eBikes ride the boom in eCommerce

Midlands Electric Bike Show, Mullingar, July 11 and 12

Now that the Green Party is in government, we are likely to see an increased focus on funding the infrastructure for eco-friendly transport such as cycling.

That, along with the renewed interest in cycling during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, led to a huge rise in bike sales, so the Midlands Electric Bike Show, which returns to Mullingar this weekend, is well timed to inform those who are curious about an emerging branch of cycling – eBikes.

The GreenAer event takes place on Saturday July 11 (10am-6pm) and Sunday July 12 (noon-6pm) at Outdoor Sports in Mullingar Business Park.

Alan Maye, the agent for GreenAer, will be on hand during the day to impart his knowledge and share his expertise, while visitors will be able to have test rides on all models, enjoy refreshments and a raffle, and, if they book beforehand, go on free hour-long tours.

There will also be special offers on all models of eBike over the weekend.

Alan explained the background to the Westmeath Examiner. He said GreenAer, an electric bike company, was established in Dublin 13 years ago and in Mullingar three years ago. It also has an outlet in Cork.

“We do pedal assist electric bikes, so we provide travel solutions for people, for commuting or getting more people out on their bikes for leisure purposes, or for cargo deliveries.

“At present we have a big contract with An Post to supply cargo bikes – electric pedal assist bikes – it has a large box on the back.

“An Post are innovative, they’re moving forward quickly. What they’re doing is replacing some of their vans and a lot of their old bikes with electric bikes.”

Alan points out that there are huge savings for an organisation such as the postal service, as eBikes do not require road tax and they cost much less to run in electricity than conventional vehicles do in fuel.

Alan says that more and more people locally are using eBikes and the greenway and other off road routes are part of the attraction.

“What we find is that we’re providing solutions for people – we have the young person, who instead of getting a first car, is using an eBike to go to work; then we have midrange age people who are also commuting to work, and also you’re looking at, say, 55 upwards, who are using eBikes for leisure, tipping up and down the canal.”

One of Alan’s customers is a retired man who uses his eBike every day and has 8,000km on it.

“Where we are here in Mullingar is amazing. The number of trails off road, with no traffic, we have is fantastic – it’s great to have that.”

Midlands Electric Bike Show

At the GreenAer Midlands Electric Bike Show, visitors will be able to learn about eBikes in all categories, for all tastes, uses and budgets.

“Budget eBikes start at around €1,500,” said Alan. “For that, you’ll get a folding bike from Raleigh (the Stow-E-Way), which is good for people looking to complete some of their commute by train, as it has a smaller range of around 40km.

“Most customers are floating at €2-3k in terms of price-point. In brands, you’re looking at Haibike and Winora for that price-bracket, and between 60 and 90km of range before charging and enough torque to carry you up any hill with ease.

“They’ll also come with mudguards, lights powered by the main battery, back-racks and other accessories.

“From there you get into slightly higher end stuff, bikes that will have much more carrying capacity, lower maintenance transmissions with belt drives instead of chains, that can carry multiple people, cargo, higher end lights and suspension systems, and even some newer (to eBikes at least) features such as ABS.

“An interesting category is eCargo bikes, a great alternative to a car for a young family, or to a van for a business. They can carry three kids and a load of shopping with ease.

“E-commerce is booming and these are faster and cheaper to run, and don’t contribute to congestion.

“They are popular in Europe and are starting to catch on here, a lot of businesses are showing interest.”

• Contact Alan Maye of GreenAer at alan@greenaer.ie or 087 216 3786 and see www.greenaer.ie.

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Photo at top - Alan Maye of GreenAer (centre) with two of his happy customers, father and son Mick and Sam Ellison. They use their mountain eBikes for fun as well as occasional transport – see and hear their views below.