The British are leading the way – The British Electric Bicycle Association held its first annual meeting in February.  The Motorcycle Industry Association hosted the meeting and became an associate member in recognition of this growing bicycle sector.  The electric bicycle is evolving into its own finally.  But the bicycle and motorcycle industries that helped nurture the e-bike is now staying very closely involved because of the cross marketing opportunities.

The US is lagging behind but not too far behind.  The membership in the British Electric Bicycle Association is in part growing because the Association is involved in political issues. The US has to have a similar stimulus to generate more involvement.  The BEBA is taking part in  what has been a controversial campaign to change EU law on what can be classed as an e-bike, advocating an increase in power but also the acceptance of throttles – a move opposed by the Bicycle Association, among others.

BEBA explained: “BEBA continues to support ETRA in its work within Europe to change what is accepted by law as a pedelec. By recommending an increase in power available and making the use of a full throttle acceptable BEBA are hoping to make cycling more inclusive and not simply the domain of the young and fit. The law relating to pedelecs in the UK currently differs slightly to the law in Europe, BEBA have been working in parliament to end the confusion and hope to make a statement during March.”

Having different laws and different infrastructure in the US does not alleviate the need for a strong US e-bike association which is an effective advocate for this emerging industry.  Hopefully, they will get organized sooner than later- while they can still be somewhat effective.

Just like the traditional pedal bicycles, the e-bikes are great for bicycle training in the spring to get ready for summer riding.  To be successful of course you will need a plan, maybe assistance from a bicycle club or a friend to keep you on the plan and a reliable electric bicycle.  There are many brands and types of bicycles to choose from and online shopping is made easy at http://www.chargedelectricscooters.com.

Once you have selected your bicycle, start working on your plan for training while you wait for the delivery.  Training is made a lot easier when you use an electric bicycle because if you are too aggressive with your training the e-bike allows you to take a break and ride without pedaling.  Remember that you have the option to pedal, power-assisted pedaling and just riding.  This really opens up the options for you as you get into shape this spring.  The worst thing is to expect too much and put strain on your body – risking injury.

Here are some resources you should consider when developing your training plans:

A. Cycle Training-  http://c574ae71-dv1es5bz-018ncp2i.hop.clickbank.net/

Ride 10-30% faster or we’ll give you your money back.

We have created MyCycling.com to help normal cyclists learn how to ride faster than they ever thought possible.

It’s not all that difficult when you possess the right knowledge. Nonetheless, obtaining that right knowledge is the tricky part.

The difficulty in accessing the “good stuff” stems from the amount of misinformation there is kicking around about /cycling training.

It seems like everyone is an expert. However, most of their expertise is based on regurgitating different textbook theories . In the process they confuse and misguide people all over the place.

Unfortunately, this actually holds people back. It stops people living up to their potential on the bike.

The end result is that most people are riding 10-30% slower than they should be.

B. Cycling Training Guide- http://5da0bgyzsft80x56-4w8mfo1uy.hop.clickbank.net/

Bicycling Training Plans And Ebooks To Help Cyclists Train Systematically And Improve Their Ability To Ride. Bike Training Plans Provide Guidance As To How To Plan Rides That Stress Various Cycling Attributes And Build Fitness Throughout The Season.

EBC, Storck Raddar, Hero Eco and Wisper look to promote e-bike market

To continue the discussion from my previous blog article- the US e-bike manufacturers really needs to follow the lead of the other countries in promoting electric bicycles. 

A new trade group, dubbed e4 (made up of EBC, Storck Raddar, Hero Eco and Wisper) has formed to promote the electric bike market. Initially, E4’s focus will be targeted towards the trade, with plans for regional trade demo days, marketing support and the idea of greater cooperation for the major UK consumer shows.

