I'll be honest, I'd never given much thought to e-bikes. In my mind they were mentally filed alongside pensions and hovercars, as something to possibly think about circa 2050. At Eurobike last month there was an entire hall dedicated to electric bicyclery, but I didn't so much as peer in the door - I was there to see proper bikes, not motorbikes.
My stance has softened a little in the past few weeks, particularly in the wake of video evidence purporting to show Ryder Hesjedal going in for a spot of motor-doping at the Vuelta. It got me thinking. If e-bikes are good enough for the pros, surely it's only a matter of time before they filter down to your common or garden sportive cyclist?
With this thought in mind I had a brief look at some of the e-bike offerings due to be unveiled at The Cycle Show in Birmingham later this week. And you know what, it turns out that some e-bikes actually look pretty good. I'm not saying I'll be splashing out on one personally, at least not while they weigh over 20kg. But check out these examples from Bergamont and see what you think...
This little guy is the Bergamont E-Ville C Urban (yes, "E-ville", as in "Doc-tor"). Priced at 2,999 EUR, the C Urban features a Bosch Performance Line Motor - you may not have noticed - tucked discreetly against the seat tube. A RockShox Paragon Gold Air Sprung Fork provides a bit of bounce at the front end, while the Shimano Alfine 8-speed hubgear means no mucky derailleurs.
It also features the Next Big Thing (for the past 5 years) in road cycling, namely hydraulic disc brakes. At this point it's probably a toss up as to whether the UCI legalises disc brakes or motors for road racing first, but the general public at least can enjoy both these technologies with a clear conscience.
The E-Ville C Urban has a range of 35-175km depending on which assist mode you use. If you're wondering, the assist modes are: ECO (+50%), TOUR (+110%), SPORT (+170%), and TURBO (+275%).
For cyclists after a more traditional-looking frame, you may prefer the Bergamont E-Line Sweep Deore Gent (RRP 2,599 EUR). Here the battery is located on the down tube, which means that you can't have a bottle cage there. But don't worry, they have thought of a workaround: the Sweep comes fitted with a delivery-boy pannier basket fitted on the front. Plenty of room there for a couple of bidons and an entire sportive picnic of energy gels, bananas, and a Sunday roast for afterwards.
The downside of these e-bikes is that they are a touch hefty. The Swift pictured above weighs 23kg, which is roughly three times the weight of a high-end carbon fibre road bike. I don't know whether the motor compensates for this, but I suspect not. They are also still relatively expensive; for the asking price of a couple of grand, you could pick up an excellent road bike and still have change left to pay someone to follow you around a sportive course and push you up the hills.
Perhaps, then, these e-bikes aren't quite ready for the sportive market just yet; but for cruising around town at least, the electric option suddenly looks a little more appealing.
The Bergamont range of e-bikes will be launched by the Electric Bike Corporation at The Cycle Show, NEC Birmingham this week; you can check them out, along with bikes from other brands, from Friday to Sunday. There will be lots of proper bikes there too.
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