Sometimes life is tough, and especially when times are hard it doesn’t seem as if there are a great deal of options out there to improve your situation. It seems like anything that will better your lot in life costs more money than you can afford. But, sometimes, though, something as simple as an ebike can dramatically improve your life. It can improve your physical and mental health, your whole quality of life can take a turn for the better, and you may even save money as an added bonus. What is not to love about that?
Below are three examples of people in situations where buying an ebike led to them having a better quality of life. If you happen to fit in one of these categories, then perhaps an ebike can improve your life too.
One: Pickup Joe
Joe works in a warehouse. His daily commute there and back is around 22 miles. He does a variety of work there from stacking shelves to loading and unloading trucks, inventories of stock, and lifts a brush occasionally to keep the warehouse clean. He loves the work and the salary was alright, until covid hit and he found his hours were cut, and subsequently his take home pay reduced.
Shortly before his pay reduction, Joe had purchased a new pickup truck. At the time he could easily afford it, but now, with less money in his pocket at the end of the month, the truck payments and fuel costs are killing him. Joe loves his truck though, and giving it up is not an option. But what can he do?
A friend suggested buying an ebike for commuting to work. He investigated the idea, and visited a local shop that sold them. After a test-drive he was hooked. He bought the ebike, took it home that day, and now commutes to the warehouse and home 5 times a week. The money he saves on fuel makes up for the reduced salary, and he has also saved by giving up his local gym membership as the added light exercise from ebike commuting keeps him in shape enough.
Two: Single Mom Tracy
Tracy’s man, James, left within a year of their son, Kyle being born. Without going into details, Tracy was left to bring up Kyle on her own. She works part-time as an administrator with an insurance company, and as the job is just a short walk from her home, it is handy and costs nothing to commute.
What is leaving Tracy short, financially, is that fact that her mother, who watches Kyle while she’s at work, lives a good distance away. As Tracy cannot afford a car, this means getting the bus out to her mother’s home and back, twice, every day that her mother has Kyle.
The bus is cheap, but two return trips each of the four days that Tracy works means it is still a serious financial burden. Finding day-care for Kyle closer to home is not an option. Day-care is expensive, it would drain her salary even more than the bus fares. It would also mean leaving Kyle with strangers, at least at first, and this is something she would rather avoid.
Her mother is family and she knows Kyle will always be well looked after with his grandmother. Unfortunately, her mother cannot drive and collect Kyle, so the bus there and back is her only choice.
That was until Simon, one of the reps at her office mentioned how much he saved each week commuting to the office on his new ebike. This got Tracy thinking, and when Simon gave her a turn of his ebike around the parking lot, she was hooked.
Shortly after, she purchased her own ebike, complete with a child seat for Kyle. A government scheme meant she could easily afford it, and now she ebikes twice a day to her mothers with Kyle, and although before she walked to work and back, she now cycles there on her ebike. The savings on bus fares more than compensate for the instalments she pays towards the ebike and leave her with more disposable income each week. There is also no more worrying about buses running late, or being cancelled, and making her late for work.
She feels, both her, and Kyle’s, lives have been improved by using the ebike. If you are in the UK and interested, check cyclescheme.co.uk and see if your employer participates.
See also: Guide to Ebikes, Benefits, and Buying One for a City Commute
Three: Old Dave
Dave retired two years ago, and although working in a department store wasn’t physical work, being on his feet all day kept him fit and active. This is despite over the years, having two knee replacements.
Whether due to the knee replacements, or his age, he finds regular exercise hard, and because he is now retired and exercising less, he is putting on weight, which he feels is giving him even less of an inclination to exercise.
Being overweight is not something Dave is happy about. He knows it is not good for his health, and at 67 years old, he knows if he wants to live to a ripe old age, then he will have to take a particular interest in his health and fitness, and living well.
On one of his regular walks, which is Dave’s only exercise routine, he noticed another retiree often passed him on an ebike. He determined the next time he spotted this man, he would put out a hand and see if he could talk to him. This he did, and after a talk about the man’s ebike, Dave investigated buying his own.
Boredom was also something Dave suffered from after retiring. He suddenly had too much time on his hands with nothing to do. That has now changed. Since talking to Brian, the ebike retiree, he bought his own ebike a week later. He now regularly meets up with Brian and they go runs all over the neighborhood, and sometimes further afield, weather permitting. He has begun to lose some of the weight he gained when he retired, and he feels fitter and healthier overall.
Can an Ebike Improve Your Life?
The above examples are mostly fictional, though they are loosely based on people I know with similar circumstances who swear that buying an ebike improved their life. Perhaps, if you fit any of the categories above, buying an ebike may be something for you to consider. An ebike can offer many benefits with few, if any, negatives.
If any of the examples above struck a chord, then why not investigate if buying an ebike is for you. You could also check if there are any grants or schemes available where you live that may assist you to easily purchase your ebike and save you money. More and more governments and localities are using incentives to encourage people to switch to ebikes rather than use cars.
24 Nov 2021