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news
Carrera Vengeance-E riding-9MP who opposed pop-up cycle lanes tries an e-bike – and has an epiphany (of sorts)
A Tory MP who earlier this year complained that a pop-up cycle lane installed by Southampton City Council had led to increased congestion and air pollution has had something of an epiphany after Halfords lent him an e-bike to get around his constituency.
Writing on the website Conservative Home, Royston Smith, who has been MP for Southampton Itchen since the 2015 general election and a former councillor in the south coast city, asked whether the COVID-19 crisis will “really bring an end to our reliance on cars for many of us?”
The short answer he gives is “Probably not” – before going on to say that “If we are to see the green transport revolution that the Prime Minister has announced, the case must be made for more accessible sustainable transport options, such as e-bikes.”
In June, when he criticised the city council over an emergency cycle lane installed on the A3024 Bitterne Road West, Smith – who owned local bike shop Triangle Cycles from 1993 to 2003 – said: “We need to encourage people to use cleaner, greener transport, for example electric vehicles where possible.”
He suggested that in a hilly city such as Southampton, people should be encouraged to use e-bikes and e-scooters (once legal) for their commutes – and having now tried out the former, he was pleasantly surprised by the experience.
“Last month, my local Halfords store in Southampton lent me an e-bike to trial for a few weeks,” he wrote in his Conservative Home article. “When Simon, the branch manager, set me up on the impressive Carrera Vengeance, I had my doubts. His advice was straightforward – ‘just ride’. I expected I would need to do something with the throttle to boost the motor. Instead, it really was that easy, the constant feeling of riding in the lowest gear, unless I chose to add some resistance.
“The effect of this was to make even the mightiest hills feel flat; very welcome in a hilly city like Southampton. It really couldn’t have been easier, and made cycling a viable option for me in a way it probably wouldn’t be for most slightly overweight men in their mid-fifties who have fallen out of the habit of cycling regularly.
“I was also impressed that e-bikes maintain their charge for so long. Halfords showed me that on average charging is required every 30-50 miles, making e-bikes a practical alternative to using the car and public transport for many. E-bikes are included in the Cycle to Work scheme, which allows employees to spread the cost of a new purchase through tax free salary instalments over 12 or 18 months making getting one a more affordable prospect than ever.”
Smith rejected accusations from local campaigners that he was “anti-cyclist” due to his opposition to the emergency infrastructure, and indeed repeated his assertion that the initial £11.5 million that the Labour-run council had received from the Department for Transport for it had not been spent wisely, “Because creating cycle lanes does not make cycling more accessible to all,” and in his opinion led to more congestion and air pollution.
But he added: “My experience of an e-bike showed me how they make cycling accessible to many more people than regular cycles. Halfords reported a tripling of sales of electric bikes this year. With the technology being cheaper and better than before, a quiet e-bike revolution is already taking place. E-bikes are perhaps not the entire solution – but they have great potential and should continue to be supported by policy makers.”
His acknowledgment that “e-bikes are perhaps not the entire solution” does beg the question of what might complement them – and it’s not too much of a leap to work out what could supply a big part of the answer, that is, safe infrastructure.
E-bikes, as he points out, do create access to cycling for many people who might not otherwise ride a bike – but as survey after survey demonstrates, perception of danger on the roads remains the biggest barrier to getting in the saddle, and protected cycle lanes are regularly flagged up as one of the most important interventions that can help people overcome their fear.
Hopefully, encouraged by the loan from Halfords, the MP will continue to use an e-bike to get around – and the more he rides, the more we suspect he will come to see the benefits of safe space for cyclists, segregated from motor vehicles.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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This topic has attracted several people who appear to be unable to read. It's like disputing with a load of smokers trying to justify smoking, other than that nobody is suggesting that people shouldn't ride e-bikes. There is no point in me repeating what I have alredy written, beyond the original quotations "The effect of this was to make even the mightiest hills feel flat" and "For most people, it's a low ecological impact way of going for a drive in the country". Really, these are not very difficult to grasp, yet immediately following the latter we get "So, you'd rather they went for a drive in the country in their Range Rover, or their e-bike?"
