E-bikes are good for the planet and great for fun days out but can they really handle the grind of the daily commute? I hired an e-bike for 10 days to find out the pros and cons of commuting by e-bike. I wanted to know how it would stack up against my usual forms of transport looking at cost, safety, effort and speed. I live in a rural area so my commute options usually consist of a holy trinity of reluctant buses, walking and taxis, so I figured an e-bike option could improve my commute.
We live about 2.5 miles outside of town in a rural area and my commute takes around 50 minutes to walk, including a hair-raising 15 minute stretch along a fast B-road. So far, I have been wary of using a bike or e-bike to commute into work due to hills, rain and traffic. However, the bus only runs intermittently, taxis are expensive and walking takes a very long time. Because of this, I am excited to try out an e-bike as another travel option.
First Impressions – How to Pick the Right Bike, E-Bike Hire Prices, and Selecting a Cool Cycling Outfit for Commuting
For my first time commuting on an e-bike, I hired the Tern HSD P9 at the special local rate from Eco Hub Aber taking advantage of their local e-bike hire scheme. As a leaf member (£19.50 a month) I got one free week of e-bike use, making it much cheaper than taxis and even giving the bus a run for its money.
The Tern HSD P9 comes well equipped for commuting. It has a Bosch motor, 400Wh battery (110km range), 9-speed Shimano, hydraulic disc brakes and can carry 170 kilos of weight. My thinking was that I could lug lots of books around (I work in a bookshop) and still look cool at the same time. This was proved to be correct when more than one teenage boy said, ‘nice bike’ approvingly as I cycled by.
Choosing the right helmet and cycling outfit became part of the shenanigans. I went with a plum-coloured cycle helmet, both an autumnal choice and to match more of my clothes. Even though my e-bike days coincided with a sudden longing to wear long wafty dresses, I surprisingly managed to put together a few cycling outfits I was happy with. Black leggings, short dresses, tights, hi-vis jacket, sunglasses, and, of course, an essential waterproof zip-up all made the cut.
My first ride was bliss. The sun was out and the sea was a beautiful blue. I cycled along the seafront with my books safe and sound in the Tern’s roomy pannier bags.
Safety and route-planning while commuting by e-bike
The following morning my commuting journey started with a narrow and hair-raisingly fast B-road to navigate. This often seemed risky on foot but the e-bike helped make this section feel safer. I completed it in only 5 minutes, compared to the slow 15 to 20 minutes it takes to walk. With the e-bikes extra power carrying me up the hills, I concentrated more on cycling road awareness, positioning and keeping an eye on traffic, meaning I felt more confident on the riskier sections. Once reached, the cycle paths into Aberystwyth were very good and clearly marked and ideal for commuting, but the parts where they stopped were trickier. My day one lesson was that planning a safe and efficient route is essential, especially in rural areas with fast roads.
Urban Cycle Routes: Navigating One-Way Systems in Towns
At the other end of the cycle path as you approach the town centre, e-bike commuting becomes a bit more complicated. The one way system in town often leaves me on the wrong side for where I actually want to go. Since cyclists aren’t allowed on pavements and should keep to the highway code, some straightforward routes become cut off when travelling from one side of town to the other including parts of the promenade.
To get round this I often had to dismount and walk the bike along pavements (not ideal as the Tern is a little on the heavy side), or was forced to merge with town traffic round longer, less direct ring roads. This felt counter intuitive for a mode of transport that is supposed to be fast and flexible.
Clearer, well-marked cycling routes through town would make a huge difference for commuters on bikes. At the moment the infrastructure design, while great in the lead up to town, forgets that bikes need logical through-routes once they get there, just like cars do.
The Importance of Packing a Bike Lock When Food Shopping on an E-Bike
One of my early e-bike mistakes was a classic: forgetting to pack a bike lock. When trying to do my food shop on the e-bike on my way home I realised too late I’d left the lock behind. This rookie error meant I was faced with three bad options: go hungry, risk leaving the expensive e-bike unattended, or return to get the lock. I chose a fourth option instead – to take the bike in with me, pushing my giant electric bike around Morrisons. Groovy.
I avoided staff and shoppers’ eyes and just about came out with my bread, coffee and dignity intact. Lesson two learned: a bike lock is essential for e-bike commuting, otherwise you might actually starve.
