Bionic Biking - Upgrade Your Own Gear?

Getting around while staying healthy and reducing emissions is the essence of biking. I’ve seen biking crazes sweep nations when readily available and it’s a great alternative to the usual vehicle-based forms of transport. Biking around is fun and it has given me a little workout on short commutes. For people who aren’t avid cyclists, your mileage may vary, quite literally. Fitness, technique, terrain and many other things can influence the effectiveness of biking from place to place. Steep inclines, bad weather and perhaps general fatigue detracts over distance are just a few issues that detract from the appeal of biking everywhere. Tech start-ups are looking to change the way the world commutes for everyone by giving a helping electric hand.

Electric bikes (E Bikes) are the perfect solution to taking users further by making use of an electric motor that amplifies the user’s input, greatly reducing the rider’s physical exertion. A helping hand to eliminate physical barriers seems like the perfect solution to travelling longer distances without fatigue. It also serves as an assistive push up steep hills that would otherwise be challenging for most novice riders. E bikes are the next jump forward, but it doesn’t come without paying a premium. There isn’t an abundance of electric bike manufacturers out there and the starting prices are hovering around the $2000 mark. An investment that many would be conscious of and for avid riders who have already invested into their own biking gear, it might even seem like a sacrifice, in some cases a downgrade with respect to comfort.

The existing bike market is sizeable and clever start-ups have recognised that people love biking and probably won’t bother investing in an E-bike just yet. Novice riders may not be confident in the E-Bike experience, it’s a hard sell and we have yet to see many E-Bikes roll out for rental across a nation. The new wave of E-Biking might be an easier sell when packaged as an upgrade kit that can be used on any existing non electronic bike. A kit costs around $500 and adds additional safety lighting, cadence-based riding assistance, data capture, analytics and a bunch of other things that I think will make new and existing riders consider this a worthwhile upgrade. Modular design with wireless technology that can be used on demand is valuable, it gives owners the best of both worlds with an existing bike and may be the gateway for a full conversion in the future. I think E-Bike conversion kits are a step in the right direction and it’s an ideal market. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we see a futuristic skateboard that hovers us to our destination! Perhaps this is an area actifit could see integration :)

Some companies offering E-bike kits, I am yet to try one and not affiliated with these companies:

https://www.swytchbike.com/
https://gboost.bike/
https://www.rubbee.co.uk/
https://pendix.com/

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