Why e-bikes are booming
ELECTRIC BIKES ARE ON TREND. HERE’S HOW TO PICK THE BEST TWO WHEELS FOR YOU
DON’T be surprised if your car is overtaken by a bicycle this year … even when it is going up a hill, even in summer heat, or even if the rider isn’t wearing Lycra.
Electric bikes are making inroads into the Australian market in 2020, with their sales almost doubling over the past year and demand soaring as more people consider new ways to exercise safely outdoors and alternatives to public transport.
Even international brands are now targeting customers Down Under, with one of the most popular crowd-funded projects of all time launching a push for electric pushbikes in the country.
Bicycle Industries Australia general manager Peter Bourke says the new form of transport has proved the “shining star in an industry already growing in demand” this year.
The group’s annual survey found Aussies bought 27,000 motorised bikes in the 20182019 financial year, but almost twice as many — 50,000 ebikes — during last 12 months.
E-bikes have ridden a rocky path to success in Australia, lacking consistent national laws until November 2015, and clarity about their use and features until May 2017.
Now, bicycles are allowed to feature a 250 watt motor that is activated by pedalling, and reach a maximum speed of 25km/h on roads.
Many also feature front and rear lights, speedometers, suspension, storage, and the ability to recharge a smartphone. They range in price from $1000 to $15,000.
Bourke says the power boost makes these bikes attractive to a much wider audience, from people who live in hilly areas to those who don’t want to sweat in their work gear.
“There are so many people who wouldn’t have ridden who are now riding because they’ve got an e-bike,” he says.
“People who don’t normally ride are now able to keep up with their mates. This is why some people call it cheating — it reduces the gap between the level of fitness you have to have. It becomes more fun.”
Copenhagen-based brother and sister team Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrøm Carton are hoping to capture this growing Australian enthusiasm for e-bikes, with a new campaign specifically targeting local riders.
The pair created crowdfunding history two years ago when their two Indiegogo campaigns attracted $US24m, making them the most popular team in the site’s history.
Christian Adel Michael says the company is now offering its big-wheeled Mate X bike at a preorder discount for Australian buyers until the end of the year, and has chosen the country not for its familiarity with the ‘mate’ name but because so many Aussies supported the company’s early efforts.
“In both our campaigns, Australia has always made it into the top 10 where we sold the most bikes,” he says. “We now sell in more than 80 countries, but Australia has picked up on Mate since the get-go.”
Adel Michael says the company has also seen sales boom this year, as more people look for alternatives to crowded and potentially risky bus and train rides.
Zoomo co-founder Mina Nada says his Australian outfit, which began renting bikes to food delivery couriers, quickly moved more into the consumer space this year to capitalise on the sudden spike in e-bike demand.
The company, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, now rents and sells e-bikes to keen riders, and predicts they will replace many e-scooters and cars in the coming years.
“We see that they’re going to go mainstream — there’s going to be more e-bikes out there than cars, is our view, and definitely more than scooters,” he says. “E-bikes are safer, more comfortable, they can go faster.”