My small family lived without a car for 2years, and with Covid19 restrictions car use was not particularly high. We have an electric car and it used to cost £5 per 100mile. However with the war in Ukraine charging has risen to £10 per 100mile. The car is convenient, however over long distances (over 4hours of travel) I catch trains. If humans really need to move to work and back at the same time. Then mass transport systems and solutions are needed. Lets look at the past for some solutions to the future…

Human Power WINS:

Walk and Cycle more. Cycling is mechanised human power allowing everyone to go faster and further on less energy. Sometimes it is easier to walk. A bicycle, however, can be up to 5 times more efficient than walking.

Half Human Half Electric…

E-Bikes have caught on quickly, however most brands are chasing the leisure market. Effectively making an electric motor bike. There needs to be more cargo carrying bicycles and this is where we think E-bikes should go.

Cycle from home:

Work from home is a thing. If everyone cycled one day a week that would be a 20% reduction in traffic congestion and CO2 emissions. Work from home one day a week on top, would be 40% and so on.

Public transport…

The London tube moves people around fast. Public transport in other areas has been neglected for decades. Imagine some bike storage on a bus like the picture above? Or not having to battle with other passengers to store a bike on a train? This is a good argument for railways to be nationalised.

WHERE is OLSEN Bikes going?

OLSEN Bikes are expanding our range of bicycles. We are shifting towards the unglamourous part of cycling… commuting. The Mokihinui, Karapoti and Punakaiki were first in production, and they were all versatile enough to take luggage racks, during the week and shed them for a go far or fast weekend of riding. The Otepoti and Mokihinui Pinion was next. Both of these will fit a rack and panniers if needed.

We now have the SBW (Sized By Wheel) range which is somewhere between a street bike, a kids bike and a pub bike. Something simple, yet versatile. Each SBW will fit 2 sized wheels, so as things change, your bike can change too.

There are some more frames in development. We are keeping things versatile with belt-drive, single speed, 8 or 12speed derailleurs, internal hub gears like Rohloff and Alfine. We have more Pinion gearbox frames coming.

The Future is BIKE:

Email steven@olsenbicycles.com if you like the sounds of the following.

COMPACT

It is too early to share pictures, however we have been working on frames with S&S couplings. Either separable or semi-folding bikes the size of a 29er wheel 750x750x250mm format. This will be good for public transport and global travel. We see this as being part of the solution for taking your bike on long journeys instead of flying.

e-CARGO

This is also too early to share the CAD. We are looking at e-Cargo bikes as this is a direction where we think e-Bikes should have gone and should go. There is a lot of Cargo bikes in Europe and we have seen these come over to the UK. This has a huge potential to change the culture of cycling into something positive for families.

RIDE MORE BIKES

For the love of our Planet, we need to change. Cycling is a transport solution to a transport problem. We all know the arguments. It feeds itself and there is no point poking the dragon. If we don’t like sitting in a static metal box, then we need to look at the alternatives and cycling is one of the best.

Join our journey, get other people cycling locally in your area. We have something for everyone.