Article on BBC Web site about electric bikes

[OxygenJames]

Interesting.

Article about Electric bikes on BBC

 

[smudger1956]

'The cycles for people who don't cycle?'.....ruddy cheek...!!

 

[jazper53]

I thought the article was backward, with stone age tendencies and totally misunderstood the true value and failed to state the real benefits such as not just replacing the standard bicycle but replacing the car, and the benefits to ones environment, depopulating our grid locked road, also E-bikes gives mobility to those people that may not be able to use normal bikes due to either infirmity or simply getting old.
Not sure pictures of Prince Charles and the Sinclair C5 are a positive image, or meant to be, by the Author, who in my opinion is reinforcing the stereotype image of e-bikes that already exists in this country.

 

[morphix]

Just spotted it! Interesting article with some useful stats there on sales....only 20,000 units in UK? Lagging behind Europe eh...a whopping 300k sales in Germany.

The picture of Charles on one was interesting, a good public figure to have on side praising the benefits, maybe he can write one or two of his "spider letters" to the Department of Transport and other bodies that can make more money available for the industry ;-)

 

[johnc461165]

Let them keep their heads in the sand while I wizz past with that well known and oft observed silly grin on my face

 

[Artstu]

They really should have done a comparison with a none cyclist on an ordinary bike. Most people have no concept of how fit a cyclist like Malc actually is.

 

[OxygenJames]

They really should have done a comparison with a none cyclist on an ordinary bike. Most people have no concept of how fit a cyclist like Malc actually is.

Absolutely - and with a trendy new super-modern bike that that mad Haibike I just bought. THEN you might see interest pick up. Instead they pit some super-fit tri-athelete against a very traditional looking ebike...

Ah well. Let's look on the bright side - at least it keeps the coppers looking the other way.

 

[103Alex1]

Rob Spedding, a self-confessed middle-aged man in lycra. For enthusiasts like him, the point is pedalling hard and getting fit.

"For us, an electric bike is cheating, isn't it? If we wanted to go up Alpe d'Huez [in the French Alps] under power we could drive up it. We want to get there under our own steam."

Cyclists who feel they have to prove to themselves they're not getting older by pretending they're young athletes are just deluded. I'd like to plonk one on my Kalkhoff and say go on then, ride at 18-19.5mph for 6 miles and tell me after that that eBiking is "cheating" and I'll buy you a "Made in Germany" sticker for your lycra-clad backside to ride into a War Veterans' reunion.

Ride up my local hills on it at a sustained speed of over 12mph for 3 miles and I'll buy you a beer. Coz you'll be so dehydrated from the sweat you've shed you'll be grateful for it.

Plonk me on a 6.5kg road bike and I'll happily overtake d8veh on his torquiest invention on the flat or downhill. The point is we don;t all live in the Norfolk Broads or cycle along Victoria Embankment and back to get to work. The gasps of physical agony and exhaustion of cyclists in the South Hams, in their skimpiest sweat-soaked spandex, cannot possibly be thought of as worthwhile healthy exercise by anyone sane. More some gruelling challenge for sport-mad people whose aim in life is to prove themsleves to someone (themselves I think - as on the whole no-one else gives two hoots lol).

Going out for a nice ride away from the confines of a metal cage on wheels in the fresh air and getting some real but controlled exercise is a far more realistic and enjoyable pursuit for most. I think the "real cyclists" are just jealous - and can't bring themselves to accept that the thousands of pounds they blow on overpriced bikes, tight clothes, shoes you can't walk in and daft-looking headwear in which to suffer through the agony of their rides is nothing more than self-inflicted pain - and a whole load of hype .

Now where did I put that speedsuit ?

 

[rog_london]

Now where did I put that speedsuit ?

I think I spotted it just under the soapbox....

Seriously - nicely written!

Rog.

 

[dmcgoldrick]

the article is a good general summary of how ebikes are perceived in the uk. seems to cover the salient points well enough as its aimed at the general readers and not bike enthusiasts.

all publicity can only raise the awareness of ebikes and this article cannot be taken as negative in any way.....
regards

 

[john h]

To be cheating one has to be in some sort of competion, or exam, i like many others am not ,i cant cycle like i did when i was younger , WHY[ dont have same bike for a start] people started cycling as a means of recreation and getting into the country side for fresh air. long before the lycra team where here so who is the real cyclist.

 

[Scimitar]

Frankly, if I wanted to go up the Alpe d'Huez, I'd hire a taxi. Who, in their right mind, would want to cycle up that? Nutcases.

 

[Spinalot]

I have a friend who is the same age as me and is fit as a butchers dog and he is one of the types that actually likes to "feel the burn" and gets a high from it. Many people that have done sports all of their lives are of a similar mindset. That's is fine for them, not everyone is like that.
For me I am like many here, I want to get out and about and get some gentle(ish) exercise, occasionally getting a little out of puff but not end up puking my guts up on the side of the road or arrive at my destination wetter than a tossed salad.

 

[OxygenJames]

I just managed to persuade an old friend of mine to finally go get an electric bike - she bought it from James up in Portobello Road last week (Hi James if you're here - see letting me have a test ride 2 weeks before that was not a complete waste of time after all huh?) - she rides to work and back 8 miles (16 return) each day and sometimes further - but was worried she would 'get fat'.

However - she tried out my bikes - finally the haibike - and then I let her use the Oxygen one for two days - and then went and got herself a more sensible (than mine) Haibike - which she is very happy with. She was so scared of the power too! Ha. Bless. Some girls huh? But she got there in the end and she now says she loves the bike - but it did take some time and patience.

I'm still not convinced they will ever catch on in this country - had I not lost my license I would never have realised just how good they are - coz I would never have even tried one. But then I was knocking about on a 172 bhp Yamaha R1 so why would I?

Well now that I have one even when I get my licence back there are some journeys I will still use the electric bike for - ones where I dont want the fuss of putting a helmet on or obeying red lights and/or one-way streets (forgive me this is London everybody rides like an idiot) and are less than 5 miles. anyhow. You get the idea.

 

[Ajax]

To be cheating one has to be in some sort of competion, or exam, i like many others am not ,i cant cycle like i did when i was younger , WHY[ dont have same bike for a start] people started cycling as a means of recreation and getting into the country side for fresh air. long before the lycra team where here so who is the real cyclist.

If you want to, you could ride an ebike with same effort a regular cyclist puts in, and travel faster and further for that same effort.

Also if you were to look at users of mopeds and cars in terms of their fitness, I'm sure ebikers would
come out on top. Its all relative.

Of course there's always shanks pony for fitness, and wear and tear, and bother.