Why Buy A Car When An Electric Bike Might Do
In the last couple of years, electric bicycles have burst forth from the shadows into the mainstream and along the way have also become lighter, simpler to use, with bigger range, and more reliable than ever.
Gone are the days where you had to find a bike shop that was interested in and capable of installing an aftermarket kit on your existing bike. The e-bikes available at your local bike store today are sleek, well appointed, fully integrated, and can often be difficult to distinguish from regular non-electric bikes. They are also easy to operate, re-charge, and maintain - with many being not much different than maintenance needed on a non-electric bike.
Time To Look In The Mirror
If you're honest with yourself and take a quick look at your personal driving habits, you'll begin to notice a couple of interesting things:
- your vehicle is likely parked 95% of the time
- the vast majority of your city trips are less than 10kms - see chart below
- the amount of treasure you sink into it is astonishingly high - see image below.
All that time sitting motionless behind the wheel also has major health implications over the long term. Even for people who feel that they are fit, or work out on a regular basis - all that windshield time adds up and over years of driving can lead to negative health issues. Humans are meant to move. All the time. We evolved as hunter/gatherers and although our technological society has offered us impressive shiny objects and abilities that seem to make us almost superhuman - we are all still those same hunter/gatherers that need to be in constant motion to stay sharp and remain healthy.
The vast majority of vehicle trips taken are well under 10kms.
An massive amount of money goes to vehicle costs.
The car trip distances above are short and easily covered by an electric bicycle. When you begin to compare electric bicycles to cars the value proposition starts to look pretty compelling. Here are a few blog posts about the cost comparison between owning a used car and e-cargo bikes:
Cost Comparison: E-Cargo Bikes Vs. The Car - Genpedia
Does Biking Save You Money Even When You Need A Car - Genpedia
The Cost Of Cargo Biking - This Mom Bikes
Our Bodies Are Designed To Move All The Time
And we still haven't discussed the real physical health benefits that riding an electric bike offers its rider. Because the truth is, with today's generation of pedal-assist bicycles, you still have to work to make it go. No throttle means the systems only work when you are pedaling. You can choose the assist level you receive from almost no assistance at all to full power to help flatten hills, shorten distance, and disappear headwinds. All the while having fun.
A recent survey conducted in the US showed that people that owned e-bikes rode more often than before their purchase. The reasons behind the purchases were all over the map, but included the ability to ride more easily in a hilly area; to ride longer distances; to help overcome limitations caused by a medical condition; and, of course, to just have fun.
We have curated a full spectrum of electric bikes for every city cycling style. Everything from the speedy commuter through to the family hauler extraordinaire. Bikes you can transport out of town on a car rack and bikes that can replace your car entirely.
Scroll down to see some of our best selling models.
We also have many electric bikes and cargo bikes available for demo rides too.
The City Commuter
We have been offering Gazelle’s range of bicycles since 2011, well before e-bikes became “a thing”. The reason? Gazelle’s long history of producing some of the best city bikes ever made offers us the confidence that every one we sell will be used for decades by their owners, and in some cases, get passed down to their kids. They are that well built. The Gazelle Arroyo C5 is the latest incarnation of that ethos and is the perfect bike for those looking for a fun handling, lightweight city-styled bike with all the sensible commuter accessories included. Utilizing Bosch’s newest generation Smart System, power is smooth and abundant with a range of 500-100km between charges. A sturdy rear rack allows the use of a set of panniers to carry your stuff to work, pickup groceries on the way home, built-in lighting, and/or attach a Thule baby seat/child trailer to it and take your little one to daycare. Full coverage fenders keep road grime off you and your machine, and the included kickstand holds everything up.
The Medium-Duty Utility Family Hauler
You like the idea of the Gazelle above but know in your heart you're going to end up carrying more than it can handle. Or you have more than one child and want to accommodate them onboard too. Or you want a little off-road capability so you can choose whichever path opens up in front of you. If any of this makes sense to you, than the Benno Boost is the bike for you. Sporting wide 24x2.6" tires, total cargo capacity of 440lbs, available front rack that, this bike can handle the grocery run and multiple children at the same time. Powered by Bosch's industry-leading mid-drive system, this is your new Smart Car. Full fenders keep you clean, built-in high powered front and rear German-engineered lighting keeps you visible day and night, and a study kickstand makes loading up easy.
The Light-Duty Utility and Family Hauler
When I discovered longtail style cargo bikes way back in 2008, it was the impetus that caused us to trip and fall down the rabbit hole of cargo bikes/utility cycling - ultimately leading us to conceptualize and open BikeBike a couple years later. Since that time, longtails and midtails have continued to innovate and are our best selling style of cargo bike.
These bikes are supremely capable on so many levels: city commuters, grocery getters, kid haulers, family bike camping vehicles - the sky is the limit on what these bikes are capable of. Carry up to 3 children on certain models or 200lbs of whatever you want - these amazing bikes are super fun to ride, easy to operate.
Yuba’s entry level Kombi E5 is not only great as a family hauler (up to 3 kids onboard), it is light enough to be fun for people not hauling kids around.
The 21st Century SUV's and Pickup Trucks
Haul all the children, gardening supplies, groceries, recycling, IKEA run - you name it with these incredible machines. The future of urban transportation has arrived and it looks a lot like these bikes. Capable of doing anything a car can do - in fact - they can be more useful than a car when moving bulky items around.
If you've ever been to Amsterdam or Copenhagen you've seen bikes like these zipping all over the place loaded with a manner of animals, humans, and stuff. It is difficult to understand how incredible these are until you've had a chance to ride one.
Urban Arrow’s incredible Family model is a proven 4-season performer here in Calgary. Featuring Bosch’s best in class electric system, high powered brakes, easy shifting drive system, and family accessories to move your kids around from the day they were born, Urban Arrow is an exceptional #JoyMachine.
As expected, they also sit at the top of the price range but even then, they are still 1/4 the price of the cheapest electric car, can carry more stuff, are cheaper to operate - and you get fit while using it!
If you are seriously contemplating the purchase of an new automobile, you should come see us and check out what the future of electric transportation really looks like. Many of our past customers have sold of one of their cars, took the proceeds and put them towards a cargo bike and have not regretted it for a minute. In fact, virtually every cargo customer says their only regret was not purchasing it sooner.
DYK we also have a Weekend Demo Program on cargo bikes where you can try before you buy?
Your kids will thank you. Your wallet will thank you. Your retirement savings will thank you. Your community thanks you. And your heart will thank you too.