Location, location, location - for e-bike hire
For a number of reasons, e-bikes have been on my mind this week. First there was an article by Simon Kuper of the (British) Financial Times (here) Simon argues that there is no multi-billion pound industrial lobby from bicycle manufacturers, in contrast to that for the motor industry. And therefore, moving people away from a car-centred transport pattern will affect GDP. He describes his investment in cycle-commuting as about 300 Euro, with minimal costs for repairs and spares, and an expected lifetime of use of perhaps 10 years. I agree. In my lifetime, my first new bicycle was a reward for passing an examination at age 11. That lasted me until I was nearly 30, when a car drove into me and wrote off the bike. The next two each lasted just over a decade each, and my present one is going strong after 17 years (I can be exact because the road accident which wrote off its predecessor is a vivid memory.) Annual repairs for the present bike. and new accessories, average less than …
