With the end of the first quarter of 2023 and the addition of an e-cargo bike the project is going from strength to strength with over 30 loans of ebikes since the start of the year.
Participants of the project have come from Laggan to Grantown on Spey and been a mixture of individuals and businesses.
New equipment was purchased in January 2023 and has already been of use to participants with the pannier sets being very popular enabling participants to commute and complete daily tasks by bike.
In addition, the Cargo bike is currently on loan and has two loans pre-booked up to the end of June and a number of enquiries have been taken for the additional two Cargo bikes which are to follow soon.
Comments from a couple of the project participants was:
‘This opportunity allowed me to slowly progress from not being able to cycle. When I originally attempted to borrow the ebike in November, my elbow (which had been fractured) was not ready. This aborted trial was no problem to Aviemore bikes and I was able to try again successfully. This flexibility was greatly appreciated.’
‘I have gradually built up my distance and more importantly my confidence on more bouncy terrain. The progress was great for my mental health. It was so nice to access the stunning trails of our amazing environment with the extra electric power to combat terrain and increase the distance while still knowing I’ll get home safely. This really was a grin from ear to ear experience, thoroughly recommend. Thank you to the Cairngorms Trust and Aviemore bikes, fantastic’
Coming up
We’ll be out and about with come and try sessions on the eBikes in Dalwhinnie, Dulnain Bridge and Grantown on Spey with dates to be shared on our social media channels.
Along with two bike festivals in May and June in Aviemore and the Kingussie Bikeathon in June who will be using the Cargo Bike for marshalling.
You can support the Active Cairngorms eBike project by donating online
https://cairngormstrust.org.uk/love-the-cairngorms/ace-bikes
The aims of the project are to
- Support social prescribing of electric bikes (E-bikes) in Badenoch and Strathspey; allowing those that have health conditions access to an E-bike as a beneficial way of getting exercise.
- Allow those that are finding the cost of car transport prohibitive access to an E-bike to see if it would be a viable option for them to commute to their work or for their everyday journeys (shopping, transporting children to school etc).
- Encourage residents to increase their leisure time spent on a bike and make the switch from short car journeys to cycling, with the hoped outcome of cycling for leisure, everyday journeys, and commuting.
E-bikes make cycling a more realistic possibility for people due to their relative speed and energy needed to cycle them; however, they are expensive to initially purchase. The Cairngorms Trust are delighted to continue to offer residents the chance to have a loan of up to 6 weeks to trial an E-bike before they look to buy one for themselves.
Through LEADER funding, the Cairngorms Trust purchased a fleet of 15 E-bikes and set up the Active Cairngorms E-bike (ACE) Project. Currently we are developing the fleet to include cargo bikes, bike trailers and an e-trike.
To support the Active Cairngorms eBike project donate online
https://cairngormstrust.org.uk/love-the-cairngorms/ace-bikes
