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Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils are leading on the Cycling City project, working with Bath & North East Somerset and North Somerset councils to promote cycling across the region.
Electric bikes - the way of the future or just a niche product?
Stand on Park Street in Bristol for long enough and you're bound to see a cyclist flying up the hill with effortless ease. They don't have calves of steel and they're even wearing business clothing. Who are these gravity defying men and women? They're the owners of electric bikes.
These bikes aren't new inventions (according to Wikipedia the first patent was filed in the 1890s) but they have surged in popularity recently. I suspect that the owners of these type of bikes are keen to ditch their cars for city transport, but are concerned that their fitness might restrict them from using an unmotorised bicycle.
Major bike manufacturers are now looking to cash in on this trend by building trendy looking bikes. For example Cannondale has just launched the very attractive Capo, and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati has also launched its own version called the City Pearl.
These models aren't widely available yet but other versions are available from several bike shops in Bristol including Atmosphere bikes, who've uploaded this great video to the site:
What are your thought on these type of bikes? Do you have one or will you consider switching to one in future? If so, what was the deciding factor?
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In my experience electric bikes are a very good thing. I bought one several years ago. It was inexpensive and the quality was not great so it's performance dropped off over the passage of a year or so. As the performance dropped off, day by day, I needed to put in a little more effort and I got a little fitter. Before long I dusted off and repaired my old unused traditional bike and started using that. I still used the electric bike on wet days when cycling a traditional bike in weatherproof clothes would result in a sweaty arrival at work but, before very long, I ditched the electric bike altogether as wet weather cycling was no longer a problem.
The electric bike got me out of my car for the commute in a way that my old traditional bike never managed and, since moving back to the traditional bike, I have never gone back to the car. For the last 3 years I have cycled to and from work 5 days per week, I have lost a bit of weight, I feel healthier and have long since saved the price of the electric bike through reduced fuel costs.
Do electric bikes help to keep you fit? Yes, apparently they do. There's a one page summary in the excellent Essential Evidence series
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/redirect/?oid=FileStorageItem-id-32692181
Top line: The intensity of physical effort during cycling on an electrically assisted bicycle is sufficiently high to contribute to the physical activity guidelines for moderate-intensity health-enhancing physical activity for adults. (Simons, M., Van Es, E., Hendriksen, I. 2009 Electrically assisted Cycling: A new ode for meeting physical activity guidelines?, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2097-2102.)
The whole series is at: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Transport-Streets/Walking-Cycling/...
Frank,
A very narrow minded viewpoint. Electric bikes actually help you keep fit. Owners of electric bikes end up riding three times more often than they would without an electric bike and they still pedal the whole time while riding. It sure is a lot more excercise than driving your car to the store. Plus, bikes are not only about excercise, they are about having fun riding!
check out our cool line of electric bikes at http://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com
Never! Blasphemy for bikes! They waste electricity and do away with the idea that bikes help keep you fit.