Electric Bikes

New Yorkers embrace electric bikes

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:32:56 +0000

The demand for electric bikes continues to grow.

By now the mainstream media have begun to embrace electric bikes. Below are some thoughts and excerpts from the second New York Times article in two weeks about electric bikes. The most recent article made the front page of the business section. It is not surprising that downtown areas in New York will really champion this new and exciting form of transport as it sure beats messy traffic jams. Since November 2008 the number of New Yorkers who have chosen the cycle lane over the car lane has grown by a staggering 26%, albeit from a small base the signs are very good. The bike networks are expanding and the plan is on schedule to have an additional 200 miles of bike lanes bringing the total to 420 miles. With the infrastructure firmly committed New Yorkers are turning their attentions to electric bikes as the smarter transport.

Some examples that are highlighted in the article

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/business/global/01ebike.html?pagewanted=1

Kalkhoff roadshow 2010 kicks off in RDS Dublin

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:18:23 +0000

Kalkhoff Road show hits the Holiday World Show

From Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th January 2009 CircuitCycles demonstrated at the RDS Holiday World Show in Dublin, Ireland. We were partnered with Pat Horan Motors LTD, which proved to be a very successful and enjoyable three days. The partnership worked well for Horans and CircuitCycles since the motorhome community always had close links with cycling and certainly have a fast growing interest in electric bikes. We would like to thank all those who came by and showed interest in the Kalkhoff electric bikes. We were very encouraged by the level of interest and enthusiasm shown by the general public.

“Two big surprises for us were that at a lot of you hadn’t heard about electric bikes before and also you were not aware of the bike to work scheme”.

We were more than happy to answer your questions on these and other matters and really enjoyed the exchanges. Our highlights were when you tried out the electric bikes followed by the sense of amazement you experienced, and how you cajole other onlookers into trying them out! We will continue with the Kalkhoff electric bike road show throughout 2010 so that many more of you can experience the thrill firsthand for yourselves. As soon as we have dates confirmed for events we will post them on this site. For those of you who requested a follow up and test cycle we will be in touch this week. Many thanks to Pat and Olivia Horan from Horan Motors for their good company and craic we shared over the three days.

“Intelligent Mobility”

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:35:52 +0000

I have to say I like the opening lines of this report from Eurobike, “my house, my boat … my bicycle. The new status symbol for environmentally-friendly, healthy and intelligent mobility is making headlines across Germany:”

Eurobike, the worlds biggest trade fairs for the bicycle industry was bigger than ever this year and electric bikes featured strongly. It has become apparent that the Germans have embraced the electric bike and it would seem that the promotion and marketing of such bikes as “intelligent mobility” is working. They are fast becoming a popular choice for an increasing number of Germans, in particular for commuting to work and as an enjoyable recreational activity.

The Dutch spend more on electric bikes

admin — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:24:26 +0000

The Dutch are continuing to take to electric bikes in a big way. For the first time ever, the Dutch are spending more on electric bikes than conventional city bikes, so reports the marketing services company GfK Retail and Technology who have been tracking sales in Dutch bike shops since 1997.

In the first three quarters of 2008 sales were reportedly up 52 percent in value and 35 percent in volume.
In 2008, electric bike sales accounted for 10 percent of the market according to BOVAG, the Dutch dealer association. The forecast had been for 120,000 electric bike sales, by the year end it was closer to 140,000.

The same trends could be seen right across Europe where electric bike sales for 2008 have been estimated at 500,000, with an expectation of around 700,000 for 2009. According to the general manager of Germany’s bicycle industry association, “E-bikes are hot right now”, where an increase of anything between 20 and 50 percent for this year is expected.

Taking the electric bike on your holidays

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:19:38 +0000

We have noticed a trend where campervan owners are taking along electric bikes on their travels as it adds very positively to the holiday experience. Anyone who has ever cycled a bike while on holidays knows how enjoyable and relaxing it can be, you get to take in so much more of the surrounds compared to looking out the window of a vehicle. Electric bikes are just enhancing this experience as it opens up cycling to a wider range of people.
Scenic hilly and coastal areas that people would not have considered cycling before because of the tough terrain have now become more accessible for cycling thanks to the electric bike. The cyclist doesn’t have to worry about that hill ahead, the power assist will get you up it while you take in all that nature has offer.
Electric bikes can offer some holiday makers the opportunity to cycle that for certain reasons they may not have considered before.

Move over Prius

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:45:16 +0000

Japan – Electric bicycles ride “green” demand.

