'Bike country No 1': Dutch go electric in record numbers

[opik_bidin]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... bZ0F6uX5m0

n what was already a long-running purple patch for the Dutch cycle industry, domestic sales records have been broken in the last 12 months despite spiralling prices, as technological developments push the standard push-bike into the annals of history.

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The Dutch love affair with the bicycle is well chronicled – there are 22.5m of them in a country of 17 million people – but has moved up a level, according to a study by the RAI Vereniging, an organisation representing the automotive and cycling sector.

More than 1m bicycles were sold last year in the Netherlands, up 5.7% on 2017, and at the same time Dutch consumers appear willing to spend big on their bicycles, particularly on e-bikes, statistics show.


E-bikes accounted for €823m of €1.2bn in bicycle sales in 2018. It was the first year that overall sales past €1bn and the first time more e-bikes were sold than standard bicycles. In terms of units, 409,400 e-bikes were sold, up 40% on 2017. As a result the average price of a bicycle in the Netherlands rose by about €200 to €1,207. In 2011 the average was €734.

Asked whether rising prices would begin to put the Dutch public off the two-wheeled mode of transport, RAI’s Floris Liebrand said: “Not in the Netherlands. It is in our culture, in our blood.

“We are bike country No 1 in the world so we are used to investing in innovative bikes so there is difference there compared with other countries, including the UK.

“For us it quite normal to spend €1,000 on a bike. An average for an e-bike is over €2,000 but that is in our culture. We believe in the quality of our products. There are e-bikes of €700 or €900 but they are from south-east Asia and the quality is lower.”

The buoyant sales are partly being put down to the good weather of the summer of 2018.

[Mububban]

I've heard that there has been an increase in bike crashes caused by or involving ebikes in the Netherlands. I'll be interested to see if they change the culture and mindset of riders. I believe most people tootle about on upright step through bikes at a modest pace, in normal street clothes and no helmets, however ebikes get you up to that 25kph limit very quickly and from there I found I always wanted to push to get above 30, rather than just cruise along.

So it'll be interesting to see if they embrace ebikes while still retaining their current mindset, or if it makes riders become addicted to speed, ebike riders are viewed as antisocial, and yet more accidents occur....

[Thoglette]

.and from there I found I always wanted to push to get above 30, rather than just cruise along.

So it'll be interesting to see if they embrace ebikes while still retaining their current mindset, or if it makes riders become addicted to speed, ebike riders are viewed as antisocial, and yet more accidents occur....

Plenty in the Dutch press, (quite a bit in english/english press too), if you can be bothered. Much discussion around those who are using e-scooters (that is, those capable of more than 30kph). FWIW the big demographic having prangs are older males - something they've been studying since 2010 (at least)

[ColinOldnCranky]

If it works in high volume then that could shake up the world in terms of effective commuting for the masses. But, in view of their apparent full use of bikes, I can see some serious issues arising.