Ditch Your Car! How To Swap Your Car For An E-Bike

There are a huge amount of upsides to a modern E-bike, but could you ditch your car for one? We looked at the top objections to ditching the car, and how to overcome them!

 THE COMMUTE 

If you have a long commute to work, this can be an obstacle to leaving the car behind and we’re not suggesting you fit in a stage of Le Tour before and after the workday, however, if you live and work in the same town or city, commuting by bike might be easier than you think. Not only that, in a significant number of cities the bike is quicker than the car during rush hour traffic, add in a powerful electric motor and you won’t even have to work up a sweat.

 Commuter wearing yellow coat and superbright spin lock around waist, walking with bicycle

HOW WILL I CARRY MY STUFF? 

For everyday cargo, E-bikes make things easy. Sure pushing a fully loaded Cargo Bike might take a bit more effort than the latest performance road bike, but when your pedal stroke is motor-assisted it makes things pretty easy. If you regularly have a large number of things to transport then look at a Cargo E-bike – our pick would be the Urban Arrow Shorty with its huge cargo capacity within a short wheelbase, or alternatively, look at the Reisse & Mueller range of Cargo E-Bikes. If you don’t need a huge amount of carriage space, then a traditional set of panniers or some smart luggage options from Restrap or Altura should be all you need.

I CAN’T AFFORD IT

There’s no denying E-Bikes are more expensive than your everyday commuter bike, but when looking at total cost vs other methods of commuting you could be saving a lot of ongoing costs. One way to lessen the initial expense would be purchase through a cycle to work scheme. Secondly it’s worth considering exactly what you need in a commuting E-Bike. A full-suspension E-MTB isn’t going to be ideal for the commute, and cranks up the price more than needed. After the initial outlay, ongoing maintenance and running costs are significantly lower than using a car every day and just think of the fuel savings!

WHICH WAY DO I GO?

You might know your commute like the back of your steering wheel holding hands, but leave the car behind (or the sat nav!) and it’s easy to get stumped. Take time to scope out the most sensible, safe and bike-friendliest routes to your place of work ahead of time to avoid any last-minute lost direction. There’s plenty of bike-friendly navigation options out there, from Google Maps on your smartphone through to a bike-specific solution like Beeline, designed to sit on your handlebars and help you navigate. The more you plan in advance, the easier it’s going to be to adapt to leaving the car behind.

HOW WOULD I KEEP MY BIKE SECURE?

Whilst car thefts are pretty rife, they are usually a little more involved than a bike theft, so it’s easy to understand why switching to an e-bike might raise alarm bells (literally). However, we have a few tips to make sure your e-bike is safe and secure.

  • Choose a practical, sold secure lock – usually GOLD rated for towns and cities
  • Use best locking practice – see our security tips
  • Secure batteries and accessories where appropriate
  • Register and Insure your bike
  • Don’t forget home security

For more tips, read our blog on how to lock e-bikes.

HOW DO I STAY SAFE?

There are lots of practical safe commuting tips, and we wouldn’t claim to be experts but we’ve picked out some easily followed, practical tips to help give you that commuting confidence.

  • Be Visible – whilst being lit up light a beacon isn’t ideal for the office, it’s an unfortunate necessity for commuting in traffic. The more easily visibly you are the more chance there is of a driver spotting you.
  • Maintain your bike – you don’t have to become a bike mechanic, but keeping on top of maintenance will mean the difference between a roadside mechanical and a smooth commute.
  • Be aware of other road users – the more you can see and be aware of other road users the more chance you have of spotting any potential issues – leave the full-face helmet at home.

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