Our Top 5 Reasons to buy an e-bike in 2024
You’ve taken the first step. You’ve begun looking into e-bikes. First of all - welcome!... Secondly, you’re in the right place.
Eco Bike Co. is one of the UK’s leading e-bike retailers. Not only do we stock an extensive range of bikes, but we’re passionate cyclists and e-bike advocates ourselves. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, but some of our reasons to buy an e-bike in 2024 might. From health and happiness to saving money, we asked the team at Eco Bike Co. HQ to share their top reasons for investing in an electric bike.
1. E-bikes are fun, easy and safe to ride
If you’re yet to try one, we can confirm: riding an e-bike is great fun. Do you enjoy the feel of the wind in your face as you cycle? Well, you’re going to love engaging power assist and gliding through traffic, up hills, and along even the trickiest of trails.
Some people ask if riding an e-bike is harder or more complex than a conventional bike. Absolutely not. With a wide range of models available, there is an e-bike suited to people of all shapes, sizes, age, and fitness levels.
Indeed, whether it’s hills, cross winds or driving rain that is putting you off getting out on a bike, an e-bike’s lightweight but powerful motor is more than an antidote for tricky conditions.
Interestingly, a study carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory revealed e-bike users, compared to conventional cyclists, are on average twice as likely to take their bike out - a clear signifier of the accessibility of e-bikes.
2. E-bikes offer a range of potential health benefits
It’s well established that exercise is beneficial for both your mental and physical health. As we’ve noted above, e-bike users are on average taking more exercise than conventional cyclists thanks to the bike’s appeal and ease-of-use. What’s more, they may well be riding for longer due to the power assist function.
While some may argue having a motor limits the level of exercise taken, one only needs to use the motor as and when required - and even when doing so, e-bike riding is still considered moderate exercise.
Another benefit of the motor is reduced muscle strain and fatigue - lessening the likelihood of injury, keeping you out riding and exercising for longer. E-bike riding has been linked to immune system improvements and cardiovascular and respiratory health. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s well worth taking note of this.
Around the office, we agreed the sense of well-being e-bike riding provides has to be one of the greatest health benefits. We’ve mentioned how fun e-bikes are, and the endorphin blast of a morning ride is truly a stress buster!
The additional time spent out of doors - commuting, running errands and trips to the countryside - is a major mood-boost. There’s also a widely-recognised link between fresh air and exercise and getting a good night’s sleep.
3. E-bikes are environmentally friendly
It’s hard not to be thinking about the state of the planet in 2024, with climate change and its impacts becoming clear to see. If you’re concerned about your own impact on the environment, an e-bike is a great investment. E-bikes are a zero-emission mode of transport. With motor vehicles accounting for a fifth of UK greenhouse gas emissions, swapping your drive to work for a e-bike ride is a smart choice.
They also reduce environmentally-harmful congestion, using less space in the road, and are able to take advantage of the increasingly widespread dedicated cycle routes. What’s more, as the UK’s energy mix shifts towards a greater proportion of renewables, charging your e-bike is more eco-friendly than ever. In some places, you can even charge your bike solely using green energy. With major strides being taken to reduce the environmental impact of battery production and disposal, e-bike are an environmentally friendly choice for 2024.
4. E-bike technology is getting better and better
In 2024, we’re seeing the best ever range of e-bikes to hit the UK. Developments to battery and motor technology mean longer rides and shorter charge times. Resultantly, batteries now function to a high standard for longer - making them more sustainable as well as saving you money.
Although there are different types of e-bikes for different purposes (e.g. types of terrain), almost universally frames are getting lighter, and previous concerns about the weight of e-bikes have become a thing of the past.
5. E-bikes can save you money
There are a range of figures and data sources out there when it comes to the average cost of commuting in the UK - but safe to say, it isn’t cheap. Riding an e-bike to work has never been more appealing in terms of cost.
Train fares have risen, while much discussion of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has centred on the record price rises of petrol. The financial benefit of cycling to work has never been greater than in 2024.
The sad reality of the cost-of-living crisis is many of us are being forced to economise. Swap out your gym membership for weekend e-bike rides. We find there’s no better way to spend a weekend than out on an e-bike - an affordable and healthy hobby.
Charging an e-bike at home will have a negligible impact on your electricity bill, while maintenance costs will remain low so long as you adhere to best practices. We could go on all day (seriously, we’ve got some pretty dedicated e-bike fans in the office!) Of course, you may consider us biased (fair enough), but our top five reasons to buy an e-bike in 2024 are pretty hard to argue with.
Health, the environment and your personal finances are important pillars in life - which e-bike ownership helps to support. If you’d like to find out more about how an e-bike can have a positive impact in your life, get in touch with one of our friendly team today.