The Rise of E-Bikes: How They’ve Changed the Commute (and Outdoors)

When Gary Cookson opened his Brunswick bike shop Cargocycles back in 2011, cargo bikes were still just finding traction in Australia. Meanwhile, Europeans had been using bicycles to transport children, pets and goods for the better part of a century.

Once e-bikes became a viable and affordable option, Cookson witnessed their steady rise as both a carrier and a fresh alternative for the daily commute. “The success of good-quality electrical systems has enabled it to be much more reasonable for less fit or less enthusiastic cyclists,” he says.

And it’s easy to see the appeal of switching from a car to an e-bike. There’s the eco-friendly angle, as well as getting fresh air and choosing the degree of physical labour involved. Affordability is another key factor, as is avoiding the crush of traffic or overstuffed public transport at rush hour.

“I’d say 50 per cent of our customers are people who want to get rid of a car,” says Cookson. “Whether it’s the first car or second car, it’s definitely something that gets mentioned a lot. They’re able to replace a 10- or 20-[kilometre] commute with an e-bike. And you don’t have parking issues, because most workplaces have somewhere to store a bicycle.”

It helps that cycling infrastructure and road rules have markedly improved around Melbourne and other Australian cities. That said, Cookson encourages his customers to take “the scenic route” when commuting, which means planning their journey around safety and infrastructure rather than the most direct route. It’s always more practical to follow well-tested bike lanes and protected bike paths that take cars out of the equation altogether.

While biking to work is nothing new, e-bikes can make it a pleasant experience, rather than a potentially punishing one. “People want to get to work without being a hot, sweaty mess,” Cookson says. “An e-bike allows them to do a 10-[kilometre]-plus commute easily, where a normal bike would be a bit of a struggle. It allows people to do it more often. Then it becomes less about [existing levels of] fitness and more about using a bike.”

Newcomers to e-bikes might be surprised at how lightweight and quiet they are. Cookson says they’ve become more car-like, many with an integrated motor and battery and a dash that delivers helpful information, such as the amount of power you’re putting in and the distance travelled. There are new features being introduced all the time, as seen across the popular Bosch eBike Systems available in various bike brands.

One of the latest is the ABS (antilock braking system), which regulates brake pressure to keep the e-bike more stable and increase the rider’s control when it matters most. “You can brake hard and it will stop the wheels from locking up by pulsing the brakes,” Cookson says.

He adds that lights integration on e-bikes has never been better, in terms of both power and overall safety. “A typical e-bike now will have lights hardwired into the bike, often integrated into the rear rack or mudguard,” he says. “They’re high-quality LED lights that run off the battery. You hardly know they’re there, and you just leave them on all the time. Even if the battery was so flat that it couldn’t drive the bike, it will still power the lights.”

The Bosch eBike Flow app adds advanced features like theft protection to the riding experience. For instance, it lets you digitally lock the drive unit – meaning if someone tries to steal your e-bike, they won’t get any assistance from the motor. “If someone does steal the bike, they can’t ride it,” says Cookson. “And it will alert you if the bike moves, using GPS technology. When you switch on the bike, you log in with a PIN or other method. You identify yourself as the user and the bike will work for you.”

A Flow+ subscription gets you premium features like the GPS-enabled eBike Alarm system (for bikes compatible with the Bosch Connect Module, sold separately), as well as a “digital garage”, which allows you to share an e-bike with multiple users.

With the Flow app, the different riding modes are more responsive and customisable than ever before. You can adjust the settings to how you like to ride, depending on whether it’s for work or play. E-bikes handle well in different weather conditions, including rain and ice, and even in extreme heat – you just have to avoid charging them in direct sunlight on very hot days.

You can also pick up a secondary battery called a range extender, which will boost the life of your e-bike so you can graduate from the daily commute to a more ambitious weekend adventure without range anxiety. Then you can add a lightweight trailer to transport kids, dogs or camping and hiking gear, and hit the nearest bike trail without stress.

“It’s very easy,” Cookson says. “Bikes all come with a charger that’s matched to that bike. You can charge the battery on the bike and it takes around three to four hours to charge [depending on the size of the battery]. [With some models] you can also take the battery off the bike and charge it somewhere else, like at the office.”

Besides leaving the cycle of buying petrol and contributing to emissions, the charging process is easy on the pocket. “Charging an e-bike to do a 20-[kilometre] commute costs a very small amount of money,” Cookson adds. “Like cents rather than dollars.”

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Bosch.