The Health Benefits of Riding an E-Bike

Low-Impact Exercise: Riding an e-bike provides an excellent form of low-impact exercise. Even with electric assistance, riders still engage in pedalling, which helps to strengthen leg muscles and improve cardiovascular health. Unlike high-impact exercises like running, e-biking puts less strain on joints, making it suitable for individuals of all fitness levels and ages.

Weight Management and Calorie Burn: Regular e-bike commuting can help with weight management and weight loss efforts. By pedalling and utilising electric assistance when needed, riders burn calories and boost their metabolism, contributing to maintaining a healthy body weight.

Mental Well-being: The endorphins released during exercise can help reduce stress and improve mental well-being. E-biking offers the advantage of combining physical activity with the sheer joy of riding, allowing riders to unwind and clear their minds while navigating through scenic routes.

Enhanced Cardiovascular Health: Engaging in regular e-bike rides can improve cardiovascular health by increasing heart rate and blood flow. This can lead to reduced risks of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular issues, making it a worthwhile investment for long-term health.

Improved Respiratory Function: As e-bike riders tend to travel at slower speeds compared to motor vehicles, they are exposed to fewer harmful pollutants, leading to better respiratory health. Additionally, the exercise from pedalling can strengthen respiratory muscles, benefiting lung capacity.

Integrating E-Bikes into Daily Life

Commuting to Work: One of the most practical ways to integrate e-bikes into daily life is by using them for commuting to work. With the assistance of the electric motor, commuting longer distances becomes manageable, while avoiding traffic congestion and reducing your carbon footprint.

Errands and Shopping: Replace short car trips for errands and shopping with e-bike rides. Most e-bikes come equipped with cargo racks or baskets, allowing you to carry groceries and essentials without a hassle.

Exercise Routine: Incorporate e-bike rides into your weekly exercise routine. You can alternate between traditional biking and e-biking, allowing you to challenge yourself physically while still enjoying the thrill of e-assistance.

Recreational Rides: Utilise ebikes for recreational purposes, exploring nearby parks, nature trails, or scenic routes. It’s an enjoyable way to spend time with family and friends while reaping the health benefits of outdoor activities.

Group Activities: Join local e-bike clubs or organise group rides with friends and neighbours. Group activities not only make the experience more enjoyable but also provide an opportunity to socialise and motivate each other towards a healthier lifestyle.

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EZEGO Ebikes is the creation of industry veterans with 50 years of combined experience. They launched in 2019 with the sole purpose of making e-bikes more accessible to a wider audience. Starting as an idea scribbled on the back of a bar mat over a few beers and a sausage roll, they wanted to create their own electric bike range for commuter and social riders, that looked good as well as being functional.

In addition working relentlessly to craft the perfect ebike, from researching the existing market, sourcing high-quality components, testing colourways and optimising product specifications the EZEGO Ebike range was born.

Great Quality and Style

Above all EZEGO Ebikes are deeply passionate about their product. As a result, they bring us unparalleled quality and style at a great and affordable price range. They meticulously select every component, every measurement, even the finish on every nut and bolt. EZEGO put their e-bikes through the most grueling conditions. Rigorous testing, from the heat of the Far East to the steep hills of the Yorkshire Moors ensures these ebikes are reliable and the product is the best it can be.

Back up Service

Furthermore, contributing to their success is their back up service. All warranty parts are held in the UK and EZEGO are easily contactable to answer any technical or product enquiries. They sure make cycling EZE!

Browse the EZEGO Ebikes Range

At Espokes we strive to help reduce congestion on the roads, improve the health of the nation, and have a positive impact on the environment. Our motto: “save the planet, save money, beat the traffic, and get happy!”

Whether commuting to work, taking a leisurely ride into town or tackling the trails, EZEGO have you covered.

Indeed the EZEGO range is one of our fastest moving lines and we have just taken delivery from their latest shipment. Make sure you don’t miss out and get down to our Basingstoke showroom or call us on 01256 353465 to secure your EZEGO electric bike.

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The risk to the Uk is now high.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 have been put in place to reduce the risk of further human-to-human transmission in this country by keeping individuals in isolation.

Amid this developing situation, being a responsible Electric bike supplier, we would like to assure you the health of both our customers and our team members is our biggest priority. We are closely following the advice of Public Health England and the World Health Organisation and introducing a wide variety of measures to minimise the impact to public health.

Safety & Hygiene

Cleaning in our show room has been intensified, with our teams regularly sanitising their hands and maintaining distance when working with customers.

