Why Choose an Electric Bike?
1. Reduce your commuting costs
2. Improved levels of fitness
3. You will cycle more with an electric bike
4. Hill Climbing
5. No Sweat!
6. Faster travel
7. A cleaner environment for all
8. Time saving benefits
9. Safety
10. Leisure Time
11. A longer cycling life
12. A motorised form of transport without the paperwork
1. Reduce your commuting costs
The Cost Comparison !!!! The electric bike versus other forms of transport for commuting
Cost of the Electric Bike :
If we take the Agattu which is the most popular Kalkhoff model, this has an initial cost of €1799.
It is estimated that the Panasonic battery on the Agattu will need to be replaced after a 3 to 4 year period or after 500 charges.
The cost of a charge could be put at 8c, this gives a cost of €40 to charge the battery 500 times.
So the total cost for 3 years is €1839 which works out at €633 per year.
A conservative estimate is that 500 charges will give up to 20000 km of power assisted cycling.
20000km over a 3 year period works out at 128km per week.
Cost of Public Transport :
Looking at the cost of public transport in Dublin as an example …
A Luas monthly ticket costs €76 per month or €912 per year or €2736 for 3 years
A Dublin Bus monthly ticket costs €100 per month or €1200 per year or €3600 for 3 years
Don’t forget!!! With the electric bike there is no time wasted with getting to the stop, waiting at stops, no full buses or carriages passing you by, you just get up on your bike and go …
A good electric bike such as the Agattu will not lose a lot of value, so remember you always have a valuable bike on your hands, once you put the bus or Luas ticket in the bin …. well that’s it …
Cost of Private Car Transport :
Cost of car, fuel, maintenance, insurance, road tax … these costs are huge when compared with the electric bike costs.
Compare fuel alone, we have said above that 20000km on the electric bike will result in an electricity cost of €50, the equivalent fuel cost for a car doing this distance would be €2000+.
Cost over a 3 year period €€€€
- Electric Bike – €1799
- Dublin Bus – €3600
- Luas – €2736
- Car => A lot more than any of the above
Once the initial outlay on the electric bike has been made there are few ongoing costs to cycling.
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Electric bikes are a great way to build your fitness gradually. As your fitness improves you can decide to switch off the electric motor for extended periods of time and pedal as normal. Being able to go from powered to manual mode and vice versa allows you to choose how much effort you want to put into your cycle. By being able to switch between modes you can ensure that you do not arrive to work or to home too jaded.
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3. You will cycle more with an electric bike
Some people will argue that a conventional push bike will keep you fitter. This argument very much depends on how much you use it. Circuit Cycles personal experiences are that people with electric bikes use them more frequently than those with conventional bikes. Wet or windy conditions are real turn off for cyclists and let’s face it in a country like Ireland these conditions are the norm not the exception. Cycling against a strong wind can leave you exhausted. With an electric bike these weather conditions are very much negated, hop on your bike, switch on the power and away you go.
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A good electric bike takes strain out of cycling up hills by effectively flattening the hill out. This is a major advantage of electric bikes and is another reason why electric bike owners use their bikes more than conventional bike owners. As the hill gets more difficult just increase the power assist. There is still a certain amount of effort required from the cyclist but it nothing compared to what it would be on a regular push bike.
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This can be an important issue if you are cycling to work especially where an employer does not provide a shower facility. By using the electric motor more there is less effort required and consequently you will not sweat as much if at all.
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Recent years have seen our cities become more congested and as a consequence average commute times for cars have increased. In a congested city such as Dublin travelling by bicycle is more often than not faster than travelling by car. 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. In many cases electric bikes can give a faster journey time than any other mode of transport.
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7. A cleaner environment for all
Bicycles have a very small negative impact on the environment compared to cars. By choosing to cycle instead of driving you help create a cleaner environment for all by reducing harmful emissions and improving air quality.
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Cycling allows you to make better use of your time and manage it better. Life seems to be more hectic than ever for many people these days and this can be an important benefit to them. With cycling journey times are more predictable compared to cars or public transport. Cycling is a very convenient and reliable mode of transport, you go when you want to go. Compare this with public transport and the time that is lost with getting to and waiting at stops.
By cycling regularly to and from work, you can maybe cut down on the time you need to spend in the gym or otherwise.
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An electric bike allows the cyclist to accelerate quickly. The faster your acceleration, the quicker you can get out of trouble. This is particularly important at junctions.
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We have mentioned a lot about the benefits of electric bikes for commuters, but there are also huge benefits for leisure cyclists. The Irish scenery is second to none and speaking from personal experience the best way to see Ireland is on a bike. It is sometimes though hard to fully enjoy the beauty that is around you when you struggling to get up a hill on a regular push bike. Not so an electric bike, an electric bike offers a much more enjoyable experience when cycling through hilly country.
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As we get older cycling for some people becomes more difficult and they often give it up. This is a pity because cycling is a great form of relaxation and gives a great sense of freedom and enjoyment. An electric bike can take the strain or effort out of cycling and consequently can allow people as they get older to continue cycling for many years longer that if they stick with a conventional bike.
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12. A motorised form of transport without the paperwork
Under EU law electric bikes are treated just the same as conventional bikes. To me and you this means no road tax or insurance required!
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