How electric bikes enable life-changing mobility
Comments Off on How electric bikes enable life-changing mobilitySource: Cycling Electric Image sources: Mark Stosberg, Unsplash, and Cycling Electric
Electric cargo bikes, adaptive trikes, eMTBs and more have all played a role in transforming people’s lives, as a selection of real-life stories told to Cycling Electric shows. The ability of power-assisted pedalling to deliver tangible results is represented by greater freedom, improved health, higher efficiency, and engaged children.
Adaptive trikes
Wheelchair user Jamie Lawson has cerebral palsy, which significantly affects her balance. She invested in a pedal-assisted recumbent trike from LEVA-EU member ICE Trikes, having used their non-electric products for 20 years. She highlights particular advantages for her riding needs, such as the ability for the controls to be adapted and customised to favour her stronger left-hand side, which makes a significant difference.
Jamie states, “As a wheelchair user, the feeling of pedalling gives me an immense sense of freedom and achievement. For a long time, the idea of using e-assist felt slightly like cheating. I’ve always valued the physical effort and the sense of accomplishment that comes with cycling. However, as I started venturing beyond park routes and onto the road, including completing RideLondon 30, I found myself in situations where maintaining a safe, consistent speed on inclines was really challenging.
“That’s where an e-bike becomes less about cheating and more about enabling. It opens up longer road routes and gives me the confidence to tackle inclines safely. I’d also like to explore some off-road riding, where that extra boost will definitely come in handy.
“The reassurance allows me to ride more independently, without always needing to rely on a ride buddy for support. In that sense, pedal-assist doesn’t just make riding easier; it turns cycling into a realistic everyday option.”
Cargo bikes
A variety of experiences with cargo bikes were shared.
Christina Hayford moved to Chicago in 2015 and stopped driving, getting around mainly by bike and public transport, including with her son who was born in 2017. Rear bike seats and a trailer on traditional bikes gave way to an electric cargo bike in 2022, which represented a much quicker way to get to museums and other places that would require multiple public transport transfers.
The Bakfiets-style cargo bike they chose allowed for easy communication with her son during trips, and the e-assist allowed for the tackling of longer journeys. Christina describes how, although the bike was a large upfront expense, savings on public transport, car payments and parking costs are significant.
E-bikes were also essential for Christina when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, enabling her to get to chemotherapy appointments with relative ease, and to continue outings with her son that would not have been possible on a regular bike or walking. Her transport mode to continuing treatment is a folding e-bike, and says, “I was lucky to bounce back quite easily from chemo and surgery, and many of my healthcare providers have attributed it to my biking lifestyle. Today, you will find me riding one of my e-bikes, generally over ten miles per week, to see everything Chicago has to offer. Biking, especially e-biking, has truly given me a freedom that does not exist by car.”
Nick Postorino also moved with family to a new city, from the US to Bergamo in Italy, and with a goal to drive a lot less. When his children were due to be in the same school, he and his wife decided to get a cargo bike for easier transportation. He says, “The impact of living a bike-first, car-second lifestyle has been enormous for our family. For myself, commuting to and from work became a stress reliever rather than a source of stress. But the biggest impact, I hope, is on the kids. Riding on the back of the cargo bike is fun – the wind is in your hair and you can say ‘ciao’ to everyone you encounter. Not only that but the kids are engaged in our route and at eight and ten years old already have quite a good mental map of the city. This gives me peace of mind as they get older and more independent. Most importantly, I want to demonstrate to my kids and everyone we encounter that there is another way. Using a bike for transportation isn’t just fun, it’s quicker, easier, calmer and makes you more connected to the world around you.”
Ben Furfie states that “My electric cargo bike changed what was possible for me. It kick-started a 38kg weight-loss journey and made it viable for our household to ditch a second car, saving tens of thousands of pounds. Neither of those things would have happened without an electric bike.”
He had previously tried using a bike for everyday transportation, but found it a struggle to carry things, and would arrive sweaty. The purchase of a cargo bike changed things almost immediately: “The electric assist and large carrying capacity removed the practical barriers that had previously made cycling feel inconvenient. Suddenly, I could do full supermarket shops, carry bulky items and handle everyday tasks such as getting to work, visiting the dentist or doctors or running routine errands in a way that felt just as predictable and convenient as driving, if not more so.”
Electric mountain bikes
Geoff Waugh is a photographer, with mountain biking one of his specialisms. He says, “Using an e-bike means I can recce areas to shoot faster and get to more of them, as well as being able to foray further into the hills. I can also ride up ahead of the riders and look back for a shot rather than struggling behind and always looking up the trail. My e-bike doesn’t have a USB port, but many of them now do, which would allow me to charge my camera accessories while on the go, which would be another bonus. There are only upsides as far as I am concerned.”
