What are the advantages of electric bikes?

1. Hill Climbing
That may sound obvious, but it's the primary advantage. A good electric bike (i.e. one with at least a 200W brushless motor and at least a 36V power pack - not one of those 24V, 10-mile-range egg whisks that are currently flooding the market) effectively flattens hills, increasing your average speed and eliminating the 'groan' factor when a gradient comes into view. Provided you supply a reasonable amount of effort, you can expect to climb hills of 1 in 10 (10%) on an electric bike with ease, and clear a maximum gradient of 1 in 7 (14%), or much more. In hilly country, the effect is nothing short of miraculous.

2. Safety
It sounds unlikely, doesn't it? But the mathematics is compelling. Think of a steep and busy road, with cars climbing at 30mph. If you previously slogged up the hill at 6mph, but can tackle the same gradient at 12mph with an electric bike, you will see 33% fewer cars, and they will pass you at 18mph rather than 24mph. Or at least, we think that's correct. Whatever the figures, there's no doubt that an electric bike helps to keep you out of danger. The same general principle applies to road junctions - the faster your acceleration, the sooner you can get out of trouble. And with no need to rush the hills, you won't be tempted to ride downhill at breakneck speed... another useful safety feature.

3. Personal Fitness
Surely a conventional bike will keep you fitter? That, of course, depends how much - if at all - you use it. Research (b) has found that 46% of conventional bikes are used only once or twice a week, with a further 30% being used once a fortnight or even less. By contrast, a recent survey of electric bicycle owners reveals that a third ride their bike at least once a day and 81% use the bike at least once a week (c). The figures confirm our experience that an electric bike typically gets used at least twice as often as a conventional machine.
Because riding an electric bike is a great deal more enjoyable in hilly country, into strong winds, or when carrying heavy loads, users tend to make better use of them. The motor provides up to half the effort, but more regular use means more exercise for the rider.

4. No Sweat!
Sweat may not be a serious issue when you're out for a leisure ride, but it's more important if you're cycling to work. Although some employers are rather grudgingly providing showers and other facilities for cyclists, the great majority have no intention of doing so. An electric bike eliminates the problem at source. In hot weather, it's possible to maintain a normal schedule by transferring a bit more load to the electric motor. In colder weather - or if you feel in need of exercise - just throttle back, or turn the motor off.

5. Clean & Green
Electric bikes obviously consume energy, where a conventional bikes does not (provided we ignore the environmental cost of growing and processing food - see below). However, the amount of energy used is very small compared to a moped, motorcycle or car. Besides fuel, the only consumables are the batteries, and these can normally be recycled when life-expired. As for energy use, electric bikes typically consume fuel at an average rate of 100 to 150 watts of electrical energy, against 15,000 or so for a car (admittedly travelling much faster). In terms of fuel consumption, an electric bike achieves about 800-2,000mpg (290 - 700 litres/kilometre) (d). No other commercially available vehicle can match figures of this kind.
If it's hard to place these numbers in your own lifestyle, think of a 100 watt electric light bulb burning for an evening - that's enough energy to propel an electrically-assisted bike for 20 to 40 miles...

6. Genuinely Sustainable
There's a lot of nonsense talked about sustainability in transport, but an electric bicycle can be made genuinely sustainable. Purchase electricity from a 'green' supplier, or generate your own with a roof-mounted windmill or solar panel array, and the vehicles' fossil fuel consumption will be zero. Surely a conventional bike does that already? Only if you grow the food you consume whilst riding it. Unfortunately, most modern food production and distribution is so fuel-intensive that the consumption of a typical cyclist is not terribly good.

7. Faster travel
In theory a car can average a high speed, but in practise speed often falls below 10mph in cities. The problem is congestion - motorcycles get around this to some extent, but they're still confined to the road network. An electric bike can maintain a higher average speed than a bicycle but take advantage of the same network of cycle facilities, giving access to routes that cars and motorcycles cannot reach. The result is often a faster door-to-door journey time than any other mode. And by taking advantage of the uncongested cycle network, but eliminating hills and headwinds, electric bikes are often the most consistent mode of travel.

