Shimano conducted its fourth in-depth survey on European countries’ attitudes towards E-Bike electric bicycle use, and learned some interesting trends about E-Bike.

This is one of the most in-depth studies on E-Bike attitudes recently. This survey involved more than 15,500 respondents from 12 European countries. The previous report was affected by the global new crown epidemic, and the conclusions may be biased, but In this report, as Europe emerges from lockdown, new issues and Europeans’ true attitudes towards e-bikes emerge.

1. Travel cost considerations outweigh virus risks

In 2021, 39% of respondents said that one of the main reasons for using E-Bikes is to avoid taking public transportation due to the risk of contracting the new crown. In 2022, only 18% of people think this is the main reason for their choice of E-bike.

However, more people are beginning to care about the cost of living and travel costs. 47% of people began to choose to use E-Bike in response to rising fuel and public transportation costs; 41% of people said that E-Bike subsidies will reduce the burden of first-time purchases and motivate them to buy E-Bike. In general, 56% of the respondents believe that the rising cost of living will be one of the reasons for riding E-Bike.

2. Young people choose to cycle to protect the environment

In 2022, people will pay more attention to the environment. In Europe, 33% of respondents said they cycled to reduce their environmental impact. In countries affected by heat and drought, the percentage is much higher (51% in Italy and 46% in Spain). Previously, young people (18-24) were most concerned about their impact on the environment, but since 2021 the difference in attitudes between young and old has narrowed.

3. Infrastructure issues

In this year’s report, 31 percent believed that more cycling infrastructure improvements than the previous year would likely encourage people to buy or use e-bikes.

4. Who rides the E-Bike?

Europeans believe that E-Bike is mainly prepared for people who are environmentally conscious, which to some extent shows their understanding of the role of E-Bike in reducing motor vehicle use and traffic congestion. This also reflects that reducing environmental impact is seen as an incentive to use E-bikes. This part of the respondents accounted for 47%.

And 53% of commuters believe that E-Bike is a viable alternative to public transportation or private cars during rush hour.

5. Bicycle ownership rate

41% of respondents do not own a bicycle, and some countries have significantly lower bicycle ownership rates than the European average. In the UK, 63% of people do not own a bicycle, in France it is 51%. The Netherlands has the most bike owners, with only 13% saying they don’t own one.

6. Bicycle care

In general, E-Bikes require more maintenance than traditional bicycles. Due to the weight of the bike and the high torque generated by the assist motor, the tires and drivetrain wear out slightly faster. E-Bike owners can access expertise from bike shops that can help with minor issues and offer advice on repairs and maintenance.

A quarter of those surveyed said they were likely to service their bikes in the next six months, and 51% of bike owners said maintenance was important to keeping their bikes in good condition. Worryingly, 12% of people only go to the shop for repairs when their bike breaks down, but the right thing to do is to go to the shop early or regularly to keep the bike in good condition to avoid costly future costs Repair fees.