Cyclists – you either revere them for their commitment to Eco-friendly means of transport, or you roll your eyes as you try share busy roads with them. Soon enough, you might also be competing with them. That’s right, bikes are going electric and apparently they are also opening up to a huge market for the over-55 generation.
Traditional bikes require physical prowess to pedal long distances. Electric bikes, well, not so much. These bikes have built-in batteries that help riders with uphill tracks and difficult terrains. In fact, 62 per cent of electric bikes are sold to people over 55 in the UK. This is signalling a “bike boom” in the country, and points to the knowledge that older populations have in bike maintenance and repair.
E-bikes encourage more bikers on the road, but also lead to potential accidents?
A survey by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities shows that more e-bikes lead to fewer automotive vehicles on the road. But the caveat to this is potential accidents. In the Netherlands, e-cyclists over 60 years old accounted for 90 per cent of road deaths in 2016. That means that the majority of people who died on the road were those on electrical bikes.
Results from the survey:
- The survey polled 1,800 electric bike owners in North America.
- Men account for most e-bike consumers at 70 per cent.
- Women account for 29 per cent of purchases.
- Reasons behind purchasing an electric bike include: ability to ride more easily in hilly areas, and long distances. Allows those with medical conditions and physical limitations to ride bikes and it replaces the hassle associated with driving.
E-bike Riders Ride a Lot:
More than 91 per cent of those who own an electric bike ride weekly or daily. Previously, only 55 per cent of e-bike owners rode their standard bikes often before getting an e-bike.
E-bikes Gaining Leverage Everywhere:
In the United States alone, over 200,000 electric bikes were sold in 2016. Worldwide sales are estimated to reach 100 million e-bike sales by 2035.
How Electric Bikes Work – The Logistics:
An e-bike is just like a regular bicycle, except it comes with an electric motor, which provides additional pedal assistance. You can use the motor all the time to simply make biking an easier experience, or at difficult places where added assistance helps. You can’t hear the electric components while riding an e-bike.
Some people think that the extra weight of the bike electric motor will make it significantly heavier, but the effect is minimal and since a rider is already 5-6 times heavier than the bike, the weight of it is insignificant.
It’s important to know that the motor can add 20 to 40 pounds to a bike, but that additional weight is made up for in the bikes’ ability to navigate uphill, in difficult road conditions, and are typically 20-30 per cent faster than a standard bike.
The average power that a cyclist delivers is 150 watts. On most motor e-bikes it is possible to recharge the batteries while pedaling but only if you are moving at a speed that is faster than the motor can attain.
Electric bikes create smaller ecological footprints than regular ones given that it requires less human energy reliance. This, among many all the above-mentioned reasons, is why electric bikes sales are flying through the roof!
