Ed’s Letter
Iremember the first time I got overtaken up a hill by someone on an e-bike. Initially I was impressed by how effortlessly he seemed to be laying down the power, but when he passed, I noticed he didn’t look me in the eye.
As I puffed and ground at the pedals, he cruised serenely into the distance, legs turning smoothly, with never a glance back. This was a few years ago and I recall my sense of disdain when it dawned on me how I had come to be so easily overhauled.
‘Why even bother riding if you’re going to rely on a motor to do all the hard work for you?’ was my feeling at the time. It was around the same period that the first reports of motor doping in the pro peloton were coming out, and e-bikes were becoming a more regular feature of the daily commute, meaning the occasional fight for space on narrow bike lanes with couriers barrelling along on deregulated e-cargo bikes.
All in all, I concluded that the rise of the e-bike was a bad thing. And then I tried one.
After the initial shock that I’m sure everyone feels when they first turn the pedals on an e-bike and it lurches forward like a rodeo bull out of the gate, I soon found my old opinions draining out of me and blowing away in my slipstream. It was just so much fun. Why, I thought, isn’t everybody doing this all the time? I found the experience strangely
joyous – the freedom of cycling but with less effort – and soon I began to wonder whether I might be in the market for an e-bike myself.
As yet, my bike collection remains e-bike-free. I’m determined to get around under my own steam for as long as my old legs will carry me, but now at least I can appreciate the appeal of the e-bike and no longer consider them to be either a cheat or a menace. They are simply another option, something to be considered for the day my local hills start to look a bit daunting, or just for the day
I’d rather turn up to work without breaking a sweat.
Whatever your opinion on e-bikes, they are here to stay and only going to get more common. And if you’re still not convinced they are for you… try one.