We will still carry on with test rides as these are done outside and assure you that each bike is then thoroughly cleaned and sanitised.

We encourage customers to use contactless payments where possible and the bigger transactions can be done by us on the computer with a receipt emailed instantly.

None of us have been abroad in the last nine months and if any team member were to show even mild signs of flu-like symptoms we will follow the government advice surrounding medical care and self-isolate.

Try At Home Service

For those of you who don’t want to be out and about all our store products are available to order direct online from our website We use Royal Mail for our smaller items who are doing contactless delivery. They will knock on your door, place your item on the doorstep before stepping away to a safe distance for you to retrieve it. For ebikes ordered online or over the phone we can also arrange a contactless hand over.

We will continue to offer our try at home service; where we take several bikes out giving customers the chance to try the bikes before purchasing.

With bases in Basingstoke and Wincanton, we are regulars of the A303 corridor. We can easily cover Hampshire, Berkshire, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

If you wish to book a test ride on any of our electric bikes please call us on 01256 353465/07771 927354 or email info@espokes.co.uk

Cycling For Health

All this has caused many of us to have anxiety and start to get depressed. Worry not! We know due to a 2018 study by Vitality Health; cyclists’ levels of depression are 25% lower than that of sedentary people making them more satisfied with life in general.

Cycling regularly improves physical and mental health. It is also a good remedy against sedentary illnesses and halves the risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer. Giving a fitness level equal to someone ten years younger.

Special Offers

In view of all this; we at Espokes would like to help get us all through this phase the best way we can. We want to keep everyone fit and healthy in mind and body. Here are some offers we have put together to help make cycling more accessible;

Our Ex-Demo Hunter Step through is now only £999 saving you £51.

We are giving FREE selected accessories with EZEGO ebikes sold.

£100 off the Raleigh Motus Open making this Bosch powered Raleigh electric bike an absolute steal at only £1,700

Click on the ebikes below for more information

Finally

We are continuously monitoring the situation. Following direction given by the government. We will take whatever action is necessary to protect the health of our customers and our teams.

Cycling can be a key part of the transport solution. Many of our core service workers such as NHS staff still need to travel to work. Cycling is a much better solution to maintain social distances than on public transport. For this reason we plan to remain open as long as is possible. If you need to purchase an ebike, bicycle accessories or if you rely on your bike and need us to help keep it running we will be here.

We will notify you of any changes to our working hours or the way we operate as it happens through our Facebook

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Walking, parking and cycling are all forbidden. There are no traffic signals, intersections and junctions with other roads, or property access. Overpasses and underpasses service railway and pedestrian paths.

Due to the Increased use of the motorcar and the demand for faster movement between cities, this led to dual carriageways being built in the 1920s. Read on to learn all about the Motorway History.

The First Motorway

The oldest motorway in England opened in 1958. Primarily the Preston Bypass in Lancashire, eight and a quarter miles long and now part of the M6 the longest motorway in the UK. It runs from Junction 19 of the M1 near Rugby to Gretna and the A74 (M) near Scotland; spanning 232 miles and covering nine counties.

The M40 was Britain’s first motorway going from Oxford to London along a similar route to the A40.

Britain’s first full length motorway was the M1. This opened in 1959 and recognised as a London to Birmingham motorway.

The M3

The M3 ran from the outer edges of London to Popham, west of Basingstoke, where it splits to allow traffic into the A30 and A33. It was built as a three lane motorway except for the two lane section from junction 8 (A303) and 9. Lightwater/Bagshot to Popham was opened in 1971 and in 1995 Winchester to Otterbourne. It carries traffic to and from London from the west of Surrey, north of Hampshire, South of Berkshire, Southampton, Bournemouth and Poole via the A31 and the South West via the A303.

The very ancient and important hill fort known as St Catherine’s Hill was kept intact by squeezing the Winchester Bypass between the hillside and the river Itchen along a twisting path. This caused controversy with the opening in 1995 of the final section.

Built in the 1920s this was the oldest dual carriageway in the UK.  Most unsuitable for a motorway which had to be cut through high ground to avoid the ancient monument whilst destroying picturesque and scientifically interesting countryside, regarding Twyford Down as the beginning of the backlash against road building.

The M3 starts in London and ends in Southampton. It is 61 miles, passing Staines, Bracknell, Basingstoke and Winchester. It connects to the M25 and A282, M27, A34 and the A303.

