My wife Maggie commutes in this Mustang; I commute year-round on this beautiful BionX electric bike. It’s a 2008 Devinci Copenhagen, retrofitted with a BionX kit – a really sweet electric bike. Some of my friends envy Maggie’s ride, and think my choice is crazy. But let me tell you the top five reasons why my choice to commute by electric bike is actually the better, smarter choice (and let’s hope Maggie never reads this!).
1. My electric bike is faster than Maggie’s Mustang!
I bet you’re thinking the Mustang has gotta be faster, right? Well, remember the title of this post – “Why I Commute by Electric Bike.” I’m talking faster to get home on, not faster to ride around a race track.
You should see me on my BionX electric bike when I’m commuting home from work! I use dedicated bike lanes on major roads. At rush hour, the cars are sitting bumper to bumper, totally gridlocked – and I’m flying past them. I especially like it if I happen to see Maggie, so I can give her a cheery wave as I zoom right by her. By the time she gets home, I’ve already got her drink poured – she needs it after spending an hour in gridlocked traffic!
2. On my electric bike, I cycle like Lance!
One of the coolest things about electric bike commuting is that hardly anyone knows I’ve got this electric advantage. Sure, experienced cyclists can spot the clues. But your average teeth-gritting, grid-locked, bored-out-of-his-mind motorist, sitting helplessly in his car as I pedal almost effortlessly past him at 20 miles an hour, just thinks he’s been left in the dust by one of the fittest people on the planet.
3. I’ve lost a ton of weight from commuting by electric bike!
Since I started commuting by electric bike, I’ve dropped 40 pounds. Maggie is so jealous that she’s started pestering me to swap rides on Fridays! I love my wife, but I love my bike too – I have to bite my tongue not to say, “Get your own BionX electric bike!”
4. I’m fitter than I’ve ever been in my life!
Regular twice a day cardio has got me fitter than couch potatoes half my age – and my heart and lungs are now in great shape, according to my doctor. An electric bike keeps you healthy.
5. I’m saving so much money!
I researched carefully before I bought a BionX electric bike kit, and what I read convinced me that this was the best electric bike kit on the market, regardless of the price tag. While Maggie lays out $500 every four months to service the Mustang, I spend $80 a year on a bike service. She spends hundreds of dollars on her brakes; I adjust and fix mine myself. And of course, I don’t have car payments, insurance costs, or gas bills. I run my electric bike for just pennies a day – so little I don’t even notice it on my electric bills!
You tell me – who’s making the smart choice here? …more BionX bike kit blogs
By guest blogger Average Joe Cyclist
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I would have to say the same thing, while traffic is sitting bumper to bumper along Bank St. or the Airport parkway, I just sneak along beside everyone & am usually there before them given the lights. Even in non rush hour my average commute time is usually just as fast a car & I don’t have to compete for parking spots downtown I just hook up my tiny e-scooter beside the regular bikes.
I don’t know why more people aren’t using these things they are perfect for commuting & shopping and no bus strikes to worry about!
John
ottawa
I agree, John – can’t figure out why more people don’t use them. I suspect it is just a matter of time – as soon as more people start realize the possibilities, I bet it will catch on like wildfire. Before I started commuting by bike, my main reason for hesitating was that I thought I just was not fit enough to manage the distance or the hills. Then when I found out about BionX electric bikes, I realized almost anyone can start. Of course, the irony is that the assisted biking makes you so fit, soon you can bike without the assist as well. But I still choose my electric bike for all my work commuting, because I need to do it fast, and I don’t want to get to work covered in sweat – plus I can transport my laptop, clothes, lunch, etc. with ease.
I already have a Mustang exactly like that! 2005? Anyway, to really compare costs, I need to know how much that bike costs? With the kit as well
The Copenhagen set me back $1,200; the kit around $1,600. That was two years ago, so I am not sure if the price has gone up. A LOT cheaper than the Mustang, I promise! (Which is a 2005, by the way – I know because we just finished paying for it!)
I have also commuted by ebike this summer and thoroughly enjoyed the freedom and the enjoyment. I arrived a the office feeling totally refreshed and ready to work and then arrived home at night with the stressed pedalled right out of my head
No one is mentioning this, but a important budget consideration here is battery price. BionX uses good batteries, but they cost a bomb. On the other hand, they seem to last forever, so if you average the battery cost over battery life, you are still in plenty good shape with BionX. It’s my fave choice too.