Eurobike 2019: E-bikes, the good the bad and the ugly
Ok, settle yourself in, it’s time to chat about the sheer number of e-bikes that were on display this year at Eurobike.
I think it would have been safe to call Eurobike an e-mobility show with a few non-assisted bikes crammed into the crevasses. This year’s show was the first I’d attended in three years, and the difference in products on display and getting prime position on the stands was eye-opening. Everyone from your random-yet-huge German brands to your much-loved Italian frame builders had an e-bike or 20 on show. And for the most part with each brand, their latest ‘e’ offering was getting all the attention.
Eurobike, as the name suggests, is a very Euro-heavy show. And here in Europe (where I’m typing this out), the e-bike culture has definitely taken hold. Today while sat at the local bar sipping terrible coffee (yep, I live in France) I kept a keen eye on the cycle lane. Taking note of the morning commuters whizzing past, a few puffing and panting up the short incline on ‘normal’ bikes, then the rest, the majority, on e-assisted transport. Everything from family cargo bikes with the kids pugged in the little box up front to retirees heading to the boulangerie for the daily baguette. The Euros have seriously taken e-bikes to heart. Head to Belgium or any of the northern European countries, and it gets even busier with the buzz of electric motors ticking over.
Then there are the mountain bikes here in the Alps. From watching the baggy (Pinkbike reading) riders that hang about in town, the uptake to get up-mountain easier is just as impressive. These things aren’t cheap, folks.
But it seems to be the e-road bikes that divide even more than any other subculture of cycling. And at Eurobike, there was plenty to choose from. We’ve already seen a few hit the market. Specialized, Pinarello, Focus, Trek and more have road-orientated bikes on the market. At Eurobike we saw even more, road, gravel — you name it, it was there.
So yeah, Eurobike may need rebranding next year: Stick a ‘-‘ between the ‘e’ and ‘urobike’.
Anyway, here we go a short little video, all the latest e-tech from this years show. Let us know what you think. Just don’t be too savage. After all, surely getting more bums on bikes, even if it’s not fully under their own steam is a good thing…or is it?
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