The Younger Generation and E-Bikes

[flecc]

What's not cool about this, teenage transport plus room for the inevitable offspring, plus the added bonus of the rider being able to ignore all that is going on around them and focus totally on their inevitable smartphone just like they do when driving or walkingView attachment 5145

Until the scream of the kid in the middle getting their foot caught in the chain and idler sprockets!

I'm afraid cycling at the moment is not so much cool, more bl**dy cold!

 

[Cyclezee]

Thanks for sharing that with us Tony, I was starting to wonder if you and Lynda would be getting a room sometime soon

 

[flecc]

Thanks for sharing that with us Tony, I was starting to wonder if you and Lynda would be getting a room sometime soon

I wouldn't dare getting between you and her!

 

[Cyclezee]

Gosh is that the time, must dash

 

[funkylyn]

Thanks for sharing that with us Tony, I was starting to wonder if you and Lynda would be getting a room sometime soon

LOL......Well......at least WE would be doubly sure of me not getting pregnant

Lynda

 

[mountainsport]

I don't really know why but I have always had it in mind that 17, 18 year olds would have no interest in E-bikes.

Well, a trip into Halfords with my pedelec opened my eyes.

Popped in, taking my bike with me. No sooner had I got to the desk, several staff arrived. All youngsters and all expressed great interest. Most had a spin around the carpark and all were very interested without exception.

I take it all back, todays youngsters would take to these bikes like ducks to water. If someone could mass produce a trendy, cost effective bike targeted at this market, they'd surely make a killing.

PS: have now swapped browsers and can post any thread title I Like.

Hello SRS,

I can see what you are saying,but those kids were mainly fascinated in what it feels like to be on an ebike and by testing it's speed and power. And speaking of e-bikes which are sold in Halfords,that's another topic all together,to be quite frank i wouldn't even waste my time looking on the price tags,because to be quite frank with you those ebikes looks so non-appealing.

It would be a different scenario if they were to jump on a high powered cycle such as a 1000w or upwards motor,with plenty of kick and speed+not forgetting the sporty look..

Mountainsport.

 

[jackhandy]

It certainly is about image, as shown in the type of mopeds the teens buy. But what happens in others countries isn't relevant, since cycling in Britain simply doesn't have a cool image as it does in many other countries and e-bikes are just bicycles. Where cool is concerned I see no prospect of bicycles and cycle helmets winning out over hoodies or full-face moped helmets./QUOTE]

We're obviously approaching this subject from very different directions:
Your argument is totally correct, as regards riding on British roads & would take a major sea-change in parents' perception of the risks kids face; presumably only bring-aboutable by fundamental alterations to the road infrastructure.

My suggestion would be to grab the attention of the offroad comunity first - to whom what happens in the good ol' US of A is of fundamental importance:
If the existing patchwork of bike trails over 'ere was developed into a cohesive network of graded trails, to cater for the serious nutters as well as Granny on her ebike, maybe we'd see some generation of interest.

 

[SRS]

Hello SRS,

I can see what you are saying,but those kids were mainly fascinated in what it feels like to be on an ebike and by testing it's speed and power. And speaking of e-bikes which are sold in Halfords,that's another topic all together,to be quite frank i wouldn't even waste my time looking on the price tags,because to be quite frank with you those ebikes looks so non-appealing.

It would be a different scenario if they were to jump on a high powered cycle such as a 1000w or upwards motor,with plenty of kick and speed+not forgetting the sporty look..

Mountainsport.

You are quite right, fascinated to see what the power an speed feels like.
What they did not do was write off the use these bikes down lazy of disabled people only.
They could see the real world application for regular people.

The point is, that these are people who work in a bike shop. Not one of them knew anything about electric bikes nor had they tried ever one.

If people working in a major chain of cycle shops know nothing, then what hope is there to educate the rest of the public.

Ref: Halfords electric bikes, yes I suspect that they will be low quality. Much the same as most of their early day regular bikes. Time will tell if they change.

 

[flecc]

My suggestion would be to grab the attention of the offroad comunity first - to whom what happens in the good ol' US of A is of fundamental importance:
If the existing patchwork of bike trails over 'ere was developed into a cohesive network of graded trails, to cater for the serious nutters as well as Granny on her ebike, maybe we'd see some generation of interest.

