Can E-Bikes Turn UK in to Cycling Nation ?



on the stand of Velorution, a retailer at this week's London bike show, its is clear which product is getting more attention. Visitors gravitate towards the Gocycle G3, standing around it and asking the assistant's questions.

unlike the show ponies of other stands, the G3 is not modelled on bikes that won the Tour de France or are intended to shave seconds off their own times in triathlons. the G3 is blue, folds up and features a battery and an electric motor.

Velorution is one of many exhibitors showing fast developing 'e-bike' technology - bikes that feature electric assistance to the pedals. Such boxes are intended to help less fit people to cycle when they might otherwise drive, help the fit cycle further and help couriers deliver heavier loads on cargo bikes.

The UK's bike retailers and distributors hope e-bike technology can provide a boost not just for riders but for bike sales, which since 2008 have remained stuck at about 3.5m units a year. they also hope it can reverse the declines in transport cycling across the country.


Jonathan Cole, Velorutions owner, says there is more of an acceptance of e-bikes than they used to be. "it's a great means of getting around town" he says. "You don't get sweaty"


Phillip Darnton, executive director of the bicycle association, a trade body says e-bikes offer potential sales kick where previous hoped for incentives to bike buying, such as the 2012 Olympics, largely disappointed. "I think the big thing is that e-bikes will appeal to an entirely different consumer," he says.

the picture for ordinary commuting bikes is not wholly gloomy, however, Mr Cole says Velorutioni's growing through focusing on "premium urban retail". the company sells stylish, practical bikes such as the UK -built Pashleys in well-off districts of the capital, where improved facilities have boasted cyclist numbers. Rui Amador, the marketing manager for Orbita, a Portuguese manufacturer, says his company is growing strongly in the U with a focus on low-priced but robust, practical bikes, especially in the expanding London market.

but e-bikes are where the big interest is, according to roman Magual, owner of London green Cycles, because of the same reductions in battery and weight and improvements in power that are making electric cars more attractive.

Many manufacturers have replaced motors that used to the wheels directly to powering the pedal cranks instead. that allows the bikes gears to widen the range of speeds where the motor provided useful assistance. The improvements have prompted several manufacturers including Brompton the make of the folding bikes o prepare plans for e-bikes for the first time

The big question is whether the e-bikes can finally make the UK a large scale cycling nation as the Netherlands and Denmark have long been.

Mr Darnton says many non-cyclists continue to feel roads are a hostile environment and suggest that ist is likely to continue as long as most parts of the UK lack good facilities for people to ride separated from the traffic.

for the bike industry, the growing popularity of e-bikes and heavy duty cargo bikes , another trend in evidence at the show may be good news even if they fail to lift overall sales.

source : ftweekend

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