Seriously, do you only read your own posts?
Out riding yesterday in the beautiful but cold weather, we saw (were overtaken by) several electric bikes ridden by elderly cylists. I imagine, from their physique, that they would not have been out on normal bikes. If electric bikes can get people out on two wheels I would say they are a great benefit. The more people who cycle the safer cycling will become.
It's also fun trying to 'race' people on e-bikes. I can normally speed past them on the flat (has to be accompanied with a cheerful, not-out-of-breath 'hi' or 'morning') but then they power past me on the hills.
The more people on two wheels, the better.
The effect of this was to make even the mightiest hills feel flat
That tells us all we need to know about e-bikes- all the close-passing risks, but no fitness benefit!
I got an e-bike with the intention of upping my 9 mile commute from 3+ days to every day - My fitness has dropped over the lockdown, but on Saturday, my commute into town, out to our DR site and back then back home (75 kms in total) my heartrate averaged over 142, so it's not entirely effort free and not a lot different on my Triban commuter when I was fitter.
People can always quote individual examples, but everyone who cycles regularly knows fine well how to identify the e-bike riders from a distance: they're blithely sitting upright, smiling and pedalling at a rapid rate that only the best Froome types can maintain uphill. By and large, e-biking is a way of convincing yourself you're out exercising without all the tiresome sweating and breathlessness. For most people, it's a low ecological impact way of going for a drive in the country.
This month I've noticed a few seniors out on e-bikes in my lanes, which on balance I think is A Good Thing. I have "You should take up cycling" ready if any of them wants to make conversation on a climb.
I don't know why you have such a downer e-bikes. If it is something that gets more people out of the cars and onto two wheels, then it is less traffic and even more reason for better infrastructure for all of us.
I'll admit that I'm more of a proponent of them as it allows my severely asthmatic wife (real asthma, not sports asthma) to do up to a 30 mile cycle with me with barely a need for an inhaler. We wouldn't have even done 1 without the assistance. And she still needs to pedal and do some effort, especially when we get to hills as even with the assist, the 25kg town bike needs more then it can give.
If your gripes were about the people who chip the bikes into unrestricted non pedalling versions, then yes it is just an illegal motorbike and they should be removed (especially the geezer I used to see on my commute doing 25mph on the pavement and 30+ on the roads). But stop living in the past on reasons for cycling and just be glad it gets more people out of the 4 wheeled death machines.
I don't know why you have such a downer on e-bikes...
I don't! I have never suggested people shouldn't have them, that they shouldn't be on sale or that they are evil. I just say that they'e not bikes, and that the majority of people you see out on them are cheerily doing sod-all. I repeat: for most people, notwithstanding those claiming 145 average HR over a long e-bike ride, it's just a way of going for a drive in the country while kidding yourself you're exercising and while experiencing the genuine cyclist's risk of close passing.
..but they manifestly are, so that would just be wrong. Meh.
Some people on here must be fitter and more dedicated than me! High average HR over a long period on an e-bike?! I find that 140+ is unattainable on normal rides, because of the inevitable downhill sections. However, I can do it on special occasions: this was when desperately trying to make a blood donor appointment after a surprising puncture and a worse than expected headwind. I made it only 5 minutes late.
So, you'd rather they went for a drive in the country in their Range Rover, or their e-bike? Seriously, what's eating you?
Cobblers. I've been commuting 32 miles round trip on an ebike conversion since September and it's had appreciable fitness benefits for my weekend jaunts on my carbon Ultegra Di2. The continuous low wattage spinning required isn't that different to what I do on the trainer on a warmdown day. Clearly it's not as beneficial to fitness as doing the whole thing on a non-powered bike, but it definitely has appreciable benefits and certainly more than sitting on the train, which is what I'd be doing otherwise. I think people need to understand the difference between a pedal assisted bike (all legal ebikes in the UK) and a straightforward throttle-powered ebike (illegal). PAS bikes supplement your efforts, they don't replace them. From my rough calculations and looking at my HRM data, I reckon my 32 miles ebiking commute is equivalent to around nine miles unpowered biking - not much, but again, not to be sniffed at if otherwise one would be getting no exercize at all. Also, they're bloody great fun!
