Ok, there’s some holes in my argument! I’ve made myself chuckle, that’s the problem with watching Homestead Rescue at the same time..
But, the lopsided subsidy scheme is still just that.
Of all the things the government waste money on I'm not sure encouraging people to get outside and ride a bike is the worst tbh, tbf, imo? Plenty of low paid people have access to it as well btw.
I think to offset the expense of my e-bike (although it was a YT Decoy in their sale on C2W which helped) and it’s terrible secondhand resale value I am going to do what I always do with bikes which is ride it lots and lots and keep it for several years (last big purchase was an Orange Alpine 160 in 2012 and I only sold it in 2019 because I had twins and wasn’t going to get much time to actually ride it). I’m sure the motor and battery won’t last 7 years but hopefully I’ll get my money’s worth out of it. It’s not like I need to trade it in because a fancier motor has been released and the geometry and components are fine for what I ride.
There’s no doubt that ebikes are costly. My 2022 Orbea Rise that I bought in 2023 was significantly reduced. I could have got a lower spec model of the same bike with the same frame for a more reasonable but still fairly expensive price.
I’m probably not the best qualified person to speak as:
- Historically I spent a lot of money on bikes and kept them for a long time.
- My Orbea was cheaper in actual and real terms than my last full-suspension Transition Patrol that I bought in 2016 and my Stanton Switchback Ti that I bought in 2018.
- Most importantly, my ebike lets the now disabled me - continue to go out with my riding buddies.
A bit off-topic. Lots in my life has changed - quality of life and life expectancy, but the support I have had from my friends is not one of those.
