Raleigh E-Bike Reviews -
Lucy's Commute

I’m not a newbie to cycling but commuting has only been something I’ve dabbled with in the past. This may be partly down to the fact that my commute is not as simple as riding from home to work then back again.

I’m a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and a large part of my job is travelling between GP clinics and Health and Leisure centres across Sheffield to visit my patients.

Taking the Plunge

For those of you who haven’t experienced the hills of Sheffield– they’re big, and there are a lot of them! I do make a lot of excuses such as;

• I live at the top of a big hill…

• It’s due to be windy today…

• I have lots of things to carry…

• I’ve got a gym session tonight…

• I need to get home quickly for the dog/to put tea on/change for the gym…

I had always been happy to reel off the reasons why I wasn’t not actively commuting; but at the start of 2015 I decided to cut the excuses and join the growing club of cyclist commuters, swapping the car for the bike on a weekly basis. I zipped off to work and back week after week on my commuter, thoroughly enjoying the experience despite the February temperatures. I arrived home hot, sweaty, but happy. I’d got the bug!

Trying an E-bike

I’m lucky enough to have a friend who owns an electric bike and kindly lent it to me so I could try it for my commute. Well, it was an absolute revelation! My previous excuses for not commuting by bike? demolished! And, as the saying goes, there is no such thing as bad weather just ill-prepared clothing. The cold winter mornings and English weather didn’t seem so bad when you’re flying past traffic with the help of the power assist. Carrying all my kit to work has also been a breeze. With two panniers I can easily fit all of my kit in including my laptop.

On the way to work I turn up the pedal assist so I don’t arrive sweaty. Then on the way home I use the Eco-mode so I can push on a bit. Now, I knew that a bike with the pedal assist would mean I’d arrive faster than my slog on the road bike, but on most days it was surprisingly quicker than driving especially when the schools are back. Win, win!

"Now, I knew that a bike with the pedal assist would mean I’d arrive faster than my slog on the road bike."

Weighing up the Pros & Cons of an E-bike

I had my suspicions that I would probably get fitter by using the e-bike. My theory was that I would spend more time in lower heart rate zones than on my usual commute therefore improving my cardiovascular fitness. The results? Not only do I feel fitter when I get back on my non-electric bike, but I’m beating my original route times which I record with a GPS device.

A handy tip for any Strava users with an e-bike; you can change the setting of Sport from the default of ‘Ride’ to the ‘E-bike Ride’ option so you won’t upset the leader boards! To satisfy my inner geek, I took my fitness tests one step further. At the start of my “trial” with the e-bike I did a Wattbike fitness test which measures, amongst lots of other data, your average power output. I chose a 12 mins all-out time trial, which involves pedalling as fast as you can for the full 12 minutes.

"I’m beating my original route times which I record with a GPS device."

I repeated the test 6 weeks later, and to my delight I’d gained 10 watts. That equates to approximately a 5% increase in power output. Plus in terms of speed, the bike gets me to places around 30% quicker than my standard commuter. This means that I’m exposed to the traffic fumes for less time and, at the risk of sounding too pessimistic, 30% less chance of being knocked off my bike too! Oh, and of course I can get home quicker.

I’d like to think that my patient’s experience is enriched too – I’m more energetic and mentally alert. I can also use my experience to encourage them (where appropriate) to consider e-bikes highlighting the benefits it could offer. I’m a strong advocate of Physio’s promoting exercise, and cycling is the perfect exercise for most physio patients because it’s so low impact.

"Clearly the cost of the bike is a significant initially but over time it will pay for itself, though the other gains start immediately. "

The money I’ve saved from not buying fuel and parking tickets goes straight into my new bike fund! So all in all I am sold and look forward to the arrival of my very own Raleigh electric bike to continue with my commuting. I might even get some longer rides in without all the baggage too!