In defence of the electric bicycle

As I glide past,It’s hard to read the faces of puffing cyclists-but I think they are a mixture of envy and contempt. As one of the small but growing band of electric bicycles I’m used to being publicly derided. Not by other cyclists, who are generally too polite (or slow) to comment, but horrified that I have broken ranks with the principles of human-powered transport by cycling friends.

I justify my ownership of an electric bike by explaining that last year’s onset of Guillain Barré Syndrome (an auto-immune disorder that causes muscle weakness) has left me unable to pedal back up the steep hills that lead to my house. That, I insist, is the reason I have invested in a £1,200 Wisper 905 Sport.

In fact, the truth is that I’ve always resented the last couple of miles home while I greatly enjoy cycling. Rather than taking the bus or tube, because I know my return journey will be a pleasure rather than a chore,the Wisper means I now always cycle into central London. I may be pedalling less on each journey, but I’m cycling five times as often.

Of course, no one would comment if I were riding a moped. It’s only because the device is masquerading as a bike that people think it’s odd for it to be partly electric. I’m happy to pedal downhill and on the flat:but a twist of the handle grip will send me zooming off at up to 15mph when I’m tired. And, unlike a scooter, it can be parked anywhere.

Electric bikes cost from around £370 to more than £2,500; the more you pay, the better the build, motor and battery (choose a lithium battery: lighter, with greater staying power). A typical charge will give around 20 miles of combined pedalling and electric power, depending on hills.

One last piece of advice: ignore the stares of other cyclists,but without at least pretending to be pedalling have the grace not to overtake them uphill.