UK e-bike Market Growth Predicted

[flecc]

You can read the announcement here on this link:

Bike Europe
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[Dynamic Position]

I think that cycling in general has become more popular and this rise might just be in proportion to the general uptake. In Europe there could be a shift to e-bikes from standard push-bikes. With fuel prices reaching record levels there is likely to be some people looking at e-bikes as an alternative, especially if they are marketed by high street names like Tesco and Argos.

 

[fishingpaul]

If only the batteries were cheaper the growth could be so much more,the thought of buying a new battery at £300 to £500 must be so off putting,obviously most pedelec members know the high cost of replacement batteries,but can you imagine the thoughts of most prospective buyers upon being told the cost of replacement batteries.

 

[flecc]

can you imagine the thoughts of most prospective buyers upon being told the cost of replacement batteries.

That's right Paul. When people have asked me about my bikes and mentioned the battery, I always make a point of mentioning battery costs. The look of astonishment on their faces is priceless.
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[Alex728]

Wisper is misspelt in that article, they have instead used the spelling for the 1980s chocolate bar!

If only the batteries were cheaper the growth could be so much more,the thought of buying a new battery at £300 to £500 must be so off putting,obviously most pedelec members know the high cost of replacement batteries,but can you imagine the thoughts of most prospective buyers upon being told the cost of replacement batteries.

Unfortunately I think with the current economic situation that won't happen for many years. that said, on a well used bike and in comparison with keeping a motor car running for single person journeys (which many people still do) the costs aren't that excessive long term. Especially if the cost of petrol keeps going up!

This does also create a bright side for the DIY'ers, that if people abandon the cheaper bikes being unable to afford replacement batteries, they surely will provide a source of components for re-use...

lycras spend just as much on consumable items for their racers as replacement batteries. Steroids and amfet aren't cheap either

 

[Tex]

i agree with alex: the money i've spent on my MTB and Road bike paraphernalia in the past easily outdoes what i have spent on spare bionx batteries

 

[rog_london]

lycras spend just as much on consumable items for their racers as replacement batteries. Steroids and amfet aren't cheap either

No doubt of that - having bought a small item from Evans on-line last year they send me their quarterly catalogue which is always fascinating if only because some of the prices in there are eye watering.....

How about what looks like a pair of Bermuda shorts (for the serious mountain biker) at just a penny under £100! You'd have to have two pairs, wouldn't you - one in the wash?

Rog.

 

[Tex]

100 *POUNDS* for some baggies?! Madness. Emigrate!

 

[rog_london]

100 *POUNDS* for some baggies?! Madness. Emigrate!

They're padded and hi-tech - allegedly. There's always a market for such things. I suspect that many items of 'professional' grade sports clothing will be in that sort of price bracket. You're probably paying for the design of an item with a very small and specialized market. Don't forget you can pay £1,000 for a top-of-the-range chainset and derailleur for a road bike.

There's this psychological thing the marketing people love - they like to push the best gear towards the sort of people who aspire to being the best sportsmen. Ironically, the true professionals probably don't pay for any of it anyway as they can get it on the back of sponsorship deals.

Rog.

 

[Tex]

My NzO baggies cost $40! and they are stylish comfortable and still in good nick after 2years of riding

 

[carpetbagger]

i suppose in theory if people abandon their cars and ebike sales increase massively then battery prices should go down as per every other technology .Problem is the government spies will then introduce a battery tax as everyone will be getting around too cheaply.....
In the USA it doesn't make sense to have an ebike if you look at fuel costs v battery costs.....I think the battery costs are what really put people off ebikes..Which ever way we look at it eventually we will be screwed by somebody...

 

[carpetbagger]

i didn't know david miall was the managing director of the chocolate bike co !

 

[Alex728]

You already pay VAT on your bike and battery.

At present, a lot of our taxes are simply spent on fixing roads after heavy vehicles have wrecked them, fixing (or burying!) people who have been unfortunate to be involved in collissions, and paying for soldiers to take oil away from foreigners who won't give it to us cheaply enough.

A rise in people cycling would reduce the need for all this, and result in a massive and obvious saving to the public sector and society (particularly the NHS), even the most "conspiratorial" government would find it hard to justify raising taxes in this context!

 

[carpetbagger]

We need to be a more cycle friendly country,lanes where our children can cycle safely. I remember the helmet debate and the fact that in the Netherlands they don't were as many helmets..may its because they have many miles of safe cycling lanes..I am confident on the road but there are a lot of people who are just too frightened to cycle on our roads using our so called safe painted cycle lanes. If the future is cycling then we have to make big changes.

 

[Alex728]

someone who moved from the UK to NL put up on his blog the start of the old cop show "Van Der Valk". I remember this as a small boy, it had a really good theme tune but was utterly boring compared to the Sweeney or Professionals, there was only ever one car chase and a gun only got fired once!

but his point was to show that although there are cyclists featured in the opening sequence - there were as many cars as the UK! despite popular misconceptions the increase in cycling facilities in NL happened very recently, in the late 70s to the early 90s rather than always being part of the country

 

[carpetbagger]

no reason why we can't start here then....if i am still alive and able to bike,,,,sorry ebike in twenty years then i might see some progress.Hopefully by battery will still being alive as well !

 

[flecc]

despite popular misconceptions the increase in cycling facilities in NL happened very recently, in the late 70s to the early 90s rather than always being part of the country

And they aren't widely available, most areas there just have normal roads with cyclists mixed up with all other traffic. I've seen video of some quite hairy narrow road situations with cyclists and cars conflicting.

But they still don't wear helmets, showing no relationship between helmet wearing and the access to good cycling facilities. They don't wear helmets because they treat cycling as the same as walking, they just set off doing it at any time, normally without any special preparation. Legs or wheels, it's all the same to them, and it's the way I've cycled too for 64 years.
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[Alex728]

yes, the good bike lanes everywhere its a misconception like how people think the Netherlands is all about tolerated drugs and hookers when this is really only a part of Amsterdam which many normal Dutch people are quite embarrased and irritated by (leading to some unfortunate political developments in recent times ).

But what is true is the whole society applies gedoogbeleid (tolerance) to cycling - in fact better than that, its seen as a valuable part of the national culture worth preserving (unlike the stoner/squatter/sex culture which is being clamped down on) and usually every road user acts accordingly....