Rediscover cycling and reclaim time with Estarli E-Bikes
“Commuting will never be the same again,” says Estarli Co-Founder, Oliver Francis. “Thank Goodness.” The Hertfordshire eBike company is on a mission to empower more people to ride more. “We felt there was an element of hypocrisy when some eBike brands were shouting about the benefits of eBikes versus other methods of transport and then charging £5,000 – £10,000 for one.” Oliver and his team at Estarli saw a gap in the market for really well built eBikes, made in the UK, that start at a price more people can afford. Set against the backdrop of rising living costs, Bike is Best ran a national study, finding that half the population believed eBikes were the natural replacement for cars. “For us it was simple,” said Oliver, “Public eBike appetites were growing, battery technology was advancing quickly and more people were recognising that old fashioned commuting by petrol cars was as outdated as it was toxic. So, we set about trying to help fix the problem.”
Long-term Estarli customer and Architect, Narinder Sagoo said, “I’ve only recently reconnected with cycling thanks to my folding bike. And so a love of cycling that I had when I was a kid, throughout my whole childhood, I kind of feel like I’m nine years old again.” “The rediscovery part is so important for us,” says Oliver, “because so many of our customers haven’t owned a bike as adults. We try to make the step to electric power as simple as possible so that they can unearth that youthful joy from two wheels once more.”
All Estarli’s eBikes, both folding frame and hybrids, come with five power modes and gears. “It’s obvious but we keep repeating it,” says Oliver, “you decide how much effort you put in. That means commuting can keep you fit but it can also become much more stress and sweat free.” The option of pedal assisted power is crucial for Narinder who commutes three days a week from High Barnet to South West London. “As someone who wears a turban, I don’t really want to get to work and have to have a shower and get changed again so I stroll in all the way to my desk, stress-free and sweat-free.” Estarli’s new folding city bike has lots of features designed to help remove the fuss from travelling. It has chunky tyres, seven gears and a removable seatpost battery that you can take all the way to your desk and plug in to save energy bills at home. Narinder says, “I think the flexibility of having a folding bike allows me to cycle more than a fixed frame I think. Particularly going twelve miles across London, like my commute. I would just never cycle twelve miles in the morning and twelve miles in the evening”.
“The final piece of the jigsaw is empowerment,” says Oliver. “We want people to travel on their terms.” “I get home in time to see my kids, which is the most important thing in my whole life. So if I can shave off thirty to forty minutes and get home quicker and see them…it’s just that extra bit of time that is so precious and we lose so much of it in London”. Narinder goes on, “It’s emotionally just one of the most incredible things that’s happened to me in my adult life. Just having a bike again!”
Estarli design and build eBikes in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. Founded by two brothers, the company has doubled year-on-year since its inception in 2020. For more information, visit, www.estarli.co.uk