A Guardian journalist who confessed to being sceptical about electric bikes has said he was ‘completely won over’ after a two-week trial. Miles Brignall was impressed with the Milan 2 he borrowed saying that it put a big smile on the face of everyone who used it. “To get it going, you simply turn it on with the ignition key. It has two modes; one option is to just sit there, turn a motorcycle-style throttle and let the electric motor do all the work. However, the much better option is to start gently pedalling. The motor detects you are on the move, quickly kicks in, and away you go. The bike is surprisingly nippy and feels faster than its claimed maximum speed of 15mph, and on the flat it whizzes along with minimal effort required. “As soon as you stop pedalling, or apply the brakes, the motor ceases to help. “At 31kg it is considerably heavier than a standard bicycle, but once you are on the move you don't really notice it. It will take serious hills in its stride, and if you decide you don't want to apply any effort at all, you can let the bike do all the work. It comes with six gears, mudguards, rear carrier, and the chain is covered – making it fine if you want to ride in a suit.”
And he is pleasantly surprised by being able to recharge the bike for around 10p using an ordinary 3-pin plug.
“Everyone who tried it liked it, and the surge the rider gets as the motor kicks in became quite addictive.”
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