What Is An Electric Bike & Why Is It A Great Mode Of Transport?

Does the idea of cycling to work appeal to you, but you’re dissuaded from taking up the challenge because you don’t want to arrive to work feeling tired and possibly sweaty? Are you recovering from an injury and as such you find exercise difficult but you want to still keep active? Have you considered an electric bike?

Electrical Bicycles – What Are They?

Electrical bicycles, also known as eBikes are essentially regular bicycles with a pedal assist

that helps people as they cycle.

The technical name for such a bicycle is a pedalec, and in if the bike meets a certain set of criteria it is allowed to be used on roads and anywhere a ‘normal bicycle’ is allowed. However, please not that this only applies for Great Britain, in Northern Ireland a moped licence, registration, and proof of insurance is required in order to ride it. Additionally, electric powered bikes are not permitted to ride on off-road bike routes in Northern Ireland which share the routes with pedal bikes (also known as push-bikes).

However, if you live in Great Britain, you only need to be 14 in order to ride a road-legal

eBike, making it a fantastic method of transport for both young teenagers and adults alike, providing swift transportation which helps you stay active and more.

How Do They Work?

Basically a battery provides the power to drive an electric motor . The motor can propel the bike forward in numerous different ways. The two most common ways motor assistance is supplied are a mid mounted unit driving the crank or a wheel mounted motor that turns the wheel directly.

Most electric bikes have different levels of assistance so the cyclist can decide how much help they require whilst cycling. For example, it can be on a low setting for flat terrain to preserve the battery life; however whilst cycling uphill you could increase the power and receive more assistance from the motor.

How Fast Can They Go?

Click here to read our blog about this.

Who Can Use Them?

As already stated, road legal electrical pedal assist bikes can be used by anyone above the age of 14. Their usefulness isn’t limited to any particular group; indeed people from various different walks of life can make use of eBikes. Some of the uses for electrical bikes include but are not limited to:

Commuting

Many people consider cycling to work but they are put off from the idea because of the long cycle times, potential for bad weather, and the physical exhaustion you may be faced with upon arrival. However, our online store includes an eBike with an answer to all three of these problems. For example, there is a bike available for purchase on our online store called the LifeCycle City Sport that is designed for use in the city. In order to provide it with the tools needed to be a fantastic choice of transport for commuting professionals, the City Sport has a road-legal throttle, a massive 70 mile range, and a longer mudguard, providing your work clothing with protection from puddles during wet weather. Additionally, it’s important to also mention fold up eBikes. Some who decide to cycle to work choose a fold-up bike, however as these bikes often have smaller wheels than regular push bikes, it can sometimes be difficult for the cyclist to pedal up steep hills or ride through headwinds. However, if you instead choose to use a fold-up pedal assist bike or pedalec such as the LifeCycle Traveller, you’ll find that the electric motor and battery attached to the bike provides you with assistance, helping you to ride faster, further, and longer.

Holiday Transport

As discussed above, fold-up bikes can be difficult to ride on some forms of terrain such as hills. This difficulty could prevent people from fully enjoying their cycling whilst on holiday in a motor home, caravan, or canal barge. However, with the electric motor assisting you as you pedal; the hills will feel flattened out, providing you with a more enjoyable cycling experience.

Running Day-To-Day Errands

Electric cycles are also great choices of transport for running day to day errands. No need to get the car out for that little run to the shops so save wear and tear on the car ,petrol and parking costs by using your bike. Thanks to the pedal assist motor in an eBike and a fitted basket it will easily get your shopping home.

Get Exercise

Whilst a pedal assist eBike does provide assistance whilst you are cycling, they are still fantastic options for exercise. For example, not everyone is in the ideal physical shape and not everyone has the ideal athletic ability to cycle a push bicycle for long periods of time. Whilst the electric powered pedalec will assist you, you will still be getting exercise. According to information from Bicycling.com “when 20 non-exercising men and women e-biked about 40 minutes three days a week, they improved their cardiovascular fitness and blood sugar in just one month”

Interested In Purchasing An Electric Bike?

Get In Touch With The Electric Bike World Team Today. If you are interested and would like to buy an eBike from our online store or if you would like to visit our team in person for more information regarding the electric bikes that are available for purchase, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. To speak to a member of our team, please call 02380 236 540. Our lines are open 9.00 – 5.00 Monday to Saturday. Additionally, if you would like to visit us in store, our address is 54 Bedford place, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 2DT.