FEATURE
The changing attitudes to e-bike use Rebecca Morley takes a look at Shimano’s new State of the Nation report on attitudes towards cycling and e-bikes across Europe
E
-bike interest is continuing to grow, with behaviour changes, prompted by COVID-19 and environmental concerns, encouraging more people to consider buying or hiring an e-bike in the next 12 months. This is according to a new report by Shimano, which examined attitudes towards e-bike usage in 12 European countries. It found that younger people are a particular area for e-bike growth but while cost is a barrier across all age groups, it is highest amongst those under 44 in most countries. In these groups, there is interest and desire to purchase, but the barrier is the practical consideration of cost.
34 | November 2021
“Potentially, it is those under 35 who would benefit most from hire schemes and subsidies,” it said. “Whilst cycling is growing in popularity, uptake may still be hampered by a ‘lack of knowledge’. This barrier followed closely behind cost in many countries, particularly Poland (39%). However, there is no correlation between a lack of knowledge and the perception that e-bikes are expensive.” • Europe-wide, the most likely age groups to consider e-bikes were 25-34 and 35-44 • Older respondents were more likely to view an e-bike as a car replacement – 41% of over 55s
www.bikebiz.com