To Paris on an eBike.

In this day and age we are used to email, ecommerce, etc but alas I made a welcome new introduction to my eLife when I came across the eBike. When I first heard about this I thought it was a company selling bikes over the internet. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the E stood for electric.

Two years ago I had taken part in an Edinburgh to Paris cycle which was an amazing experience in itself. I consigned that to the bin and started planning a bigger trip. This year I bumped into Allan Prentice and Graeme Bruce of Prentice Events. Prentice Events is a charity that organises cycle trips and had organised my Edinburgh to Paris Trip in 2007. Alan and Graeme were about to take part in this trip again and asked if I would like to ride a bike supplied by AlienOcean from The Scottish eBike Centre based in Kinross. Thinking of a top road bike I hastily agreed. To my surprise I discovered the bike was an electric cycle powered by battery.

The first thing that came into my mind was…would it be fast enough for my competitive attitude, would it be like riding a motorcycle (I had just completed a round the world on a motorcycle) and what would it look like? I looked up the company on the internet and satisfied myself that the bike looked like any other modern bike.

Soon I met the staff and tried the bike out for size. It felt heavier than I was used to but that was expected due to the battery. After a full mechanical inspection and explanation of the controls I took it out onto the streets of Kinross for a test ride. I remember setting it to "Pedal Assist" where the power kicks in when you pedal the bike in low gear. It felt like someone was pushing me from the back…yeeeeeha…off I went. Next I tried the twist and go throttle in the right grip. Off the bike went and no peddling. A smile appeared on my face and grew bigger as I overtook two serious looking road bikes on the slope back to the shop.

I was sold on this and immediately started thinking how I could test this machine on the Paris trip.

Starting off from Edinburgh the bike attracted lots of press attention and was even hi-jacked by George Grubb, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh. I thought I was not going to get it back while he cycled between the ponds outside the Scottish Parliament. The press waited eagerly hoping for the best shot which they said would be of the Lord Provost crashing the bike into one of the ponds. That would have been a big test for the battery and the bike!

Fortunately the Lord Provost and the bike survived and off we headed for Paris. Starting from Zeebrugge on the continental side we headed south giving me the first opportunity to test the bike against some serious cyclists and bikes. I was determined at the same time to get a bit of fitness work and make my fellow riders jealous of my lack of peddling and breathlessness.

Zeebrugge to Lille is a comparatively flat run and I did not find the need to use the power very much on this section. I was filming and photographing from the bike and found that the extra power helped me get into the right position with little effort. The bike has two batteries fitted to accommodate the 45-60 mile sections of the journey. This added substantial weight and I was carrying bits and pieces for everyone in my panniers. The two batteries were one of the only problems I had with this bike. The extra weight made it top-heavy and the centre stand was not sufficient to hold the bike up in all but the flattest of surfaces. I had to keep the wee ones away in case it fell on them. I must say however that when I was running with one battery the weight thing was better although I would recommend trying different types of stand.

Onward after a good night sleep and a fast charge of both my batteries and the bike batteries. The removal of the batteries is easy and the charging time is about 3 hours. A small criticism of the operating key on the battery. You need to remember to remove it or the key gets bent when you slide it out and that could cause a problem. Headed on toward Peronne with a police motorcycle escort. I looked at the puzzled face of one of the motorcyclists as I freewheeled up a hill. "Mon Dieu" he said to his colleague. "How does he do that"?....my reputation was growing in French policing circles. The police commander from Lille, who is in his 60's but a very competent cyclist, decided to race the eBike after trying it out in the car park of Lille Police HQ. With reputation at stake and a full load I gave him a run for his money….without the electronic aid!

There were a few hills on this section and I tested the engine further. I found myself using the twist throttle to top up my own efforts on the hills never really using the pedal assist. I soon gained the reputation for talking too much to other cyclists on the hills…..why?......because I could!   Arriving at Peronne and another quick recharge, I had travelled about 55 miles using the engine and my own power where I could. The first battery was not discharged after this distance which was a mighty performance.

Woke up and raring to go on the road to Compiegne incorporating the hill of death which for me was the big test of the eBike. As I reached the beginning of the hill which is a two mile climb I switched to the throttle and started the ascent following the group of twenty cyclists. A dump truck and transit van pulled out in front of me separating me from the group. Soon the incline was showing the strain on the worn French diesel engines and the smoke was choking me…..now for the ultimate test. I switched on the camera and turned the throttle to full. I then gave it my best peddling effort and hey presto I was past the dump truck…..past the next bend and I was past the Transit van.

The video recorded my whoops of delight and self-congratulations as I swooped by the group…all bar one. Andy owns a gym and had obviously been training for this hill. He passed me smugly making a remark about the eBike….I retorted by saying I had allowed him to catch up in order that I had something to film other than empty road. I got the expected reply.

The final day approached and Paris beckoned. I decided to film from the outskirts of Paris whilst under police escort. I switched to throttle control and never peddled until I reached the Champs Elysee….12 miles…easy!

In Paris the bike caused a lot of interest and the Parisian Police Commander took it for a spin around the pavements of Paris. A visit to the Arc du Triumph and the Eifel Tower and the journey had ended.

This bike is a leap forward in cycling technology with its long range, adaptability, real cycle feel, silent motor, carrying ability and comfort.

Tempted?.....I am!

Tom McInally