Electric Bike Trial Progress

The Prospectors are currently running a trial for Talybont Energy of electric bikes in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The trial is jointly funded by Talybont Energy and the Sustainable Development Fund. The aim of the trial is to give locals the opportunity to try an electric bike for commuting to work or to the shops.

The trial began in April and the two electric bikes - a Monark Eco and an Ezee Sprint - have now been tried by 90 different people and travelled 1500 miles between them. 25 local people have tried them for a day commuting to work or to the shops.

580 of the miles travelled have replaced journeys which would otherwise have been taken by car – saving 168kg of carbon (roughly equivalent to the electricity used by 25 households in a day). Given that our trial bikes are part funded by the revenue generated from Talybont Energy's own 36kW Hydro crossflow turbine, these two electric bikes are arguably "water powered" or it's fun to think of them that way.

Each triallist has filled out a pre-trial survey which collects data on their previous cycling miles and experience and a post-trial survey collecting their impressions on using an electric bike. Nearly everyone loves the experience regardless of whether they are keen cyclists or not. The winning factor is being able to enjoy riding up hills without sweating. 10 of the 25 triallists say they are now considering buying an electric bike – in some cases as a replacement for a 2nd car.

Typical post-trial quotes include:-

“Fantastic for short journeys to work and shopping for groceries”
“It takes the rough edge off cycling. You don't groan at hills on the way home from work”
“I thought they were a fab bike to use considering the hills in Wales. It felt like you could ride the bike for hours and not feel completely knackered.”
“We hope to get rid of our 2nd car.”
“....the only time I’ve been able to overtake my partner going uphill”

The two different bikes continue to elicit rather different reactions from people. The majority (men and women) prefer the Ezee Sprint (which has a throttle) but the Monark (a Pedelec) definitely performs better on some of the very steep hills (1:5) around here. We are impressed by their range of at least 25 miles in our hilly terrain.

Anyone who lives in the Brecon/Crickhowell/Abergavenny area is welcome to contact us to take part in the trial.