TAKE CHARGE

BICYCLING'S PICK OF THE BEST OUR 14 FAVOURITE E-BIKES FOR BLASTING SINGLETRACK, DAY-LONG TRAIL RIDES, GRAVEL ADVENTURES AND CRUISING THE 'BURBS.

- Matt Phillips

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Modern e-bikes are finally delivering on a promise first made 125 years ago, when one of the earliest patents for an electric-powered bicycle was filed. Despite those early ambitions, it would take a century before the idea of adding an electric motor to a bicycle gained much traction - a lot of aeroplanes, cars and rocket ships needed to be developed first.

By the late 1990s, however, alternative forms of transport had become more appealing even necessary, in some areas - because of crushing traffic. Certain bike manufacturers revisited the idea of electric-assist bikes. Advances in battery and motor tech opened the doors to better drivetrains that ran longer, with more power, and could be better integrated on frames.

Sales rose slowly at first, then exploded over the past four years. Reports in the US show that there has been a 95% jump in e-bike sales since 2016. Industry analyst Ed Benjamin predicts that 500 million e-bikes could be in use worldwide by 2025.

South Africa lacks safe commuting infrastructure and a commuter culture, which has limited sales of certain styles of e-bikes. But sales are increasing exponentially in the leisure and sport categories, as bikes become lighter, more capable and more affordable.

FULL POWER

Best Full-Power Mountain Bike

PYGA EVOLVE

FROM R119 995 (FRAMESET) / PYGAINDUSTRIES.COM

E-bikes have changed the mountain biking landscape.

Of course, there'll always be a market for analogue bikes, especially high-performance, short-travel XC and marathon bikes; but what about trail bikes? Who wants to pedal a heavy bike up a punishing mountain track for one shot at the descent?