Is An eBike Worth The Investment?
Electric bikes are growing in popularity, but is it just a passing trend, or is it worthwhile investing in an eBike?
Should You Invest In An eBike?
The decision to invest in an eBike is as simple as looking at the pros and cons, weighing them up and seeing if the advantages of owning an eBike will be greater or less than the disadvantages for your personal situation.
So, to help you come to your own decision, here’s a quick list of some of the advantages owning an electric bike.
It’s A Fantastic Money Saving Opportunity If you choose to ride a bicycle, you could save significant sums of money in comparison to how much it would cost to travel via car. When looking to travel by car, first you have to purchase the car, which can cost a considerable sum. However, the costs don’t end there, you also have to consider things such as fuel, tax, and insurance; additionally, you also have to add on the costs of maintenance. However, with the electric bike, you don’t need to be concerned about needing a license, needing to register it, or pay vehicle tax, or pay for fuel. All you need a your cycling equipment (helmet etc) and as long as your bicycle meets the criteria to be road legal, you’re good to go. However, the one downside with this is range. As electric-assist bikes operate on electricity and not fuel (for example, a petrol powered car), your range could be restrictive. That being said, many of our bicycles have quite a significant range for example, thanks to its powerful Panasonic 36V 24Ah lithium-ion battery, the LifeCycle Strada GT has a range of over 80miles, so if you need to cycle somewhere between 30-40 miles away, the eBike can get there and back in a single charge. Also, it’s important to remember that if you require even great range in your bicycle, you could always opt for a bespoke build. For example, we previously made a bike with an achievable range of well over 100 miles.
Supercharge Your Commute Electric bikes use an electric motor in a pedal assist manner. This makes it different to a full-power or no-pedal bike. Instead of using a hub motor, there is a motor located near the rear wheel where it provides the rider with assistance as they pedal. This makes it a great choice for commuters as you can reap the benefits of exercise before work, but you negate the disadvantages of cycling to work such as arriving exhausted or sweaty (which can be very unpleasant if your place of work doesn’t have shower facilities). If you’re interested in a swift and nimble bicycle for use in your daily commute, we recommend a bicycle with a thumb throttle which can provide starting assistance. This will be great choice commuters who are cycling in urban environments without cycling lanes as they’ll get a boost to help them get going when the traffic light changes from red to green. One such bicycle is the Axcess Hunter; which in addition to the throttle provides its rider with a comfortable ride thanks to its relaxed saddle and ergonomic design. Alternatively, if space and portability is an issue, you could opt for a folding bike, such as the Traveller or the Buzz.
Reach Your Fitness Goals If you’re interested in purchasing a bike for fitness, did you know that an eBike could be more beneficial than an analogue bicycle? At first it may seem strange that the pedal assistance would be benefitial for exercise, after all the motor will be assisting you, however this assistance is key to this advantage of eBiking. Just think of how many people start the year with a new year’s resolution to keep active with fitness goals in mind. Then think of how many are still working on those goals a month or two later. The eBikes assistance makes cycling less tiring, which in turn could make it more likely that you will cycle more frequently, which over time means more exercise. If this sounds like you, eCycling could be a far better fitness choice than analogue cycling or cycling on a stationary bike. According to information found on 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”.
Would You Like To Purchase An eBike And Join The Community?
As one of the oldest established solely eBike shops in the UK, you can purchase from Electric Bike World with confidence. Our electric bikes will outperform all other road legal electric bikes in terms of speed, power, range, ease of use, backup and warranty.
If you have any questions and you would like to speak to our team of electric bike specialists, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call on 02380 236 540; our lines are open 9.00 – 5.00 Monday to Saturday. You can also visit our team in person at our Hampshire eBike shop, our address is 54 Bedford place, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 2DT