Yes, that would be a good approach, helping to overcome the effects of our UK and EU legal restrictions which make e-bikes unappealing to youngsters. Certainly all the youngsters who've shown interest or tried my bikes have only been concerned with "How fast" and "Do you still have to pedal?". Off-road trails could deal with both doubts on speed and power, but I'm not sure if it would lead to any worthwhile increase in legal road use.

London of course is a hopeless case, for the reasons explained, also the more densely populated parts of the home counties, both with not much space for off-road trails.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Rising insurance costs for young car drivers combined with increasing petrol costs do provide an opportunity. When you compare some of the figures quoted for insurance I do think you could get a very nice e bike for that expense. Alternatively a nice s pedelec could be a good alternative if laws were tweaked similar to that in Germany. I wonder if anyone has ever asked if they can do their CBT on one of these? Due to the lack of cycle paths not being able to ride them on these would not be so much of a disadvantage.

 

[Old_Dave]

I wonder if anyone has ever asked if they can do their CBT on onw of these

I should imagine that the CBT center would prefer the use of one of their own machines.. so that all the ducklings can keep together in a nice little waddling.

 

[GaRRy]

Yes, that would be a good approach, helping to overcome the effects of our UK and EU legal restrictions which make e-bikes unappealing to youngsters. Certainly all the youngsters who've shown interest or tried my bikes have only been concerned with "How fast" and "Do you still have to pedal?". Off-road trails could deal with both doubts on speed and power, but I'm not sure if it would lead to any worthwhile increase in legal road use.

London of course is a hopeless case, for the reasons explained, also the more densely populated parts of the home counties, both with not much space for off-road trails.

Sorry but if they want to go fast offroad and not pedal they should take up Motorcross.

 

[GaRRy]

Rising insurance costs for young car drivers combined with increasing petrol costs do provide an opportunity. When you compare some of the figures quoted for insurance I do think you could get a very nice e bike for that expense. Alternatively a nice s pedelec could be a good alternative if laws were tweaked similar to that in Germany. I wonder if anyone has ever asked if they can do their CBT on one of these? Due to the lack of cycle paths not being able to ride them on these would not be so much of a disadvantage.

Pretty certain even if was allowed you could not pass the swerve test as would struggle to get up to 30 mph in the distance available.

 

[jazper53]

I wonder who out of all the members is the youngest and what age is that, because reading most of the posts in this thread there seems to be a general lack of understanding of how modern youth culture thinks. Personally I don't think its all about speed but mainly STYLE and Image as the MOD culture demonstrates with there underpowered scooters and to a smaller extent rebellion against parental ideals

ps I include myself as a member of the out of touch Brigade

 

[flecc]

I wonder who out of all the members is the youngest and what age is that, because reading most of the posts in this thread there seems to be a general lack of understanding of how modern youth culture thinks. Personally I don't think its all about speed but mainly STYLE and Image as the MOD culture demonstrates with there underpowered scooters and to a smaller extent rebellion against parental ideals

ps I include myself as a member of the out of touch Brigade

I think I understood at my advanced age, but while agreeing about style, I question your remark about speed. With every teen who has ever asked about or tried my e-bikes, the first questions has invariably been how fast can it go. Some, but only some, have later remarked on the bike style they would prefer (usually mountain), but always and every time it's speed queried first.

 

[Ajax]

If people working in a major chain of cycle shops know nothing, then what hope is there to educate the rest of the public.

Ref: Halfords electric bikes, yes I suspect that they will be low quality. Much the same as most of their early day regular bikes. Time will tell if they change.

Ebikes are starting to surface as 'Gadgets' in related shows, but they wont really reach the public consciousness until they are seen on TV as preferred transport for leading characters, eg in soaps.

imagine x in corrie banned from driving, taking to an ebike...

If there was a federation of ebike producers, the next obvious thing would be to court some kind of product placement. Ditto the government and its belated efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Second to product placement and formal campaigns, there's simply seeing them about town. The trouble is most ebike look like any regular bike from a distance. Also there is no local industry to profit from this trend.