Japan, a country that has always pioneered innovations really embrace the electrical bike. They are now looking to cultivate a market that beats even hybrid cars in green credentials and hence the growing popularity of the electrical bike.

For a country where space has always been a premium and congestion is a fact of life, the electric bike may provide a breath of fresh air to the millions of daily commuters in the cities. In the last decade the use of electric bikes in Japan has doubled owing largely to the improvements in performance and the decreasing costs as the bikes become mainstream. The Japanese have become very conscious of all things green as can be expected with islands of finite resources. Electrical bike usage may outgrow that of electrical cars as the cars still require heavy energy consumption in their manufacture.

Very Popular with Mums

In particular they are a big hit with senior citizens and mothers of small children. The old argument that it is cheating doesn’t seem to matter much to the practical Japanese. In essence they claim that the bikes are not targeted at those who already cycle regularly to work. The electric bike is more for the elderly, parents with young children and those who face a long or hilly commute or traffic congestion.

Electric Bicycle World Tour

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:11:13 +0000

What would you think of touring the world on an electric bike? Well this is exactly what a Spanish man called Guim Valls Teruel has decided to do.
Guim’s adventure has never been attempted before by one person on an electric bike and will span 5 continents taking in such diverse cities as Beijing, London and Madrid.
Having lived in Beijing for over 2 years Guim is very familiar with electric bikes. In China the electric bike is the most common form of transport after the conventional bicycle.
Guim’s passion is travelling but he also hopes that his eco-friendly method of travelling will encourage the development of a global culture of energy conservation and waste reduction while demonstrating and promoting the use of alternative transport options that have a less negative impact on our environment.
We wish Guim the best of luck on his travels …

To keep up to date with Guim’s travels check out http://www.electricbicycleworldtour.com/en/.

Rising oil prices and electric bikes

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:40:43 +0000

The last six months has seen the price of oil double to over $70 a barrel with many experts predicting that it will continue to rise.
Rising fuel costs coupled with the current recession will lead to increased focus by individuals and families on reducing transport costs.
Along with the above concerns an increasing environmental consciousness will mean a sustained demand from the public for alternative modes of transport.
Electric bikes are and will be a viable option for many people that want to reduce their transport costs and carbon footprint. I think we will see more families go down to one car and with a large proportion of the journeys we make less than three kilometers people are looking for alternative transportation.
Electric bicycles have become a rapidly growing industry right across the globe. Their growing popularity not only stems from environmental and fuel price concerns, there is also the appeal that comes from the fact these bikes don’t require driver’s licenses, road tax or insurance and consequently their associated costs.

Electric bike fever hits Eurobike 2009

admin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:57:36 +0000

50 stands for electric bikes!

Electric bikes will take 50 stands this year at Eurobike 2009, one of the worlds biggest trade fairs for the bicycle industry. That’s twice as many stands for electric bikes as there were last year. Derby Cycle will be there showing their highly acclaimed brands such as Kalkhoff , Focus and Univega. For the first time the general public will be allowed view and test the electric bikes, normally reserved for bike retailers in previous years. This is due to the rapidly growing interest and adaptation of these bikes in many European countries such as Holland and Germany.

In Germany the sale of electric bikes has quadrupled since 2005 while in Holland electric bikes now account for 26% of the total revenue for bicycle sales in the country, astonishing statistics already. Eurobike promises to be an exciting event this year and if you are in Germany and in the Friedrichshafen area by chance , pop along on public day September 5^th 2009. Not many of us will be fortunate enough to go along, but on a much smaller scale CircuitCycles will hold a demonstration event in the summer showing the Kalkhoff electric bikes, so may still get your chance.

Freidrichshafen is a beautiful location for Eurobike 2009.

: A kalkhoff stand at a recent trade show gets a lot of attention

Electric Bike Sharing

admin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:01:43 +0000

Bike sharing programs have been introduced in many cities as an environmentally friendly transport option, for example the Velib program in Paris. With such bike sharing programs there are a number of designated points where a person can pick up and drop of a bike for a fee.
Cykel is a concept bike sharing system by Brian Mcallister which allows cyclists to switch between pedal power and electric motor power.
It is thought that by having an electric option the bike sharing facility can be opened up to a wider range of people as greater distances and difficult terrain can be managed more easily.
These electric bikes would be recharged by docking stations, the bike is fitted with molded tires to prevent flats and has an enclosed drive train.
Cykel is sure to open up bike sharing to more people, it will be interesting to see where it will be implemented first and how successful it will be.