Are E-bikes the future?
Are E-bikes the future?
By Thomas.C.Winter
Introduction
This inquiry will look at the pros and cons of E-bikes and whether it is the future or a fad that will soon run out. There is a very wide prize bracket for E-bikes. You can get one for about $1,000 (NZD) all the way up to $26,800 (NZD) above ^. The prize depends on the motor, battery and the other key components. This inquiry will look at more pedal-assist, then fully electric bikes. Most brands are making one of their best-selling bikes electric and having about 3 different models from entry to pro.
History
Even though E-bikes are quite new to the market they have been in the background for over 130 years. Robert Bocsh was born in 1861 and he could have never imagined his name would be on the side of bikes on the top of mountains over 150 years later. The First E-bike was made in the US in 1881 and that was Technically a trike but we will count it. A few years later in 1897 a man in Boston, US, made the first double E motor on a bike. 1970 was a big year for one of the biggest bike brands, Specialized. They released their first bike The Stumpjumper. In 1995 Hai-bike was launched there was Probably the first E-bike specific company. In 2009 ⅓ of people in Holland who had bikes had an e-bike. Also in 2009 Bosch e-bike systems were founded. 3 years later in 2011, the e-bike market was estimated to be worth around 11 million dollars. 7 years later in 2018, with lots more companies and brands like Shimano, have developed a motor and battery. Sam Pilgrim has joined forces with Hai-bike to make the ultimate duo.
(This is what the first electric bike may have looked like.)
Pro riders
Some pro riders are using e-bikes to do a ride where they can keep their heart rate down otherwise they would have to ride on a static bike or a road ride for hours. Sam Pilgrim has been one of the main riders at the front of the Charge for e-bikes. He has done the craziest things on an e-bike. There has been a lot of talk about the new type of race started by the EWS ( this link is to the E-bike part ). This could be the future of mountain biking, it could prolong the Careers of riders and it will be more about rider and the bike than the track. I have watched a few videos and podcasts talking about the types of bikes and tracks they will be riding. The track will most likely be a Based on the cross-country format. There will be time to charge and the track will be very hard up and down with Multiple stages and rounds around the world.
Motor and batteries
batteries
This is the part of the bike that makes it what it is. The batteries can vary in size and output. The battery can be the dream part of your bike or it may start to steam and then you will need another one. A battery is designed to do what the bike was designed to do. So if you have a commuter bike it most likely will not have the same amount of power as a full-on Mountain bike. There is a difference between a pealed assisted and an Electric bike. A pedal-assisted bike will only give you power if you are peddling but an Electric bike you can use like a motorbike.
Motors
A motor can only give as much power as the battery will give. The power can just be 2x you so double the power of you or it can be 4x you. It can be hard to find the right motor for what you want to do but if you talk to the dealer you should be able to get the right thing for you.
Why do they cost so much?
Well, I had a talk with the people at the front of the wave Commencal bike. They have recently released their look on the perfect e-bike. I asked them this question and they said that all new tech costs a lot to start with and the e-bike is no different. Even though you can pay over 20k of an e-bike you can get a really good stock hardtail e-bike for 3.5-4k but if you want a full suspension then you are going to be looking at over 5k all the way up to 26k for the best of the best. The big difference is probably the battery and the motor. There is some slight difference though the fork, shock and rims but the frames are virtually the same but with different geometry and sizes. Most brands have at least 2-6 different build kits ranging from entry all the way up to expert or pro.
This is just coming from people that have ridden e-bikes like my experts at Commercial bikes. There are some people that think E-biking is cheating and to be honest before this I was one of those people but after talking to lots of people about how it helps them get out and enjoy the sport I love. I think that if you have the need to ride but you can do the big climbs then this is a really good way to get out of a ride. Even though I’m on board with the e-bike thing I think that there is an age bracket where you should not ride one before that as your full-time bike, but as a training tool, it is an amazing idea.
Future
The future of e-bike is very strong. The price will come down but they need people to buy more of them. There could be a time when bikes will look like this. The only thing holding bikes like this back is the bike builders themselves. Bike brands sell a lot of their bikes through sponsors. People see a rider winning lots of races and then they think that that bike will make them go faster. The real future of this type of biking lies in racing if they can get the racing to catch more eyes then the sales will go up and if people know that is not cheating it just a new way of riding.
Consumer Direct
Consumer direct brands are also one of the ways the sport has moved forward into the future. Basically they work around the middle man so the bike is brought only and then ship straight to you with no dealer. This cuts cost and also means that you don’t have a dealer to go back to. Most brands work on a 5-year warranty and this is really good because for some people like me that is probably the lifetime of a really good bike. Most of these brand are based in the Europ. This can mean shipping cost but they are definitely still cheaper but that is just for push bike but E-bikes? probably.
Conclusion
Doing this inquiry really helped me find what was the future of racing and the sport in whole. Push-bike will still be going strong in 20-50 years time but what we can’t know is if e-bike will take the best selling type of bike. There are a lot of people that are really benefiting from e-bikes as an easy way to get out and see what the country looks like without having to walk for hours on end. People are always afraid of something that is different, the world just needs to get to know that they are most likely to way bikes are going. There will always be a market for a push-bike but we don't know what is going to happen around the corner.
Bibliography
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