riding one to realise how one could make sense for you!
Why do people ride electric bikes?
Electric bikes make cycling a viable way to get around rather than a means of getting fit, competing or sightseeing. They have the power to replace a family automobile and weave their way into the daily life of anybody who needs to go from A to B for whatever reason.
Hundreds of e-bike specialist shops have sprung up across the nation. Over in Europe, millions of electric bikes are on the road and hundreds of thousands more are sold every year.
There’s also a lively market in used, ex-demo and pre-loved electric bikes.
There’s more concern about pollution from cars and greater realisation that sitting in traffic every day is a great way to get sick and stressed.
What do electric bikes offer?
Electric bikes offer an exciting way to escape all this. They bring individual freedom. They’re relatively cheap to buy and cheap to run. Most electric bikes require that you pedal, at least a little, so exercise and transport are combined in a way that’s practical for almost anyone to enjoy.
Read about who is riding electric bikes in 2019
E-bikes are also really fast. They’re faster than most pedal cyclists, especially on hills. They take seconds to park, you can take shortcuts through traffic, they battle through wind and rain that would bring most cyclists to a standstill.
E-bikes mean freedom
For me, it’s the freedom that keeps bringing me back for another ride. Cutting loose from owning a car, riding the train, slumming it on buses never gets old. Electric bikes mean freedom in my mind and millions of other people seem to agree.
I’ve been riding and selling electric bikes for over fifteen years and I’m going to share with you the pros and the cons, the ups and the downs, the risks and the benefits. But most of all I want to convey some of the pure joy that electric cycling brings.
Stay tuned for more articles that expand on this brief introduction. And if there’s something you want to know in the meantime, send me a message! I’ve been talking about electric bikes for years and I can probably help.
Electric bikes can be expensive, but it’s easy to save hundreds or thousands of dollars by buying a nearly-new or ex-demonstrator model. Read our guide that reveals 5 Reasons to Buy an Ex-Demo E-bike.