As a result we at Espokes are within easy reach from many towns because we are located not far from Junction 6 on the Hassocks Wood business park. With easy parking even in your motorhomes or horseboxes. We are the ‘must place’ to pop along to and give our great Ebikes a test ride.

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A good place to start is by browsing our range of discounted electric bikes.

We have bikes to suit everyone; from the latest generation 4 Bosch motor to the Fazua drop handlebar road bike. Fly up the hills on a road bike, go trekking on tracks and trails and mountain biking.

We also have bikes and accessories ideal for your commute to work; that trip to the shops, picnic or for visiting friends.

Short of space? Treat yourselves to one of our folding electric bikes. They are easy to fold and fit into small spaces and car boots; a must for saving on parking charges as you can park out of town or jump on a train or bus or simply cycle in.

Cycling is said to ‘make you happy’ and at Espokes we want everyone to experience this, so why not come and join our Breeze Champion Laura on her Breeze rides which she is putting on throughout January & February in Basingstoke. These are fun, social bike rides to encourage women to become more active, improve fitness and meet new like minded people. Click here to sign up

Pop along to our Showroom in Basingstoke and discuss your preferences with our friendly staff. Give us a ring on 01256 353465 and book an appointment for Wincanton or book us to pop along to your preferred location or home where you can try a selection of ebikes stress free on your own hills.

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Tradition

Crackers are one of the favourite festive table decorations on the Christmas dinner table or parties; They make a snapping sound when pulled open. They also contain a small gift of a toy or trinket, coloured paper hat, motto and a joke. In one version of this tradition, the person with the larger portion of cracker keeps all the items. In another, each person has their own cracker and keeps its contents regardless. We have been wearing festive hats to eat our Christmas dinner as far back as the Roman times. This is when on December 17th, they held a festival in honour of the God Saturn.

History

Christmas crackers were first made in about 1845-1850 by a London sweet maker called Tom Smith. When on a visit to Paris in 1840 he came across French ‘bonbon’ sweets. On his return to London, he tried selling similar sweets including a small motto or riddle in with the sweet. These didn’t sell very well, and sales slumped.

Legend says that one night, whilst putting a log on his fire, he became aware of the sparks and crackles coming from it.

Suddenly, it came to him what a fun idea it would be, if his sweets could be opened with a crack when their fancy wrappers were pulled in half.

In 1861 Tom Smith launched his new range of sweets calling them ‘Bangs of Expectation’!

When Tom died, his three sons, Tom, Walter and Henry took over the expanding cracker business.

Walter introduced the hats into the crackers and travelled around the world. Gaining inspiration for gifts to put in them building up a big range of themed crackers.

There were ones for bachelors and spinsters with gifts such as false teeth and wedding rings! There were also crackers for Suffragettes, war heroes and even Charlie Chaplain!

Crackers were also made for special occasions like Coronations. The British Royal Family still has special crackers made for them!

Very expensive crackers were made containing a solid silver box with a piece of gold and silver jewellery inside it!

The world’s longest Christmas cracker measured 63.1m (207ft) long and 4m (13ft) in diameter. It was made by the parents of children at Ley Hill School and Pre- School, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, on 20 December 2001.

On 18 October 2009 the biggest Christmas cracker ever pulled was by 1,478 people. This was at an event organised by Honda Japan at Tochigi Proving Ground.

Tom Smith merged with Caley Crackers in 1953. A memorial water fountain to Tom Smith and his family stands in Finsbury Square, London.

Your own cracker

One of the best gifts you can give is an electric bike.

Electric Bikes are fun, they keep you fit, give you freedom and are good for the soul.

It is also a great way to start the New Year and getting fit will become not only a resolution but an excuse just to get out on your new ebike.

There are bikes for every pocket with no compromise of power and freedom. Prices from an unbelievable £999 will not fail to impress you.

To test ride these or any of our other fabulous bikes come and visit our showroom on Stroudley Road, Basingstoke where there’s plenty of free parking.

For Wincanton please call to book an appointment on 01256 353465 or 07771 927354

If you need a little financial help, especially at this time of year; for a simple, quick and easy process look at our finance page

To order an electric bike or top up on your stocking fillers with our wide range of accessories head over to our website www.espokes.co.uk

Our last day to guarantee you delivery in time for Christmas is Tuesday 17th December.

Here is a little Christmas joke to leave you all with;

Who is Santa’s favourite singer?

Elf-is Presley!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

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We feel there are many reasons why you should support our small business and not those of our larger competitors. Here are our main ones:

Did you know?

