The rise of e-bikes in Wales

Local TV

Cycling specialist Dallas from Lampeter tells us about why he thinks e-bikes have grown so drastically in popularity, and if it’s likely to keep growing. He tells us that regulation needs to be in place before an e-bike turns to a moped.

Transcript

00:00The future is in electric, definitely. It's not going away. Sales of electric bikes are definitely just increasing all the time.

00:13I think we're getting to a plateau, I think, of where power is and can be for safety reasons.

00:22Electric bikes, or e-bikes as they're often known, have revolutionised the way many people travel.

00:26Sales have skyrocketed in recent years, but they've been around a little bit longer than you might think.

00:31Dallas from BikeWise and Run in Lampeter says that he loves his e-bike and it's changed the way that he cycles.

00:37You know, I mean, they've been with us now. I've got friends in the area that were the first to have them in the area.

00:43And we're now talking like sort of over 10 years ago.

00:45So it's been around for a little bit of a while, but I think in the last four or five years, it's really sort of pushed on now.

00:52More and more people are, there are still the odd hater out there that are, oh, no, it's cheating.

00:59But mostly, most people just embrace them now for what they are.

01:03It gets people, you know, I've got an electric mountain bike.

01:06I also have a road bike as well for my fitness, but I have an electric mountain bike and I love it.

01:12It means that I ride more often. I ride further.

01:14I ride things that I would never have ridden before in terms of elevation just because it can get you out there.

01:22The current legislation means that e-bikes can only push you so far, which is why they're handy for mountain biking,

01:28meaning you can get up those nasty inclines.

01:30But unregulated, more powerful bikes can become a lot faster and a lot more dangerous.

01:35Legally, OK, the assistance, all UK sold, UK safe certified e-bikes will assist you to 15.5 miles an hour.

01:48Once you get over 15.5 miles an hour, you're basically on your own.

01:52So you're you're pedaling. It's given you the it's given you the that kick to get you up there.

01:57But anything over that and, you know, we were I was out riding on Sunday.

02:01We were on a bit of a road section between mountain bike trails and we were doing about sort of 18, 19 miles an hour.

02:08But because they're electric and they're a bit heavier, it's a bit harder once you're over the motor.

02:13Obviously, one of the big challenges in the rise of e-bikes is the line between an e-bike and a moped.

02:18There's a growing need for the legislation in the field because eventually they were to become more powerful and reach higher speeds.

02:24It stops becoming a push bike and starts to become a motorbike.

02:27And we're now getting to that point where actually these are becoming very close to a moped.

02:33And they are talking about if the motor is delivering over 750 watts of peak power, there may be a case that these bikes will then become mopeds.

02:45Tax, insurance and all that kind of thing that goes along with it.

02:48But I think there has to be something there because, you know, you can't have people flying.

02:53It's still a pedal bike as well.

02:55You know, we only wear we wear a helmet.

02:57Most people.

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