We keep getting sent e-bike videos.
Some are impressive, some are concerning (like the one below). But industry’s position on e-bikes seems just as split.
For example, this peer-reviewed study in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives highlights clear benefits. E-bikes increase physical activity, particularly for people shifting from cars, and support longer, more frequent active transport trips.
Then contrast that with this article from the American College of Surgeons, which frames e-bikes as an emerging public health risk. It points to rising injuries, higher speeds, and gaps in regulation and rider capability.
Same mode with two very different narratives. So what is going on?
Is this about the technology… or the system?
If something can improve health and increase trauma risk at the same time, it usually tells us more about the environment it is operating in.
Are speeds aligned with human tolerance?
Are conflicts being separated?
Are we designing for real world behaviour?
This feels like an issue that has genuinely divided industry, and we don’t think it’s because the evidence is weak. Rather it’s because the system response is still catching up.
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