It was Bike Friday again this morning. The gentleman I am listening to in the picture runs a bicycle shop in the Avenue Georges Henri that also sells electric bikes. These are not just any old electric bikes, but proper bikes (he explained) that have been designed to work in tandem with a super-efficient electric motor. Sensor mechanisms and an on-board computer ensure that the person riding the bike pedals with a constant pressure. ‘That’s cheating!’ I was thinking to myself. But, then, thinking things through, one of the disincentives about riding a bike in Brussels (for some, at least) is that there is a downtown and an uptown and that some of the routes from one to the other (Boulevard du Jardin Botanique and rue des Colonies, for example) are pretty steep. Such bikes would take the sting out of long, steep climbs and so I can see why they could be a healthy compromise for older people or people with knee problems. Alas, the only thing steeper than the rue des Colonies is the price of the bikes at the moment but I am sure that this will come down over time.
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