Electric bikes, electric scooters, and all other forms of personal electric transportation are growing in popularity around the world, there's no denying that. But some people may wonder what the point of an eBike is.
'I already have a regular bike' they say.
'I'm just going to use my car anyway and it will sit in my garage,' others think.
'They are just a fad.'
'My city isn't bike friendly.'
'They are too expensive.'
There are lots of skeptics and straight up deniers, but on the flip side, they are growing in popularity for a reason. I had a customer once tell me that he has two motorbikes sitting at home in his garage that he barely uses because he prefers to ride his eBike that much more. I have others who have straight up sold their gas guzzling car in place of an eBike, even with our cold Canadian winters. Others have been unable to ride a bike in years due to medical obstacles or age, and they are turning to eBikes because it makes the joy of riding more accessible and comfortable for them. Others love them because they are simply a blast to ride. These aren't brags from an eBike shop owner, I'm just laying down facts.
At the same time, I cannot pretend that skeptics don't have some valid points. If you already have a bike, storage and redundancy are obvious concerns. If you drop thousands on something, you want to make sure you're actually going to use it. Lot's of things are fads. Remember Instapots and Von Dutch? Unfortunately, especially in North America, a lot of cities are not bike accessible. And yes, they are pricey, especially for a quality one that's not going to break after a few months.
That being said, I still think eBikes and eScooters are the future of urban transport, and here's why.
You can have your cake and eat it too. I still have my good old fashion analog Orbea MX series for when I want a decent workout or to hit the trails out in the Rocky Mountains. I also have my Ride1Up 700 Series eBike for commuting. Two bikes, two different purposes, and I live in 750sqf with two dogs and my wife. I like to be able to show up at work and be able to hop off my bike, ready for the day, without a whole bunch of sweat dripping off my brow. I feel a bit more confident riding in traffic as I am able to keep up with the cars better and take off from intersections at higher speeds. I can carry more things with me without making my ride harder. And if I have lots of energy and want to get my sweat on while heading home, I hit the power button and boom, I've got myself a regular bike.
The idea that you will still use your car is, at the end of the day, your own prerogative. It helps to know however, that studies have shown than people with eBikes often end up preferring that method of transport, and that eBikers statistically ride and use their bikes MORE than regular bikers. If nothing else, think of your mental health. You can sit in a traffic jam day in and out listening to some radio hosts blab on about their favourite sandwich, bored out of your skull and annoyed at the BMW that just cut you off. Or, you can get on your eBike, cruise all the way home on beautiful bike paths, weaving in and out of the lineup of cars stuck in rush hour, taking in the sights and fresh air, and being all the healthier for it. If you enjoy rush hour traffic, well, I think you may be on your own or need to speak to a therapist.
If you are going to say that they are fad, soon to be replaced by the next new thing, I think you are mistaken. We can take a look at Europe and Asia and see that they are anything but. Cities there are transforming into bike rider utopias, and the industry is growing by billions year after year. If it's a fad, it's a fad that's here to stay.
A big issue however, and one that you cannot change with a simple adjustment to your routine or mindset, is how our cities look at bikers. I have to say that in my home province of Alberta here in Canada, if you don't drive a car, our government straight up doesn't give a s**t about you, period. There was actually a case where a cop decided to give a ticket to a woman with Cerebral Palsy who was using an electric scooter as her method of transportation. Don't believe me, check out this article. Disgusting.
Now this is where I may lose some of my pro oil and gas readers, but please don't take this as me being against fossil fuels. They have a place and I will be the first to say that our society would come to a screeching halt without them. That being said, they don't need to be our answer for everything. You don't use toilet paper to clean up a spill in the kitchen, we have cloths and rags for that. You can in fact use two similar things for different purposes. It's allowed, I checked.
If we want our municipalities to become more bike and eBike friendly, we have to push for the change, otherwise the oil kings will continue to pay poiticians behind closed doors and they will continue to build giant roads with no room for bikes or pedestrians. If enough of us demand change however, they have to listen. If we clog the roads and arteries with a bunch of smiling cyclists, maybe they will give us some infrastructure. It's nice to dream. And if you don't believe me, it's already happening. When you're done here, check out a global bike movement called 'Critical Mass' and you'll see what I mean.
Financially, yes, a good eBike will set you back a few grand. But cars are more expensive than ever and are not getting cheaper. Gas is pricier week by week, and if you think that one magical day it's going to plummet back down to 1990's prices, you're living a pipe dream. Insurance costs rise all the time, traffic gets worse, governments add new transportation fees and taxes regularly, and suddenly that eBike doesn't seem so expensive after all. No gas, no insurance, no registration, no tax. A few cents of electricity and some motion from your legs and you can get anywhere your expensive car will take you and more. 2-4k up front for a good bike, and if you take care of it, that's all it will cost you besides a once a year tune up, usually between 150-250 bucks, pretty much the same price as a synthetic oil change in a car that you have to do several times a year.
I may be ranting at this point, but I hope you see what I'm getting at. eBikes and eScooters are more than just fun toys, they are a legitimate way to get around that will only change us for the better. They get you outside and keep you moving. They are good for your mental and physical health. They reduce road congestion and often actually cut down your commute times. They are fun. They are better for the environment. They are statistically safer than cars. They are significantly cheaper to buy and operate than cars. It's a lengthy list of pro's and a shrinking list of con's.
So, if you're on the edge and not 100% sold, pull the trigger on one. Trust me, you'll love it. If you've already got one, thanks for reading! And if you are totally against them and prefer to sit in traffic for an hour in your jacked up, 20L/100km, $200 a tank, pickup truck while the number in your bank account get's lower by the second, well, maybe we should just agree to disagree and go our separate ways. I have a sneaking suspicion however, that if you climbed down from the driver's seat and hopped on the saddle of an electric bike, you may just have some fun and see what I'm talking about. When that time comes, I won't be there to say I told you so, but I will be there to welcome you to the future.
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