How did you find out about electric bikes?
- Thread starter Jack.Eagle
- Start date
I'm a bit of an odd one out here since I was once in the cycle trade fitting add-on petrol motors to bikes over half a century ago. With that interest in this subject I've followed the evolution of e-bikes from their beginning in 1991, though only buying one for myself in 2003 after they'd evolved considerably and I felt one measured up to having sufficient performance with retention of good cycle characteristics.
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Hi Jack,
I live in Bath, the home of Powabyke, so electric bikes have been around here for a good few years. When I decided to buy a bike ( to cut costs and time in my bus commute- 6 miles with two steep hills), I needed one that could cope with the steep hills of Bath. At first I searched the internet and looked up specific companies. The I thought it wise to seek impartial advice. That's when I found this forum. The expert advise I received here, helped me to eventually buy my Kalkhoff Agattu (not a Powabyke.. sorry guys!..). So I would say that for most, if not all the info I needed, I found it here.
Hope that helps
bw
musicbooks
I live in Bath, the home of Powabyke, so electric bikes have been around here for a good few years. When I decided to buy a bike ( to cut costs and time in my bus commute- 6 miles with two steep hills), I needed one that could cope with the steep hills of Bath. At first I searched the internet and looked up specific companies. The I thought it wise to seek impartial advice. That's when I found this forum. The expert advise I received here, helped me to eventually buy my Kalkhoff Agattu (not a Powabyke.. sorry guys!..). So I would say that for most, if not all the info I needed, I found it here.
Hope that helps
bw
musicbooks
Comment
It is interesting how different people first heard about e-bikes, I cannot remember how I first found out about them. I think I saw somebody riding one, or saw one in a bike shop.
Word of mouth seems to the most common way that people have initially found out about e-bikes. Does this hold true for most people?
regards
Jack
It is interesting how different people first heard about e-bikes, I cannot remember how I first found out about them. I think I saw somebody riding one, or saw one in a bike shop.
Word of mouth seems to the most common way that people have initially found out about e-bikes. Does this hold true for most people?
regards
Jack
I know many have commented on first seeing one on the street like you Jack.
I'd guess another way is through the large number of Powabyke dealers throughout the UK, many holding one of more in stock on display. Powabyke have been established from the early days in the 1990s and have built up a considerable dealer network as you'll see on this page.
Click on each county and you'll frequently see a number of dealers and service centres.
Despite that, those seeing and expressing an interest in one of my bikes usually say they weren't aware of them, and from that I'd guess that possibly as much as 90% of the population don't know they exist.
Exposure on TV should have helped reduce that, The Gadget Show twice (Five) and Working Lunch (BBC 2).
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I'd guess another way is through the large number of Powabyke dealers throughout the UK, many holding one of more in stock on display. Powabyke have been established from the early days in the 1990s and have built up a considerable dealer network as you'll see on this page.
Click on each county and you'll frequently see a number of dealers and service centres.
Despite that, those seeing and expressing an interest in one of my bikes usually say they weren't aware of them, and from that I'd guess that possibly as much as 90% of the population don't know they exist.
Exposure on TV should have helped reduce that, The Gadget Show twice (Five) and Working Lunch (BBC 2).
.
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i was looking at bike hire on guernsey when i saw that you could hire a Powabyke...thats when i started looking and saviing ! 
Saw a couple around my local area and researched options from there. Visited available dealers close enough and then I found this forum !
Press article that led me to google and found the Ezee site. Then heard about the first event in Presteigne (after the event) so made sure I attended the next one!
Search engine
A lady living the other side of the road has one. I couldn't help noticing she rarely did any pedalling. Everything else followed that first Google search for "Electric bikes"
A lady living the other side of the road has one. I couldn't help noticing she rarely did any pedalling. Everything else followed that first Google search for "Electric bikes"
summary so far
The main reasons of how people found out about e-bikes are:
-been involved in the industry
-seen them on the street
-a major manufacture/dealer situated nearby
-found them when looking for electric motorcycles
-saw a e-bike hire place
-online
many thanks for your comments I look forward to hearing more.
Cheers
Jack
The main reasons of how people found out about e-bikes are:
-been involved in the industry
-seen them on the street
-a major manufacture/dealer situated nearby
-found them when looking for electric motorcycles
-saw a e-bike hire place
-online
many thanks for your comments I look forward to hearing more.
Cheers
Jack
Local bikeshop had a Giant LaFree/Twist for sale, which led me to do some internet research, which led me onto this forum.
I've been racking my brains to remember - it doesn't take long I'm going to point the finger at ebay. I'm always going to see what bike bits I can pick up and there are always some there, of course. I think I must have seen them there first.
The curious thing, thinking about it, is how FEW I've seen around London on my conventional bike travels. I can only remember one. Pretty amazing.
I saw more (well, it wouldn't be difficult) in my one week in Aldeburgh recently than years in London.
I'm going to point the finger at ebay. I'm always going to see what bike bits I can pick up and there are always some there, of course. I think I must have seen them there first.The curious thing, thinking about it, is how FEW I've seen around London on my conventional bike travels. I can only remember one. Pretty amazing.
I saw more (well, it wouldn't be difficult) in my one week in Aldeburgh recently than years in London.
It is curious. In five years of riding e-bikes and the preceding 35 years on normal bikes in my London borough of Croydon, plus the surrounding boroughs and Surrey and Kent, I've only seen one parked and never seen one ridden.
It's little wonder that so many of the public don't know of their existence.
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I agree. There is a kind of complex web of practicalities and desires in London - lack of space, increased probability of theft, increased danger from traffic (perceived), and.. the fashion fascista!
I remember the time I did see an e-bike in London- a woman on, perhaps, a Torq, whizzing by me and looking embarrassed
She should have looked triumphant.
I remember the time I did see an e-bike in London- a woman on, perhaps, a Torq, whizzing by me and looking embarrassed
She should have looked triumphant.
I found out about electric bikes through looking for alternative modes of transport for my partner and myself. We don't have enough money to take lessons and buy/insure/run a car, he didn't want to get to work all sweaty on a conventional bike and I am really unfit due to illness.
So up came the google search and found various options such as mopeds, scooters and electric bikes and decided that an e-bike would be the cheapest and easiest option!
My partner has moved to a job literally right next to our place so he just bought a conventional bike so we can enjoy riding together, and I have a Powacycle Salisbury LPX arriving tomorrow.
I think electric bikes need much more promotion from the government....most of my family and friends had no idea they existed and all thought it was a good idea. The number of cars doing short-ish runs with only one person in them is making so much pollution and conjestion in our towns. If only they could invest some money in promoting electric bike use, who all but the most severly disabled should be able to use!
Most people seem to find out about them by either chance or 'fuzzy searches'...surely that tells us something?
Sorry to ramble.
Alethia
So up came the google search and found various options such as mopeds, scooters and electric bikes and decided that an e-bike would be the cheapest and easiest option!
My partner has moved to a job literally right next to our place so he just bought a conventional bike so we can enjoy riding together, and I have a Powacycle Salisbury LPX arriving tomorrow.
I think electric bikes need much more promotion from the government....most of my family and friends had no idea they existed and all thought it was a good idea. The number of cars doing short-ish runs with only one person in them is making so much pollution and conjestion in our towns. If only they could invest some money in promoting electric bike use, who all but the most severly disabled should be able to use!
Most people seem to find out about them by either chance or 'fuzzy searches'...surely that tells us something?
Sorry to ramble.
Alethia