If every adult in Basingstoke spent just £5 per week in their local independent shops; rather than online or in high street chains, £32 MILLION PER YEAR could go into the local economy! This would create more jobs, better facilities and a better place for us to live in.

When you buy from a small independent business an actual person does a little happy dance. By fulfilling someone’s dream you are also receiving the best:

Personal Service

We like our customers to feel happy and relaxed. We spend as long as is needed with each customer, tailoring our service to suit you, so you can rest assured you will purchase the right ebike to fit in with your lifestyle and needs. We really do care about each of our customers.

We have chosen our suppliers carefully to bring you the best selection of quality ebikes. We’re family-run and will treat you as we would expect to be treated.

Espokes offer the very best after-sales service, so you can leave the showroom confident we will always be here to support you and your ebike.

We are Basingstoke’s only specialist electric bike sales; service and test riding centre; as well as the only Bosch accredited ebike experts in the area.

Help us save our economy by buying local and supporting all small businesses by sharing and liking their posts, tagging friends, posting nice comments and pictures and not forgetting, to come and visit our Basingstoke showroom where you can browse our range of electric bikes and accessories; talk to experts who will be on hand to answer any ebike related questions and take you for your free test ride.

Click here to browse our range of stylish electric bikes

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Cyber Monday is immediately after Black Friday. It is an online-only event, meaning you don’t even have to get out of bed to get some great bargains.

Several deals will be running throughout Black Friday. Two unmissable deals on Black Friday itself and one on Cyber Monday.

“Black Friday” was first coined not as a holiday shopping term but because of a financial crisis. The crash of the U.S. gold market on September 24th 1869. Two notoriously ruthless Wall Street financiers; Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, worked together to buy up as much of the nation’s gold they could. Driving the price sky-high and selling it for great profits. On that Friday in September, the conspiracy finally came to light. Sending the stock market into free-fall and bankrupting everyone from Wall Street barons to farmers.

Black Friday, as we know it today, comes from America and is the day after Thanksgiving. This is on the fourth Thursday in November. Since 1952 it has been known as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It is not an official holiday, but in some American states, it is seen as such by the State Government who gives their employees time off in lieu.

Black Friday has become the traditional day for retailers to give big discounts to mark the unofficial launch of the Christmas shopping period.

It was named “Black Friday” by the Philadelphia Police Department in the 1950s and 60s. Due to the high number of shoppers out to get the best deals creating traffic chaos, accidents and sometimes even violence.

Although this shopping phenomenon dates to the Great Depression in 1939, it only came to England in 2010. As public awareness grew, 2013 was a real turning point with Amazon and Asda a subsidiary of Walmart announcing Black Friday deals which have led to companies now offering bigger and better deals each year.

At Espokes we run various offers all year long. Check out our demo bike page to pick up a fantastic deal on an ex-demo electric bike.

You could wait and see what we have on offer to take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but there’s no need to delay as we will be running a £50.00 discount with all ebike purchases throughout the weekend; saving our two best ever deals specifically for the Friday and Monday.

We will be keeping our deal under wraps until the weekend in question – but if you want to hear about it first, make sure you sign up to our newsletter.

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The cycle to work scheme is part of the Governments Green Transport Plan. It aims to cut congestion on the roads, improve the health of the nation and have a positive impact on the environment. In other words: “save the planet, save money, beat the traffic, and get happy!”

How the Scheme Works

The Government made the cycle to work scheme part of the 1999 Finance Act. It is free to join and like a year’s interest-free credit on a fabulous bike of your choice. The employer buys the bike for the employee who pays for the bike from their gross salary (Before tax & NI) saving the employee both tax and NI whilst the employer saves 13.8% employer’s NI.

What are the benefits

Cycling improves physical and mental health, which is known to boost productivity. Cycling to work regularly is a good remedy against sedentary illnesses. It is known to halve the risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer. Giving a fitness level equal to someone ten years younger. A 2018 study by Vitality Health found that cyclists had levels of depression 25% lower than that of sedentary employees. Being more satisfied with life, cyclists offered on average higher productivity and lower absence levels. Giving an extra six days work a year compared to inactive colleagues.

What are the choices

There are several cycle schemes on the market. The two main ones we offer are the Cyclescheme and Green Commute Initiative. For any other scheme please contact us.

For more information on these schemes check out our Cycle to Work Page where you will find a calculator to see how much money you could be saving. Alternatively, head to our showroom where we can help you choose the right bike for your budget and lifestyle.

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