Cycling policy- light frames, cytronex and hilly areas?

[Riverman]

For a portion of my life I lived in a quite hilly part of the UK. Most people didn't bother cycling. I don't blame them, it was a lot of effort.

What people in hilly areas need are lightweight, affordable high quality bicycles that have some sort of electric propulsion system. The best I've seen is cytronex.

So what do you think? Would offering up these sorts of bikes at knock down prices to the masses of people living in hilly regions cause a huge uptake in cycling in the UK?

It would mean hundreds of thousands fewer car journeys, less co2 pumped into the atmosphere and a healthier population all round. Yes electric bikes might not suit hard core cyclists but I think money invested in a strategy, if done properly, would be money well spent.

So basically a cycling policy based on frequency of hills.

Discuss.

 

[Arch]

Electric bikes are taking off, and there's no doubt they'll get some people on bikes that wouldn't cycle otherwise. The cytronex looks good, I saw them at Prestiegne.

Personally I like the idea of a pedelec, where you have to pedal to get assistance, but even a throttle type is good, if it stops someone relying on a car.

 

[marinyork]

I'd love to have a go on one (still not yet) and living in a hilly city this sort of thing gets discussed a lot. Some agree heavily with this theory but I'd have to say that I don't agree with the theory. If this were commuting or campaigning and Jonesy or one of the others on here that works in transport would say that some of what makes cycling more popular in an area is culture + provision although flatness helps. You can make up all kinds of theories as to why more people cycle here which is hillier than neighbouring areas, at the end of the day it doesn't get you very far.

I certainly think there's a very large niche there that exists for them not fulfilled yet and having argued on C2W threads there definitely needs to be more access to cheap + light bikes far beyond C2W which is really benefits for people that don't really 'need' it that badly in a sense even if it does do some good.

How much are they likely to be?

 

[Riverman]

To a certain degree, I do agree with you. I just think at the very least, the government should trial this sort of thing somewhere and conduct research on it.

Incidently, I believe cytronex are going to release a kit in the Autumn alllowing one to modify an existing bike to take the cytronex system. I wonder what it would be like to ride a boardman with one of these things attached? At least that would make it more affordable (with C2W) and somewhat lighter.

I love the way though that you can remove the battery, replace the wheel and you're back to your old bike again.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

It would make hardly any impact.

People use cars because they are warm and dry. A short range two wheeler without a heater that would have to be pedaled when the battery gave up would only be of interest to a minority.

 

[marinyork]

To a certain degree, I do agree with you. I just think at the very least, the government should trial this sort of thing somewhere and conduct research on it.

Incidently, I believe cytronex are going to release a kit in the Autumn alllowing one to modify an existing bike to take the cytronex system. I wonder what it would be like to ride a boardman with one of these things attached? At least that would make it more affordable (with C2W) and somewhat lighter.

I'm told locally there was a trial-ish, it was just a rather smaller and more closed than what I'd call a trial.

I do find it interesting as I know one or two very bad cyclists who would benefit from what is specifically being talked about on this thread. It'll help some cyclists or newbies but then again so would more subsidised second hand bikes that charities do up and down the land massively expanded or a cycle credit scheme other than c2w, as would bikes on trams or allowing cycling in more parks etc.

 

[summerdays]

I agree with Smokin Joe ... hills are just a convenient excuse, rather than say I'm a lazy so and so who doesn't want to cycle.

Which cities/large towns are classed as hilly ... aren't a large majority of them usually on a river with hills around them?

 

[Riverman]

I agree with Smokin Joe ... hills are just a convenient excuse, rather than say I'm a lazy so and so who doesn't want to cycle.

Which cities/large towns are classed as hilly ... aren't a large majority of them usually on a river with hills around them?

Back in Devon, on the coast, it's a nightmare to get out of some town, on the bike as the first thing you hit is a massive incline. Granted that can be fun but when it's the first thing people encounter, it can act as a major deterrent, especially if this initial hill is part of a daily commute.

You can call me lazy but I would feel the same way. I'm relatively experienced now and relatively fit but even I would benefit from the extra power if my daily commute involved lots of ups and downs.

 

[Arch]

I agree with Smokin Joe ... hills are just a convenient excuse, rather than say I'm a lazy so and so who doesn't want to cycle.

Which cities/large towns are classed as hilly ... aren't a large majority of them usually on a river with hills around them?

But some rivers run through valleys. Sheffield, Durham, both cities on hills...

And remember that to a lot of people, something we might scoff at will be a really daunting hill. And it's not all about hills. Some people don't want to get sweaty, or they are afraid they can't manage more than a mile. They might be wrong about that, but better they try with assist, than never consider it.

Yeah, there are lazy folk out there, plenty of them, but to get just some on two wheels, is better than none...

 

[Riverman]

Would be fun to work out some sort of weighted capitation formula for this.

 

[Arch]

Would be fun to work out some sort of weighted capitation formula for this.

If only I had a clue what you were on about...

 

[Riverman]

I mean some sort of resource allocation formula for such a scheme, weighted toward hilly areas of the country.

 

[GrasB]

I also think that people see hills as a nice excuse. When I visit my girlfriends family you see a a fair number of people cycling to the near villages... not an electric bike to be seen. Now out there they don't have hills, they have mountains!

 

[marinyork]

Back in Devon, on the coast, it's a nightmare to get out of some town, on the bike as the first thing you hit is a massive incline. Granted that can be fun but when it's the first thing people encounter, it can act as a major deterrent, especially if this initial hill is part of a daily commute.

You can call me lazy but I would feel the same way. I'm relatively experienced now and relatively fit but even I would benefit from the extra power if my daily commute involved lots of ups and downs.

If you're talking rural areas it sounds to me a bit like the idea about youth/unemployed getting subsidised mopeds. Living in a very urban area I worry more about the urban dwellers with sky high bus fares and the potential for cycling to explode.

 

[Riverman]

I mean some sort of resource allocation formula for such a scheme, weighted toward hilly areas of the country.

I just wondered if anything like that exists for cycling resources? The question really is what factors determine need? My bias is just toward hillyness of area lol.