Commenting on the group Ian Hughes of Storck-Raddar said: “The potential of the e-bike sector in the UK seems to be the subject of much industry debate.  We look at the phenomenal growth in countries like Germany and the Netherlands and think, is this the way the UK market will go? E4 thinks yes, but there is some work to be done to get there. With four of the UK’s major e-bike distributors coming together we expect to make a significant impact in developing the sector far quicker than we would as single companies.”

Each of the four companies has a range of ebikes that complement each other with little overlap when it comes to pricing, style and spec and E4 will work to promote all the group’s brands as well as the sector in general.

David Miall of Wisper added:  “E4 has been in the making for several months now and I have to say, all the meetings have been some of the most positive I have attended.  It really feels that we are all working together towards a common purpose, to promote ebikes.  Combined, we have decades of experience and there is a feeling that E4 will make a real difference to the sector.”

The retail shops throughout the US could follow suit by putting pressure on the manufacturers and suppliers that they do business with.  In the meantime consumers can easily find great quality discount electric bicycles online. Shopping for electric bicycles remains easier online than in retail shops.  And why not? You can get better options and comparisons of quality, features, and prices online.

This is definitely nothing new in the automobile industry and it isn’t really new in the bicycle industry but scheduling demo test rides is a way to re-market the old concept.  Buying a discount e-bike online is usually the best buy and you know more about ride and prices when you test drive one at a bike shop or a demo day event.

Raleigh has announced a series of electric bike demo days in collaboration with its retail partners across the UK.
Raleigh’s e-bike specialist Lloyd Clarkson will be hosting the shows, organizing several rides over varied terrain and in depth demonstrations of the Raleigh’s e-bike features.

British Cycling qualified ride leader Lloyd said “If you’ve ever fancied giving assisted cycling a try, this event is perfect for you to have a go and put our e-bikes through their paces. We know that regular cycling can be off-putting to some, which is why we’re investing in this exciting new biking option. We’re encouraging everyone who’s ever considered swapping petrol power for pedal power to come and try one of our e-bikes.”

In the US bike shops have not grasped this marketing concept nor the promotion of e-bikes.  Consumers have to check out the bikes on their own- but call the shops first- many don’t even have batteries charged! 

The desire to ride bikes and not strain yourself doing it is the perfect reason to try out these bikes.  Sorry you have to do so much extra work to actually test ride one.  Be careful, the shops usually only have their high end ones available for ride. Go ahead and ride it- get a list of its features, then go online to find a good quality discount electric bicycle that has the same features.  I of course recommend the bikes at http://www.chargedelectricscooters.com but there are many out there to choose from.

In the meantime we will continue to work with retail shops to try to get them to set up fun demo days.  I have found that once a person rides an e-bike, they have trouble going back to a traditional bike.

Hopefully there will be no end to this debate about which bike will prevail the e-bike or the manual bike.  Ever since the electric bicycle started to increase in market share people have been nervous about the future of the manual bicycle. I have always thought that there is plenty of room for both bicycle types and that the same consumer would see a use for both bicycles and own both types

Hannes Neupert, founder and president of ExtraEnergy, an electric vehicle lobbying organization based in Germany, told a Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) conference in 2010 that pedal-powered bicycles would go the way of the dodo:

“Electrification will kill the mechanical bicycle within a few years like it has killed many other mechanical products. Bicycles…will remain as historical items hanging on the wall.”

Responding to a current article that has resurrected the claims, Neupert said:

“I am a bicycle enthusiast and see, in the clever way of enhanced muscle power, a bright future for e-bikes.” He backs off a little now from thinking that pedal bikes are going to just going away. He holds that the ease and convenience of the e-bikes will make them the bike of choice.  He tells reporters to watch and see if his prediction comes true in 10 years.

I am not so sure about the ten years-innovation is so rapid today that 10 years is a really long time.  The e-bike might even be replaced by something else in 10 years.  As the designs change, the batteries progress and the prices come down- e-bikes are the pedal bike – they are the bike of this generation.  Keep the debate going- manual pedal bikes will be here forever along side the great e-bikes.  My question is what is the next bike type?