How has your e-bike changed your commute?

JBello

Finding my (electric) wheels
Sep 16, 2016
6
0
49
Berkhamsted
I work for a sustainable transport charity and I'm gathering information on people who have swapped their regular commute to an e-bike commute. I am particularly interested in journey lengths.

Please describe your commute before and after you owned an e-bike. Please also include age and gender if you are happy to do so.

kind regards
JBello
 
D

Deleted member 4366

Guest
Prior to retirement, my commute was 14.4 miles each way. Previously, I used a motorcycle and car. When I got my ebike, it was the main thing I used in all weathers, except I'd use the car if it was pouring with rain at the time to start because I didn't want to be wet when arriving at work. I wore a cape in the rain, which did a pretty good job of keeping me dry, but even that couldn't protect me in an hour long deluge.

Journey time was in the range 50 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes along mainly main roads. The only problem was other vehicles trying to wipe me out, which was rather too often. With a long motorcycling background, I was in a good position to survive the attacks, so no actual accidents in 3 years, though I did get bumped a couple of times. Male age 57 to 60 when commuting, now 64 and still doing approx 2000 miles a year on ebike.
 

anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,785
The European Union
A 14 km each way (leisure) commute to the metro station which includes a 3.8 km climb on the way there and a shorter steeper climb on the way back. I do this about 2 or 3 times a week on average from November to March now but previously all year round. Most of the 3200 km between June 2015 and June 2016 on my pedelec were done on this stretch of road. If I miss the last metro I ride the 38 km back home.
Screenshot from 2015-02-18 08:27:32.png
Before I used public transport: bus and more rarely the train. The timetables did not correspond to my needs. A few times I missed the right metro and ended up with no corresponding bus and walking the 14 km back home. No trains after 18:00...

61, male and considerable scooter and motorbike riding experience over the years which, as d8veh says, means a more agressive 2 wheeler approach to riding on main roads and surviving in trafic. No car at all since 2013.
 

Ruadh495

Pedelecer
Oct 13, 2015
145
63
51
My commute is 12.5 miles each way, part urban, part rural, including everything from urban cyclepaths to a stretch of rural A road. It's going to work out at 5000 miles a year (currently 4000 miles into my first year). There's a fairly significant hill at each end. E-bike 1hr, car/motorcycle 0.5hr, public transport 2hr+ (bus, train, bus, £20 each way). A colleague with a similar commute claims 45min for unassisted road bike, but he is very fit (and exaggerating a bit?). There's not enough traffic hold ups for a motorbike to be faster than a car.

Before the e-bike I had a 250cc motorcycle which I only used for commuting. That's been sold as the e-bike has replaced it. My family owns a car, which my wife uses. I cycle all year round, avoiding the need for a second car. Next summer I might give unassisted cycling a go, building on the fitness gained on the e-bike, but for the winter the e-bike's got better lights, better weather protection and will cope better with studded tyres (having come off the motorbike on ice I like the idea of those, but haven't tried them yet).

I'm male, 44 (does that make me one of the younger e-bikers?). 16 years motorcycle experience. Are we all ex-motorcyclists? Perhaps the only ones who will tolerate the homicidal traffic and miserable weather day in day out...

The main advantage of e-bike over motorbike for me is cost. I was putting about £50 a month in the tank of the 250, plus a further £20 for insurance. The e-bike costs about £2 a month in electricity (estimated) and £42 a year for CUK membership (insurance). Tyres, clothing etc cost a lot less as well. I was looking at replacing my motorcycle clothing (including the mandatory helmet) as it was approaching end-of-life and had been in a minor crash (ice). Building my e-bike cost a similar amount. Without that and the sale value of the motorbike the e-bike wouldn't have paid for itself yet, though.
 

derf

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 4, 2014
1,007
766
53
I work for a sustainable transport charity and I'm gathering information on people who have swapped their regular commute to an e-bike commute. I am particularly interested in journey lengths.

Please describe your commute before and after you owned an e-bike. Please also include age and gender if you are happy to do so.

kind regards
JBello
my commute is 10.7 miles each way. originally I did it on an ebike, but not for long - mainly because I enjoy exercise, especially on an ordinary bike with good gears since one can vary the intensity as much as one like. What I am mostly aware off as a result is a sense of physical wellbeing, and having lost a few kilograms of weight. I work all day with people, usually in fairly intense interaction, so the 50 minutes cycling also feels like very serene periods of peace and enjoyment.
 

SRS

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 30, 2012
847
347
South Coast
53 year old male.

Swapped from a car to Ebike for approximately 18 months. All weathers on a return trip to work of 24 miles.

The bike may have been de restricted on its cut off speed as each way took only 35 minutes when using the main roads. It was great as it kept up with the traffic flow nicely.

What with all the recent negative publicity surrounding de restriced use I have now moved back to 4 wheels and use my diesel campervan daily instead.

Shame but I cannot risk my driving licence just for the sake of cleaner air.
 

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