Universal design comes to the e-bike

Gazelle may have accidentally designed the perfect e-bike for everyone.

I have been thinking for some time about the perfect bike for aging baby boomers and was eager to discuss this with Gazelle when I visited their factory. After riding their lovely C380, I grabbed product manager Chiel Prein and started telling him all my thoughts and dreams:

• A bike for boomers shouldn’t have a top tube; they should be step-through designs. This is why they are no longer called “ladies’ bikes.” But as you get older, it gets harder to lift your foot as high. On my bike and the one I used, the top tube and the seat tube come down and meet in a V, so you have to lift your foot considerably higher to get through. I thought they should have a flat bottom section, which could be seen in some of the models. On my Gazelle, I have to lift my foot two full feet, and it sometimes catches. This is a serious problem; one website, in an article titled “best e-bikes for seniors” actually suggests, “if you need a boost up, there are inexpensive folding step stools you can use and carry on one of the racks”– I am sorry, but if you need to carry a stool, then there is something wrong with the bike design.

• They should all have standard mirrors; many people cannot turn their heads far enough to see behind and stay comfortably stable when they have to change lanes or go around the FedEx truck in the bike lane.

• Many manufacturers are making bikes with smaller wheels now; it would be nice to have a lower centre of gravity and to be able to put one’s feet on the ground without having to get off the seat.

Prein nodded and said, yes, he understands what I am saying, and they have developed a model for old or disabled people who cannot get onto or are not comfortable on a regular bike, but it is not for everyone. He took me over to see the new “Easyflow” design, and it was the bike of my dreams- the Universal e-bike.

According to Ron Mace, who coined the term, “Universal design is not a new science, a style, or unique in any way. It requires only an awareness of need and market and a commonsense approach to making everything we design and produce usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible." It is not designed just for the old or disabled, but works for everyone, often better than the original design.

One of the best examples is the GoodGrips potato peeler. Housewares manufacturer Sam Farber designed it for his wife because she had arthritis and had trouble using a standard peeler, so he designed one with a big soft plastic handle. He thought it was a niche product because it cost three times as much as a regular metal peeler, but it flew off the shelves because it was easier for everyone to use.

This is why I love the Easyflow. It meets so many of the 7 Universal Design principles:

1. Equitable use: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. This is the most obvious one- anyone could ride this, including newbies.

2. Flexibility in use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. Ditto. it works for anyone.

3. Simple and intuitive: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience. Seriously. I rode bikes with a top tube for most of my life, and was getting on my low-step-over Gazelle as if I was still riding one. I watched how Dutch women got on their bikes and learned that I had been doing it wrong. Step through; put your foot on the pedal and push, instead of swinging your leg around. Gazelle should send a video with their bikes.

4. Perceptible information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. I think they should put the fancy Enviolo CVT in this bike to make it even easier to use.

5. Tolerance for error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. This might be the most important one. Getting on and off is easy, but most importantly, you can put your feet on the ground without getting off the seat. When something untoward happens, you do not have as far to fall.

6. Low physical effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. Thank you to Bosch and Shimano for their wonderful electric motors.

7. Size and space for approach and use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of user's body size, posture or mobility. This bike is low, with a huge stepover; almost anyone could get on this comfortably and easily.

Over dinner that night, I banged on about universal design and how this was a bike for everyone. The Gazelle people seemed incredulous, but they had been riding Dutch bikes all their lives.

In North America and many other places, millions of possible customers haven’t been on a bike for years, if ever, and it’s a big learning curve. They are nervous. They also don’t have preconceived notions of what a bike looks like, particularly when so many companies are offering e-bikes with smaller wheels. The Gazelle people seemed surprised when Sapir, one of the guests on the trip, asked to use an Easyflow for the riding in Amsterdam and Utrecht the next day. She gave me her thoughts:

“The bike was comfortable to ride. As someone who is 160 cm [5’-3”] tall, it gave me a confident feeling because I was able to put my feet on the ground every time I came to a stop, unlike most bikes that leave me on my tippy toes or require me to always hop forward off the seat. I don’t have a lot of experience cycling, so this feature was very important to me. The seat was also comfortable, so the ride was much nicer, even over bumps. The fact that I had a mirror was a nice addition, though it wasn’t very tight, so it kept moving. But if it was my bike, I’d tighten it where I needed it, and then it would be another confidence booster by having more of a sense of control by seeing what’s coming behind me. The bike was very heavy, though, so it was difficult for me to move it around after dismounting. There were also a few times when I wasn’t expecting the weight at stops and had to readjust to support it while it was leaning. The fact that it was lower didn’t make me feel disadvantaged on the road. Instead, it gave me confidence.”

Confidence. That’s Sapir’s main takeaway. On the Gazelle website, they get this, describing the bike: (google translation)

“Completely relaxed cycling starts with easy mounting and smooth departure. The Easyflow frame is designed for easy mounting, its powerful engine for smooth departures. You sit comfortably upright and you keep good control thanks to the grippy tires and reliable brakes. Standing still means standing stable, because on the Easyflow you can always keep both feet on the ground.”

We have all been getting on bikes with 26” wheels where our feet cannot reach the ground because big thin wheels have less rolling resistance, so pedalling was easier. But with a motor, this is no longer an issue. So why not design the bike differently? Gazelle continues:

“While you sit relaxed upright and cycle through traffic with a good overview, your feet are firmly on robust anti-slip pedals and you can see what is happening behind you in the handy mirror. The bright LED lights, which are powered by the battery, make you visible in the dark.” 

Seriously, who is not going to love that? Why isn’t this true for every bike? I repeat: take this bike and put big cargo racks on it front and back. Find a name that doesn’t sound like a laxative. Paint it orange and think of Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper on their low-riding stretched-out choppers. Market this as a new cargo bike that everyone can use. I have no doubt it will fly out of the showrooms because universal designs work better for everyone.