8. High Resale Value
Electric bikes are new technology, and it's early days yet, but the evidence points to a much better resale value than a conventional bike. True, a typical electric bike costs more to buy, at £400-£1,000, but it seems you'll get most of that back if you sell the machine on.

9. Motorised, but no Red Tape!
You know how it is... MOT due, log book missing, insurance costs rising year on year. Electric bikes are treated just like ordinary bicycles for legislative purposes, so there's absolutely no registration or legislation to worry about. You are of course free to insure the machine if you wish, but there's no compulsion to do anything but enjoy yourself!

(a) Conventional bike costs from London Cycling Campaign. Additional electric bike running costs from A to B magazine data.

(b) Transport Research Laboratory report: 'New Cycle Owners: expectations and experiences' (Davies and Hartley 1998)

(c) Leeds University report: 'The New Generation of Private Vehicles in the UK. Should their use be encouraged and can they attract drivers of conventional cars?' (Neil Guthrie 2001)

(d) A to B issue 14 (October 1999)

Is it legal to use electric bikes like ours on British roads?
Yes. They even have backing from the government.

In response to a question raised in Parliament last September, Transport Minister George Jamieson MP stated on September 15, 2004:

"Electrically assisted pedal cycles complying with the requirements in The Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Construction and Use Regulations 1983 are able to use facilities provided for ordinary bicycles. The Government are committed to encouraging more cycling as a healthy, useful and enjoyable means of travel."

In summary, under the regulations referred to above, an electric bicycle is not considered a motor vehicle and therefore does not require a licence, third-party insurance, road tax, registration plates if:

• The bicycle weighs less than 40kg without its rider. The Sprint weighs about 28kg with battery.
  
• It cannot exceed 25kph - about 15mph - under power. The Sprint's top speed without pedalling is about 15mph. The motor helps you get up to speed from a standing start and stay there - you can use the pedals to exceed 20mph.
  
• It has usable pedals Many electric bikes and scooters come with basic pedals just to keep within the rules and are too heavy to ride. Ours are fully-functioning road bikes with electric motors.
  
• Its motor has a rated output of less than 0.2kW (i.e.200 Watts) or 0.25kW for three-wheeled electric vehicles. The Sprint's motor is a 'strikingly efficient' 200W model

All our electric bicycles comply with these rules. You will not need to register your bicycle, hold a licence, take out compulsory insurance or pay road tax. However, you must be aged 14 years or over.

There are scores of eZee electric bikes on the road at any one time, and each one has transformed the way someone is getting around. Read what some owners tell us about their eZee bike experiences.

So what should I do when the battery finally dies on me?
Simply contact 50cycles and purchase another from us. Or if you have the technical know-how, you may install one yourself by purchasing the battery from any battery dealer. We have a 6 month warranty on the battery should it arrive with any manufacturing defects.

How fast can I go on the eZee electric bicycle?
You can get up to 25 kph (about 15 mph) without touching the pedals. This is the legal limit in the UK. However, once you're at that top speed, it's easy to pedal and use the gears to go much faster, beyond 20mph. The motor can be used as a booster and is very effective when you need to accelarate away from junctions. The eZee Sprint can beat most vehicles off the blocks at lights, giving you time and distance to get out of harm's way.

And on those occasions where you simply cannot be bothered to pedal, the Sprint has plenty to give.

Can I climb hills with this bicycle?
With the eZee bicycle, you'll have no worries tackling grades at all; a simple pedal assist will get you up most grades, making your job even easier than most conventional 21-gear bicycles.

What's the electrical consumption like?
A full charge of the battery will consume 0.5 kwh, working out to be 1 kwh for 100 km of travel distance. That will cost you almost next to nothing on your electricity bills, making it by far the most cost effective vehicle you'll ever own (think of all the food and drink it would take to pedal the same distance!).

Ok, ok I'm convinced, how do I buy the eZee electric bicycle?
Each of our bikes - the Sprint, Cadence, Torq, Quando and Carro tricycle - has its own page where you can check the specification and read testimonials from current owners. Clicking the 'order' link takes you to our online shopping basket system where you can complete your order. We accept payment by debit or credit card and use HSBC's Secure ePayments system to carry out every transaction.

We can also take your order over the phone on 0844 800 5979 .