I'm buying an electric bike. Yes yes, apparently they're for old ladies who smell of wee to do the shopping on, but no, they aren't. They were, some still are. But the manufacturers have realised there's a market out there full of people who are pissed off with paying a fortune for fuel and the other costs associated with cars, and they've started to aim product at them. I had a go on a couple of e-bikes yesterday and they are just unbelievable amounts of fun. On my hybrid I was lucky to get 18-20 mph going downhill and pedalling like fuck. Yesterday I cycled at 18mph uphill and into a headwind. You still have to pedal, you just don't have to end up with your heart hammering ten to the dozen and your lungs straining to inflate. As the guy whose bikes I was using put it 'It's like having an invisible hand pushing you along'.
The way I see it I'll benefit from... Less fuel to pay for. Possibly getting rid of one car completely. Getting fit (again) after all, I still have to pedal, I just don't have to pedal as hard. Which means I can cycle further, especially hand seeing as my round journey commute has gone from 9-10 miles to around 15-16 miles. Doesn't sound a lot, but you try and cycle the extra, especially in the winter, into headwinds, going uphill and all the other bollocks you have to put up with on a pushy.
You may level accusations at me
Cheat being one, Hippy being another. I will merely invite you to kiss my cheating hairy hippy arse whilst cycling off into the sunset. :)
Seriously, I mentioned this to a friend of mine whose only form of transport is a pushbike and his immediate reply was 'That's cheating!' Is it fuck cheating. It's just another form of transport, and one that's certainly cleaner and greener than a car or a motorbike.
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6 comments:
If I had a shorter journey (without a motorway) I'd love to try this out. Good on you, I say.
Yeah, the one I'm after only has a range of 15 to 25 miles depending on how you use it. 15 miles just on power, 25 if you pedal with asssistance. So really they're only for local runs. But just think how many motors it could get off of town and city roads.
Good for you - getting fit AND saving the world! You should run for Parliament, non?
what they said :-)
go for it mate.
Where do you buy this!!! I might get one - that's exciting! A normal bike shop?
Hello Bad Sarah :)
I got mine via Halfords as part of the cycle to work scheme. It's made by a company called Powabyke who are at http://www.powabyke.com There are a lot of makes of e-bikes and they range from a couple of hundred (shit!) to a couple of grand. Lovely but unaffordable. Mine should have cost £750.00 but Halfords bunged a bit on top. E-mail me if you want more info (Annie has my e-mail addy).
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