Our customers are the core of our business and to show our appreciation to those who have loyally followed us since the beginning of Ecoride, we have chosen to highlight our dedicated customers in this series of articles.
Last time, Maria Molin from Utby was in the spotlight and now it is Jan Sandberg who is in focus. Jan is 50 years old, has two children and works in the restaurant industry. In his spare time he likes to play golf and cycle around on his electric bike from Ecoride in the Gothenburg area with his wife Fia. After buying an e-bike, Jan and Fia no longer felt the need for the car and sold the car. In other words, their e-bike has replaced the car!
Why did you get an e-bike?
A few years ago I had a restaurant where I had a guest who sold electric bikes. He spoke highly of this vehicle and I became interested. Since the restaurant was located in the centre of the city and it wasn’t ideal to have a car because of the high cost and lack of parking spaces, I thought it would be good to have an electric bike for running errands. Plus, I could put my logo on it and advertise my business at the same time. So I bought an electric bike, attached a box to the front where I could put my goods and put my logo on it.
How long have you been cycling on an e-bike?
My first electric bike was an imported e-bike and I bought it about eight years ago. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very good quality and it kept breaking down. If it wasn’t the battery, it was the gears or something else.
Why did you ultimately choose an Ecoride e-bike?
I liked the whole idea of an electric bike but wasn’t happy with the one I had and that’s when I came into contact with Ecoride. I was probably only in the shop once or twice before I decided to buy an Ecoride e-bike. It felt like their products were solid and the people working there in the shop and workshop were not only friendly but also seemed knowledgeable in their field.
How has the e-bike changed your daily life?
I can’t say that I used to use public transport much before I got my electric bike, but now I don’t use it at all, which is good in these pandemic times. As for driving a car, it went down noticeably. And it’s so nice to cycle and not have to think about parking and parking fees.
Where do you use your e-bike?
I cycle every day in all weather conditions, all year round. It is more an exception than a rule that you would see me in the city without my e-bike.
Are you cycling more/taking the car less since the purchase?
I actually also bought an e-bike for my wife and after a year or so we sold our car. We replaced our car with our new e-bikes!
“Jan’s bike is much cooler than mine, but I cycle Vasastan – Hjällbo and back, so I chose a more robust electric bike,” says Fia.
What are your plans for you and your e-bikes now that spring is just around the corner?
Since I cycle all year round, I don’t have any plans other than that I have to do a service after a tough winter. Then I can’t wait to cycle up to the golf club and start playing golf.
The electric bike has become an alternative to the car
An important part for Ecoride in giving our customers the best possible service, is our employees. In this article we meet Rikard, Store Manager in our Malmö concept store, who tells us about his Ecoride story and what a day in the store can look like.
Tell us a bit about yourself! Who is Rikard?
My name is Rikard, I’m 33 years old and from Malmö. When I’m not working at Ecoride, I play a lot of Padel, like half of Sweden’s population. Apart from that, I like making music and travelling around the world.
What does a day in the Ecoride shop look like for you?
A day at Ecoride includes meeting and greeting our fantastic customers, assembling bikes and taking orders.
What is the role of store manager like?
As a store manager, I have a more general responsibility. I make sure that the business in the store runs smoothly with all that it may entail.
How long have you worked at Ecoride?
I’ve been at Ecoride for four years!
Who visits Ecoride and for what reasons?
All kinds of people visit us – from students to retirees and the range is huge. I think the biggest reason people come here is that many people may have a longer distance to their jobs and don’t want to take the car. Then an e-bike can be a good alternative.
Do you ride an electric bike and if so, what model?
I ride a black Ecoride Ambassador H8, a real classic in our range.
How has the market changed since you started at Ecoride?
The target group has become broader. When I started here, it was mostly older people who bought an electric bike. Today we see something completely different. People are also prepared to spend more money on an electric bike than before. I also think people are thinking more and more about selling their car.
What is the best thing about working at Ecoride?
The best thing about working at Ecoride is the genuine and close contact you get with the customers. It’s simply a good chat!
Hanna saved money this fast with her e-bike
Hanna Persson lives in Långedrag and commutes 20 km every day by bike to her job at Volvo Cars in Torslanda. In two years, she reached break even and paid off the cost of the bike.
“The ride to and from work is often the best bit of the day.
I first thought of buying an e-bike when my daughter got an electric moped to travel to and from her training sessions.” Hanna has always enjoyed cycling, but she chose an e-bike because it would make it easier to cycle over the exposed Älvsborg Bridge and up the hills on her route. On 7 April 2017, Hanna bought an EcoRide Ambassador, and not quite two years later – 14 March 2019 – she’d ‘paid off’ her bike.
“I have a civil engineering background and love numbers. So I started keeping statistics to find out when the e-bike had paid for itself. I already had a normal bicycle, so this was more of a sport – and I decided to cycle to work whatever the weather. And that’s what I did!
Money and the environment in the equation Hanna took a photo of her meter every day when she got home and kept track of every time she charge the battery. She included in her calculations the congestion charge and fuel costs she would have otherwise paid. In 226 days, cycling to and from work 19 km a day, she saved SEK 10,300 in congestion charges and SEK 4500 in fuel. In total, she’s cycled 5260 km and charged her battery 180 times.
“Now I’m ‘earning’ money every time I take the e-bike”, she says.
Hanna points out that she’s also calculated her carbon dioxide emissions.
“On average, a car gives out 120 g of carbon dioxide per kilometre. So in two years I’ve reduced my carbon dioxide emissions by about 630 kg!”
A lifestyle As well as being a convenient way to get to work, using an e-bike also means that Hanna’s exercise is now included in her everyday life.
“It’s become a lifestyle. I look forward to my time on the bike. Sometimes I stop along the way and pick wood anemones. You get to experience the changing seasons – in the autumn there are mushrooms along the side of the road, and now there are ox-eye daisies everywhere. I’ve seen birds of prey hovering in the air and wonderful sunsets in the evening.
When you’re cycling, you can let go of stress after a long working day. It’s a healing time, a time for reflection and thinking.”
More people using the car Hanna often talks about her lifestyle and has succeeded in inspiring some of her colleagues to buy an e-bike, but there are still many people taking the car to her workplace. And the same is true for the rest of the country – only 16% of people cycle to work, while 42% take the car, according to a survey carried out for IF Skadeförsäkring (2017). In other words, there’s still quite a large group of people to inspire to take a more intelligent route – but how can you motivate your friends to leave the wheel behind and sit at the handlebars instead?
Well, of course, the most obvious argument is the environment – 30% of Sweden’s total carbon dioxide emissions come from traffic. But it’s also about saving time, gliding past traffic jams and saving money.
So do you fancy a new lifestyle, or simply want to save a bit of money? We’ll be happy to help you find the right e-bike for you!
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