ELECTRIC BIKES State of the e-bike nation
Jonathon Harker talks to key electric bicycle specialists for their take on the condition of the electric assisted bicycle retail…
Raleigh stocks its own and Haibike e-bikes
London cycle hire will trial e-bikes soon
By Jonathon Harker
ELECTRIC BIKES have a chequered history, not least because of an influx of poor models in the bad old days when the market was young. But no one in the industry needs us to tell them that the sector has been a storming runaway success in Northern Europe, with some industry commentators calling the e-bike market the saviour of the industry in key territories, where it has not only propped up sales but taken up a huge proportion of unit and value totals.
But what about the UK market? By no
With US e-bike sales creeping up, will we be seeing a rise in e-bike activity in the UK soon?
stretch of the imagination has the British electric bicycle industry seen comparable sales with its nearby European neighbours. But with reports of the North American market starting to see sales creep up – a market the UK supposedly follows closely – and London trialling electric bikes in its hugely popular Cycle Hire scheme, are we
finally approaching a tipping point in these shores? We asked for the opinions of the e-bike industry…
LENNY WOOD, ANSMANN Ansmann’s Essex showroom
“WE ARE seeing a very clear stratification of the e-bike market, not dissimilar to ‘traditional’ cycle market, with mainstream and enthusiast e-bike riders. What defines these market groups is budget and, to a lesser extent, usage. There is no doubt that the mainstream market is buoyed up by the Governments
“HERE AT ANSMANN we have seen a definite uptake in interest for the electric bikes. It feels like the public are becoming more aware of this technology and beginning to research the benefits it can provide them with. Boris Johnson will of course be giving the industry a big push, adding electric bikes to the fleet of Barclays/Boris bikes already in operation. If nothing else, Boris does know how to attract and make great use of the PR machine. The UK is currently the seventh biggest market for electric bikes in Europe. I think with more exposure from national hire schemes coupled with the first stages of the Tour De France coming to our shores this year, 2014 could see the UK moving up the electric vehicle league table for years to come.” Lenny Wood, Marketing Manager, Ansmann.
52 BIKEBIZ MARCH
C2W scheme and for us, having quality e-bikes that are fun to ride and reliable is crucial to capitalise on this sector. Having the UC10 and 30 both available for under £1,000 is a winner for us (and our retail partners), they’re e-bikes using quality componentry including the Tranz-X system) that are recognised by the end user. There is no doubt this market will continue to grow and it would be interesting to see the stats (which we are sure will show) the increase in requests for e-bikes through the C2W scheme. With rising fuel and transport costs and the unavoidable daily commute being the worst part of everyone’s daily work life the e-bike has the potential to be a major factor in the country’s transportation needs. The enthusiast rider knows what they are looking for. Sector leading componentry is on their list and they are prepared to pay for it. All our AVE e-bikes that use the centre drive system from Bosch fit the bill for the enthusiast, whether they are looking for an off-road e- bike or a leisure ride. One of the main advantages of this stratification is we can now begin to shape our offering for our end users, through our retail partners and even our marketing activity. We invest time and money in getting our e-bikes into the public arena but for 2014 we can now begin to become more targeted getting individual models written about in a media that will be read by, what we think, will be the end user. So expect to see AVE’s in the high- spending glossies and the UC range reviewed in the daily press, no doubt being read by traditional commuters battling to work on public transport and just crying out for the viable alternative – that we can offer!”
Paul Stanforth, MD, EBC
BIKEBIZ.COM
Shimano ramped up its e-bike support with the STEP system
PAUL STANFORTH, EBC
AVE SH9 powered by Bosch system
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