Then there's the automatic association of bikes generally to toys, instead of transport. Without advocates to say otherwise, you are suppose to grow-up to become another petrol head. Which means the Eco angle has to vie with the Machination of cultural expectations. As consumers we should be spending in support of traditional industries, apparently. The Eco angle simple isn't at the fore as an argument. Maybe in the future this may figure as a marketing ploy, with a catchy tagline like, "Are you doing your bit?"

Meantime we expect people in cars, as towns and cities are organised around petrol transports. Past a certain age if you don't drive then you are expected to take the bus, or walk. All this comes ahead of e-transports or e-bike solutions.

Its a shame we missed that opportunity in the Olympics. Can you imagine officials and their minions with a fleet of ebikes donated to help out, and thereby figuring in the background of the news. Maybe next time. maybe never.

E-transport is the future and has to start someplace, the bike is as good a place to start a trend as any, but attitudes will need to change first.

 

[flecc]

If there was a federation of ebike producers, the next obvious thing would be to court some kind of product placement. Ditto the government and its belated efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Second to product placement and formal campaigns, there's simply seeing them about town.

There is, and this is being done. The organisation is BEBA, (British Electric Bike Asociation), and there is a lobbyist permanently acting on their behalf in parliament. BEBA have organised e-bike rides for members of parliament, including their all-party cycling group. BEBA members actively promote e-bike use and ownership by various high profile organisations, notably various police forces now owning and using fleets daily or having had fleets on trial. BEBA members and other industry figures also organise a wide range of e-bike shows with demonstrations countrywide, and there has been a popular national e-bike rally in Presteigne over several years until very recently. And of course the media has been widely used to show off e-bikes and demonstrate their capabilities.

The triumvirate of enemies remain in opposition though, the perception that cycling is a fitness/sport activity rather than transport, the widespread attitude that cycling is intrinsically dangerous on our roads, and the British weather.
.

 

[carpetbagger]

I think I understood at my advanced age, but while agreeing about style, I question your remark about speed. With every teen who has ever asked about or tried my e-bikes, the first questions has invariably been how fast can it go. Some, but only some, have later remarked on the bike style they would prefer (usually mountain), but always and every time it's speed queried first.

Maybe if they understood that they wouldn't have to struggle anymore to the top of the hill,then they would enjoy the speed coming down again ! I am still waiting for somebody to ask how fast my bike is.....52 mph so far, i doubt even a moped would have kept up.

 

[Ajax]

There is, and this is being done. The organisation is BEBA, (British Electric Bike Asociation), and there is a lobbyist permanently acting on their behalf in parliament. BEBA have organised e-bike rides for members of parliament, including their all-party cycling group. BEBA members actively promote e-bike use and ownership by various high profile organisations, notably various police forces now owning and using fleets daily or having had fleets on trial. BEBA members and other industry figures also organise a wide range of e-bike shows with demonstrations countrywide, and there has been a popular national e-bike rally in Presteigne over several years until very recently. And of course the media has been widely used to show off e-bikes and demonstrate their capabilities.

The triumvirate of enemies remain in opposition though, the perception that cycling is a fitness/sport activity rather than transport, the widespread attitude that cycling is intrinsically dangerous on our roads, and the British weather.
.

If only we had a 'Sir Clive Sinclair', a British patron saint for ebikes, someone actually manufacturing these things, or coming up with world leading technologies, and thereby export these coal to china. Im sure in the future it will be cost effective to have a manufacturing plant in the uk, at least for the motors.

I was thinking if the speed limit was upped to 20mph, and the legal age raised from 14 to 16, this would make the ebike appear a more serious contender as a means of transport. Of course then you would need a 300w motor to boot, which would only upset the established status quo. Not that it matters much with all those 'off road' bikes out there.

ah well its easy to dream.

 

[SRS]

I think I understood at my advanced age, but while agreeing about style, I question your remark about speed. With every teen who has ever asked about or tried my e-bikes, the first questions has invariably been how fast can it go. Some, but only some, have later remarked on the bike style they would prefer (usually mountain), but always and every time it's speed queried first.

It is not just the youngsters that enquire about speed, most ages do.

Myself being at the age of 50 would prefer almost everything I own to go faster and that includes body.

In this modern age, eveything is about speed and efficiency so is it any wonder that everyone wants to go fast.

Just keeping up with the pace of life you have to move quickly.