VIDEO. Should you buy a mechanical bike or an electric bike? It’s not that easy…

Cycling to work is good for your health and the environment, and sometimes even saves time. Corinne, a higher education teacher we met on the Rivoli street bike path, sums it up: “I’ve been riding an electric bike for 6 years. Result: I am not tired when I come to class. »

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“Vélotaffer” (that is, cycling to work) could be one of your good resolutions at the beginning of the year. But once that decision is made, the less obvious part remains: finding the bike that suits you.

Today there are thousands of different models, whether they are designed for the city, the road, mountains or paths, folding, with disc brakes or not… And the pressing question immediately arises: should we choose an electric booster? bicycle (VAE) or for a classic, so-called “mechanical” bicycle?

A mechanical bicycle is cheaper and more durable.

The Ile-de-France region’s commitment to finance up to €500 towards the purchase of an electric bike could encourage the purchase of an electric bike, despite the average purchase price being 5 times higher than a classic bike. The Paris City Hall is also offering residents of the capital a refund of 400 euros.

Although the average purchase price of a “mechanical” bicycle is 349 euros, the starting price for traditional bicycles from major brands is around 200 euros.

As for VAE, even with a discount of 500 euros, you will still have to pay around 1200 euros to get your biclou, since its average purchase price is 1749 euros.

François, one of the sales staff at the bicycle shop L’Échappée Belle, located in Asnieres-sur-Seine, explains to us that the maintenance of electric bikes is also a little more expensive: “When we do the annual service” of an electric bike, we need to check the motor and carry out updates. which we don’t do on a regular bike.”

Calculate around 50-60 euros more per year for an e-bike compared to a classic bike. Additionally, VAE batteries don’t last forever: they only last 7 to 8 years before needing to be replaced. And this also has its cost: about 550 euros.

François confirms: “A classic bicycle, if properly maintained, can last almost a lifetime.”

There is no time savings when using an electric bike.

In 2017, a study conducted by the University of Adger in Norway found that you save an average of 6 minutes on a 30-minute trip if you use an electric bike rather than a regular bike.

On the other hand, the greater the elevation change along the way, the faster you will be on electric power.

We conducted the test in the 15th arrondissement of Paris on a fairly flat route of about 5 km: the difference between the VAE and a completely normal bike is only 30 seconds.

Indeed, in the city, unless you have large bike sections with no traffic lights or breaks, the average bike speed is 15 km/h. Let us remind you that the average speed in Paris is about 13 km/h.

An electric bicycle is also a sport!

One of the common clichés about an electric bike is that you just have to let yourself be carried and that “it’s for old people,” as suggested by Quentin, a young “mechanical” cyclist stopped on the side of the road. Bicycle path on Sevastopol street.

“Please note that the VAE is not a scooter: you need to pedal to move forward,” explains Dr. Colette Nordmann, sports physician and head of “cycling health” at the French Cycling Federation. “The intensity of effort is certainly 30-50% lower than regular cycling, but the health benefits are exactly the same: reduced cardiovascular and osteoarticular risks, improved immunity, neurological benefits and improved well-being.”

Cycling, whether electric or manual, reduces the risk of stroke by about 30%. “VAE is the potential for classic cycling,” continues Dr. Nordmann, “it allows people who would never ride a bike to take up cycling. It’s no worse than a classic bike, it’s just different. »

And even the greatest athletes can use it, for example for recovery after intense competition, as Thomas Voeckler points out in a book he published a few months ago.

Impact of VAE battery production

If you decide to start cycling for environmental reasons, you also need to be aware of the impact of battery production. Lithium, which is used in most electric batteries today, is mainly mined in South America, especially Argentina and Bolivia. And while producers pride themselves on “clean” mining, extracting this metal requires enormous amounts of water in often desert conditions.

Cobalt, another metal needed to make batteries, is mined almost exclusively in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s not just the environmental impact. Amnesty International has condemned the exploitation of many children in these mines for many years.

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