On the plus side, I was very impressed with the amount of bulky food items I managed to cram into those panniers. For anyone considering using an e-bike for errands or the weekly shop, good, waterproof pannier bags are worth their weight in gold (and vegetables).
Locking up and Parking an E-Bike While Commuting
Just like parking a car, finding a parking spot for my e-bike while commuting needed a bit of planning. Being an expensive beast, it needs to always be safe and secure so a good bike lock and awareness of local bike racks or railings are essential. Being electric,it also helps if it’s parked somewhere dry. As I was using the e-bike for my daily journey to work I needed secure dry places to lock up for hours at a time. I managed to lock it in front of my workplace, but struggled to find places on smaller side streets when wanting to pop in and out of independent shops. Bike hangars like those recently installed in other towns and cities would have been ideal offering long-term weather-protected storage. As it was, I managed with a mixture of on-street bike rails and the occasional borrowed indoor space. I even borrowed a tarpaulin for the days when it was raining, and I mean, really really raining.
E-bike Commuting in Rainy Weather (and Tackling Helmet Hair)
During my 10 day e-bike odyssey, I encountered all types of weather. This varied from perfect cycling weather: light breeze, golden light, leaves slowly spiralling from the trees, to absolute torrential rain. On two occasions I had to cycle into work in extreme heavy rain, which led to two very different strategies.
The first time, completely unprepared, I ended up emergency-buying charity shop clothes to change into. The second time, I packed an entire spare outfit into my panniers, which worked much better. From then on my rainy day cycling kit always included a spare pair of tights as well as the more usual hi-vis jacket, rain coat and (ever the optimist) sunglasses.
And for the most important section: helmet hair. To start with I just wore my hair down as bike helmets do not really allow for elaborate up-dos. By the end of the 10 days I’d branched out from this with a few other reliable options, plaits, a low ponytail and a silk scarf under the helmet to keep things in place.
There were two times the weather outright won. One fierce Sunday I cancelled my plans and stayed at home. I enjoyed listening to the howling wind and driving rain from the safety of my sofa. The second time I returned the bike a day early and got picked up by my husband who had returned with our van. When the weather warnings appear, always have a plan B, and don’t feel bad about leaving the bike at home!
Overall Benefits of Commuting by E-Bike: Power, Comfort and Control
Ultimately, the biggest psychological benefits of using an e-bike for commuting was the complete lack of dread when faced with a giant hill at the end of a long day. Every time my brain said ‘oh no you have to cycle home now,’ I reminded myself, ‘aha yes, but the bike does most of the work.’
I loved how the electric motor assistance opened up hillier routes that I would have avoided on a push-bike. Suddenly I could tackle hills, inclines and even my steep driveway without arriving sweaty and exhausted. Both bikes I tried, The Tern, and the Bergamont, were powerful uphill, the Bergamont even more so than the Tern due to its lighter frame. Short sharp slopes were no longer a huge problem, just another part of the journey.
You do still have to pedal though, and you do need the bike gears. It doesn’t just glide you up hills like a swan. What the e-bike does offer is more control over how hard or easy your ride feels. On tired days I used the power assist more, while on more energetic days I experimented with both sets of gears, saving the battery for the really steep bits or seeing if I could get further on a lower electric gear (or higher push-bike gear). Using this approach, I only had to charge the battery twice during the 10 days. It charged very easily and quickly at home in a regular plug socket while I watched TV.
Surprisingly, I also felt my fitness levels improve, even on an e-bike. I ate big delicious breakfasts to fuel my ride and within days my legs stopped aching. By the end of the 10 days I could use less power and still cycle fast. Instead of the terrain dictating how tiring my commute was, I could control it myself, giving myself lovely easy days where the bike carried me along, and other times challenging myself to a tougher ride. The pedal-assist felt like a reward, letting me glide up hills and around roundabouts with confidence.
Would I do it again? Yes I would. Hiring an e-bike for my commute gave me more control, flexibility, and confidence. I also felt a boost in my fitness and a renewed appreciation for my beautiful rural surroundings. After trialing hiring a bike from Eco Hub Aber, I would definitely consider investing in my own bike in the future.
E-bikes are available for longer-term hire through Eco Hub Aber at special local community prices supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.
