Sponsored by ELECTRIC BIKES
Detailed study aims to reveal electric bike potential in UK
Three-year research to be published next spring Early indications hint that electric bicycles do boost cycling numbers and useage Raleigh working with researchers in trials Hard data being gleaned By Jonathon Harker
THE ELECTRIC bike market has seen plenty of anecdotal evidence about its usage in the UK, but a UK Research Councils-funded report is set to shed accurate light on the sector in May 2014. The research is concentrating on two
areas: whether electric bikes have the potential to appeal to a wider range of people than conventional cycling, and whether those with the opportunity to use an electric bike start cycling or cycle more than previously.
Raleigh is working with the team that
is producing the in-depth three-year study. That team incudes the University of Brighton – working with Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and the University of Ulster, in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council and Bupa International. The project is seeing trials with
members of the public and trials conducted with two major employers.
INITIAL RESULTS Significant numbers of staff at both employers (40 per cent) said they were interested in borrowing an e-bike and
developed called SEMS (Smart E-bike Monitoring System) to provide precise information about bike useage, distance travelled, the speeds achieved, time spent on the bike, bike location, e-bike power setting used, etc.
The data will be analysed when the “75 per cent said
they would cycle to work at least once a
week with an electric bike.”
since then 40 employees at the first employer borrowed e-bikes in two waves, with another 40 using them this year. Those borrowing bikes are asked to complete before-and-after surveys, and to complete short interviews at the bike hand-back, while some are involved in longer interviews, and/or ride-along observation. Hard data is being created too – a monitoring system has been
final trials are completed, but early indications are encouraging for electric bike usage. 63 per cent of the 2012 trial participants reported that they cycled more during the trial (with, for example, one trial participant going from not cycling to cycling 450 miles in ten weeks). A spokesperson said: “There is some evidence that having an e-bike available would encourage more sustained behaviour change – 75 per cent reported that they would cycle to work at least one day a week ‘if they had an e-bike available’. Moreover, there is some suggestion that the trial could lead to longer term behaviour changes anyway – at the end of their bike loan, 25 per cent participants said that they expected to cycle more after the trial compared with pre-trial, some described new plans for cycling to work, and some discussed purchase of an e-bike.”
www.trl.co.uk
Lapierre makes MTB accessible to everyone
Both hardtail and full- suspension versions of the Overvolt are available to stock
FIRST SPOTTED at Eurobike, the Lapierre’s Overvolt electric mountain bike is now being officially launched to the trade for pre-orders. Tapping into the UK’s burgeoning e- MTB market, the Overvolt uses a brand new 400W Bosch Performance pedal- assist motor that integrates into the aluminium frame. Promising to balance assistance and manual pedalling to provide the exact power required to tackle all types of terrain, the Overvolt uses the Lapierre Nico Vouilloz-designed handlebar and Schwalbe tyres. According to Lapierre, the Overvolt makes mountain biking accessible to everyone and is a bike that is “first and foremost a real MTB that is fun to ride”. The Overvolt comes in two versions: full suspension (140mm travel front and rear, 21.8kg) and hardtail (120mm travel, 20.2kg). “It’s the very best of MTB technology with the latest electronic assistance technology,” the firm said. Hotlines: 0131 319 1444
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