Cycling on the flat is still a lot more exercise and healthier than driving.
Having tried out a Scott E-Spark a couple of years ago, being sweaty and out of breath is entirely possible with an ebike.
The huge grin was the biggest surprise though.
I think the main benefit of ebikes is that they encourage folk out of their cars - and that would be a huge win.
Re fitness, my understanding is that not only is there a strong benefit (it doesn't get easier, you just go faster) but also that folk who take up cycling with e-assist are more likely at stick to it for longer.
If everyone's having fun, who cares??
They also generally increase the distance they use the bikes for according to the studies i've seen pop up so far - so all good.
"no fitness benefits". wtjs - you are absolutely flat wrong here.
My wife rides an Orbea Gain having previously ridden a regular road bike. It only assists when you turn the pedals. There's no assist past 25km/h
She still does a 2 hour ride and puts in the same amount of effort as before and comes back just as tired as before. It's just that, with the assistance, she can now ride an extra 10 miles in that time. That's the only difference.
It has opened up more routes for her so that she doesn't have to keep riding the same old roads all the time. We can now ride some of my favourite hillier routes together again.
It's been an absolute game changer for her cycling and means she gets out more than previously. It has helped with her fitness.
Hooray for an occasion for positive press coverage of an MP! And well done to Royston Smith for giving it a fair shake 🙂
Looks like an e-piphany
Nah, he's just being cell-fish
Is Southampton particularly hilly? It is on the coast and the majority of that is flat I thought for major ports and such.
I was thinking the same. Southampton sits between two rivers, the Test and the Itchen. How hilly can it be?
It's flat to the west of the Itchen, hillier to the east. Royston's constituency is hilly, his Labour counterpart's is flat. His bike shop was at the foot of a hill and the three steepest hills in Southampton are within half a mile. Most of the area around the docks is flat because it's all reclaimed land that's only been there a hundred years or so.
Surprisingly so - a few long (over a mile) drags at low % plus the Itchen Bridge. None will trouble even an occasional cyclist but they are a barrier to the less fit.
e.g. Witts Hill - half a mile at 6% https://www.strava.com/segments/12471343
This one's a bit of a challenge near the top - around 11% https://www.strava.com/segments/1682843
It's more the rolling terrain that's the issue. Heading east from Northam out to Sholing you've got three long hils whichever way you ride, plus you've got the wind to deal with. Oh and the pollution. And the artics heading to the docks.
West of the city centre the cycling infrastructure is pretty good - Royston is moaning out the new provisions out to the east which have been rushed in but are much needed because of the hills.
Looking at the bricks on the wall here: https://www.google.com/maps/@50.9108653,-1.3678664,3a,35.9y,70.32h,78.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5H7Xat80Io2uhKLds2KS-w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 I make the gradient of Athelstan Road about 20% at that point. It's definitely more than 10%, whatever strava says (presumably Strava's gradient is averaged over a longer distance).
West of the Itchen - i.e. between the rivers, because the other side of the Test isn't Southampton - isn't entirely flat, but it's a steady gentle slope. In the 6km from the sea at the bottom of the high street to the Chilworth roundabout on the Northern edge of the city, it goes up about 80m, fairly steadily, which gives an average gradient of just over 1%. This is enough that you can definitely feel the difference between going North and South, but it's unlikely to stop most people cycling.
It's hilly around the edges, less so in the middle - https://en-gb.topographic-map.com/maps/ji5/Southampton/
The city centre is fairly flat, and heading out west is also flatish, but head north west (Lordshill and round the Hospital) and north east & east (ever cycled up Athelstan Rd?) and there are hill galore!! In Bittern Park we have a road with a 20% gradient which is hard to walk up let alone cycle