Apparently electric bikes are a cool new way to get around town and are surging in popularity across the world. We’re conducting a quick poll, to find out whether you would buy and ride an e-bike.
Over the past couple of years electric bikes have burst onto the cycling scene. From Eurobike, to Interbike and various Cycle Expo’s in the UK, we’ve noticed a huge explosion in the amount of electric bikes on show.
In mainland Europe about 716,000 e-bikes were sold in 2011 (according to the European Cyclists’ Federation). In China, these motor assisted cycles are even more popular. According to a 2013 study on the global e-bike industry, nine out of every 10 electric bicycles sold worldwide are bought there.
So with e-bikes becoming a common sight in cities from Berlin to Beijing, we’re wondering why they have been slow to catch on in the UK and whether Total Women’s Cycling readers would ever think of buying and riding one.
Yes, they may be pricier than your average bicycle, but they are far less expensive than buying a car, electric bikes get you from A to B without breaking a sweat – enabling those who may find cycling a none motor assisted bike too difficult.
Imagine, for commuters – apart from saving money on fuel and being able to park practically anywhere – e-bikes under UK law are considered bicycles, not vehicles. This means, you don’t need a drivers license to ride one and you can even use them on bicycle lanes.
We’d like to cover e-bikes in more depth, but first we need to know whether they are an option that you would consider. Please take the time to fill out our poll.
