Electric bikes and road bikes both offer low emission ways to travel. Having lived in London and regularly commuted into the city daily, I recently decided to swap my road bike for an electric bike for a week. Find out how I found electric bikes compared to road bikes for my daily commute.
6 Differences Between Electric Bikes & Road Bikes
I used an electric bike to travel into work for the day, instead of my usual road bike. Here are the 6 key differences I found:
- The commute was faster
- I arrived at work less sweaty
- The electric bike was more stressful
- I didn’t have to charge the lights
- The electric bike was harder to lock up
- A new kind of commute
1. The commute was faster
With the cycling assist getting me up to speed (15.5 mph) faster, my journeys to and from the office ended up being faster on my electric bike compared to the road bike. This was particularly helpful on the way home when I usually have to cycle uphill.
It was also useful when cycling from a standing start, to get away from the crowds at red lights and get onto the clear road faster. This helped me feel safer on my electric bike vs my road bike.
2. I arrived at work less sweaty
The pedal assist power of e bikes meant that my ride to and from the office became significantly less taxing. I no longer needed to shower once I got to the office, which was a surprising perk. An extra half an hour in bed for me!
3. The electric bike was more stressful
E bikes are a much larger investment than traditional bikes, which came with significantly more stress. I was worried about the bike while I was sitting in the office, if it was locked up outside. Losing a £200 bike would be disappointing, losing a £2,000 would be a disaster! It made it much harder to focus on my work at times, but this was alleviated once I found some secure indoor bike storage.
Of course, you can rent an electric bike or electric scooter in certain cities, which removes the concern of losing your property. It does mean, though, that you have to find a suitable place to leave them.
4. I didn’t have to charge the lights
When comparing electric bikes to road bikes, I found the lights to be more convenient. My electric bike comes with built-in front and rear lights which get their power from the main batteries. This means that I no longer need to charge my bike lights once a week or risk cycling home invisible in the dark.
Having the lights built into the bike also was a bonus, and took away the pressure of taking my lights off my bike every time I locked it up.
5. The electric bike was harder to lock up
The electric bike, when compared to a road bike, has a much thicker frame. This is where the battery is held, so I found it very challenging to lock up my bike. I struggled to use my Abus Granit X-Plus 540 lock at the conventional places, especially if there were already a few bikes there.
Since the motor of the bike is located in the front wheel, it was also important to lock the wheel up too, which required the purchase of an additional bike lock, which came with an increased weight when cycling in and out of the city. Locking up was especially difficult with an electric bike compared to a road bike.
6. A new kind of commute
I’ve been cycling for a lot longer on a road bike than an electric bike. The E bike I was using had a front hub motor. This is essentially “front-wheel drive”. Whilst it is the cheapest and the most widely used, it also was a new feeling for me who is used to a conventional road bike.
The sense of being ‘pulled’ along from the front was very different to the usual power coming from the rear from the chain system on a road bike. It took a few days to become completely comfortable with it.
In conclusion, when comparing an electric bike to a road bike, I found both benefits and drawbacks to the electric bike. Overall, the benefits outweighed the issues I found. For those who aren’t ready to invest in an electric bike for themself, you don’t have to! With many cities going greener, you can rent or hire an electric bike.
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