Awful American E-Bike Article

[Electrifying Cycles]

This is one of the worst electric bike articles but sums up what some feel about electric bikes. Normally because they have not tried one.

Some of hs points below:
Full disclosure: I have never owned, or wanted to own, an electric bicycle. By doing the hard work for you, e-bikes cheat people out of that accomplishment and ultimately make them lazier. They enable entitlement to motion and a sense of false accomplishment. People will convince themselves they're doing more work than they are to achieve the same results, and their health will suffer for it. In other words, e-bikes are the Planet Fitness of transportation.In three years, I encountered only one e-bike owner who actually deserved his machine

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/gear-shed/cycle-life/Why-E-Bikes-Are-Terrible-For-You.html


I am sure you are aware but there is a good article on the AtoB website which shows some of the key benefits of electric bikes. Some highlights below, we could do with more published research in well respected journals.

Less CO2 compared to most other forms of transport. Depending on the source of the electricity and the air-miles of the food, an electric bike is responsible for 5.8-13.7g/CO2 per mile, and a normal bike 10.5-18.5/CO2 per mile [4]. Incredible!

Surely a conventional bike will keep you fitter? That, of course, depends how much – if at all – you use it. Research [2] has found that 46% of conventional bikes are used only once or twice a week, with a further 30% being used once a fortnight or even less. By contrast, a 2001 survey of electric bike owners reveals that a third ride their bike at least once a day and 81% use the bike at least once a week

http://www.atob.org.uk/electric-bikes/electric-bike-advantages/

 

[Artstu]

Terrible. That lady looks like she's just found out that Kudos is using her glamour photo to promote his not so cheap Chinese bikes

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

It would be funny if it wasnt true

 

[Jimod]

Terrible. That lady looks like she's just found out that Kudos is using her glamour photo to promote his not so cheap Chinese bikes

Aye! Are you sure it's a woman though?

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

School boy error or should that be school girl error

 

[flecc]

Research has found that 46% of conventional bikes are used only once or twice a week, with a further 30% being used once a fortnight or even less.

And I'm sure that research is very inaccurate anyway. Unpowered cycling in the UK is predominantly a sporting style pursuit with bikes mostly only used on weekend days and then only when the weather is suitable.

On average two million bikes are sold each year in the UK, and given that bike last at least ten years if lightly used, there should be at least 20 millions pedalling around out there. That's two bikes for every three cars, or if an average of their 46% and 30% are taken into account into account, something like a bike for every five or six cars seen at anytime!

Excepting for a few big city commuting routes in rush hours, standing at the edge of any road for a while will show how ridiculous that is, and that's not even taking into account the huge proportion of cars running on motorways at any one time.

The fact is a high proportion of those two millions sold annually are hardly ever used beyond a few initial rides. After being left at the back of garages or in gardens for a few years they head back to China as scrap for them to be made into the next generation of bikes doomed to be used for a hundred or so miles if lucky.

Not only are e-bikes used much more on average, they are very much more likely to be sold on to subsequent owners for use after the original purchasers have finished with them. We have plenty of evidence of that from the new member posts in here, e-bikes of sometimes more than a decade old being bought and returned to use.

 

[Croxden]

I did 22 miles this morning, very windy and hilly. My e-bike allowed me to do it, there would have been no attempt if I had only the non powered.
And I am still feeling the effects of this ride.

 

[Artstu]

My e-bike has transformed my health, I'd have not been able to do that on a normal bicycle.

 

[John F]

And I'm sure that research is very inaccurate anyway. Unpowered cycling in the UK is predominantly a sporting style pursuit with bikes mostly only used on weekend days and then only when the weather is suitable.

On average two million bikes are sold each year in the UK, and given that bike last at least ten years if lightly used, there should be at least 20 millions pedalling around out there. That's two bikes for every three cars, or if an average of their 46% and 30% are taken into account into account, something like a bike for every five or six cars seen at anytime!

Excepting for a few big city commuting routes in rush hours, standing at the edge of any road for a while will show how ridiculous that is, and that's not even taking into account the huge proportion of cars running on motorways at any one time.

The fact is a high proportion of those two millions sold annually are hardly ever used beyond a few initial rides. After being left at the back of garages or in gardens for a few years they head back to China as scrap for them to be made into the next generation of bikes doomed to be used for a hundred or so miles if lucky.

Not only are e-bikes used much more on average, they are very much more likely to be sold on to subsequent owners for use after the original purchasers have finished with them. We have plenty of evidence of that from the new member posts in here, e-bikes of sometimes more than a decade old being bought and returned to use.

 

[John F]

Another reason why ebikes are used more than non electrics is that they cost a lot more, so you feel you need to justify its purchase (same with cars) Pay 100 quid for a Tesco bike and you don't feel so guilty.

 

[Jimod]

Another reason why ebikes are used more than non electrics is that they cost a lot more, so you feel you need to justify its purchase (same with cars) Pay 100 quid for a Tesco bike and you don't feel so guilty.

I use my ebike more than my normal bike because it's guaranteed to get me back up the hill when coming home. It's also windy 90% of the time up here and the Ebike is much more pleasurable against the wind.

I've had a normal bike for about a year and have done 10 miles on the ebike for every mile on the normal bike.

 

[anniegirl]

My ebike is brilliant.......would not be able to go out cycling at the moment (health reasons) without it. Got out for a ride this morning. I only managed 5 miles, came back shattered even with an ebike, but thoroughly enjoyed my trip out.

 

[Backin5]

This 'magazine' is schizophrenic. Here's another of their articles, same date:

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/gear-shed/cycle-life/The-Case-for-E-Bikes.html

Have these people not heard of a balanced approach?

 

[flecc]

In fairness I suppose that is balanced, airing both points of view with equal prominence, but the two articles would have been best published together.

 

[Backin5]

Or not at all, save everybody the bother. I think it's contradictory and could confuse potential converts.

 

[flecc]

From our biased e-bike point of view certainly. But all balanced arguments are by their nature contradictory and it's for listeners/readers to make up their minds from the arguments presented.

In this case the pro e-bike argument is so clearly the winner we have nothing to fear.

 

[Backin5]

True.

 

[jackhandy]

I did 22 miles this morning, very windy and hilly. My e-bike allowed me to do it, there would have been no attempt if I had only the non powered.
And I am still feeling the effects of this ride.

I've been trying to put together some stats for a review of my Ezee kit & have worn a cheapo heartrate monitor for a few rides lately:

It surprised me that 2 particular hills that, 18 months ago, would send my heartrate sailing over 157 bpm (max for my age) on an ebike & neccessetated a pause on non-e; I now spin up at 135/140, which is just top-end of my recommended training band.

Needless to say, no way would I ever ride that route unassisted.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

I agree with you Flecc but most evidence is anecdotal, it would be great to have more current published research even if it only tells us what we really know. It could perhaps be used as a PR to raise the profile of e bikes. Locally (to us anyway ) a large survey was done and found one of the main barriers to cycling was percieved lack of fitness which electric bikes can help with.

I just wanted to highlight misconceptions of people thinking people on e bikes are lazy particularly when they are probably the people who drive a few miles to get a paper.