2025-04-18 08:00:50

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E-bikes have soared in popularity over recent years, with half of younger Londoners now using a Lime bike at least once a week. About 50,000 e-bikes are available across central London, from market leader Lime, its “eco” challenger Forest to Transport for London’s pioneering “Boris bikes”, which introduced the concept of hire bikes – albeit manual-powered ones – in July 2010. The e-Boris bike arrived in September 2022. There are around 2,000 on the streets – and they’re three times as popular as the “classic” Boris bike. Another private operator, Voi, said last year that it would introduce a fleet of bikes in the capital in the first half of 2025 – with small-scale pilot schemes due soon in west and east London boroughs. Nevertheless, Londoners are already spoiled for choice. But which e-bike is best? The Standard’s journalists got in the saddle to put them to the test. But the process of hiring the bikes was unexpectedly more complicated than we expected – especially in relation to the e-Boris bikes – and, in the case of Forest, more expensive than anticipated. Our test ride also ended with a nasty crash and a visit to A&E. More on that later. We began our test ride at The Standard’s offices in Finsbury Square and rode on Lime bikes – easily hired from a marked bay opposite our front door - via the cycle superhighway on the Embankment to Hyde Park. Lime has two huge advantages over its rivals. The first is the size of its fleet – probably around 30,000 bikes (the firm does not reveal precise numbers for commercial sensitivity reasons). The second is their availability. Lime operates in 17 boroughs, has plans to expand to around 20, and in central London there’s barely a street without a Lime bike. By contrast, we had to walk several streets away from Hyde Park to hire a Forest bike. Forest bikes can be found in 13 boroughs. Several Forest bikes had been parked inside Hyde Park – but these could not be hired. Hyde Park has been “geofenced” by Forest - meaning its bikes cannot be hired or parked within the park (though some clearly had been). This geofencing also meant that we encountered problems when pausing our test ride for a few minutes within the park. The bike's alarm sounded on several occasions and the brakes locked, as the bike tried to prevent itself from being used in a “banned” area - even though the ride had begun outside the park. Boris bikes can be hired from 800 docking stations – including about half a dozen in or around Hyde Park, including at Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, the Serpentine and Speaker’s Corner. A 60-minute Lime Pass, costing £6.99, turned out to be a wise investment. According to the Lime app, this saved us £16.95 had we opted for the “pay per minute” alternative to buying a “bundle” of minutes in advance. TfL reduced the cost of an e-Boris bike from £3.30 to £3 on April 6. But we were charged £3.50 (for a day pass), plus two other £1.65 fees (the cost of hiring a manual Boris bike) as we struggled to unlock an e-bike at Hyde Park Corner. Due to the difficulty of finding a Forest bike, and with time running out to complete our challenge, we forgot to buy a Forest “bundle” – and ended up with a £13.50 bill for out test ride of about 50 minutes. It’s noticeable that the Forest app did not offer its best deals “up front”. This is a drawback as Forest is actually cheaper than Lime- it charges £3 for 30 minutes and £6 for an hour – but only if you remember to buy a bundle. In contrast, the Lime app has a “Get Lime Pass” button visible on its “home” screen, helping riders to get the best price. Opinions were divided. The e-Boris bike was the lightest of the three, and arguably the best built (it is manufactured by Pashley in Nottingham). The Boris bike also had a more upright riding position, due to its “flat” handlebars. And it had three gears – the other two bikes only had one gear. The battery-assist on all bikes cuts out at around 15.5mph. The Forest bike felt very odd at first, partly because its front basket is fixed to the bike frame and does not turn with the direction of the bike. It also felt the heaviest of the three bikes. But it had the most comfortable saddle (while the Boris bike had the least comfortable). The Lime bike handlebars take some getting used to – they “curve” round the rider, a bit like an old-fashioned “Dutch” bike – meaning the Lime bike was not as manoeuvrable. Hiring an e-Boris bike was a massive, near tantrum-inducing hassle. I made several attempts in vain to do this via the docking station at Hyde Park Corner. Despite about half a dozen e-bikes being available, the “release code” only worked for the manual bikes. I ended up incurring several £1.65 charges for bikes that I didn’t want to hire. TfL later told me that e-bikes cannot be hired directly at docking stations – but there was no information at the docking station making this clear. I switched to TfL’s Santander Cycle Hire app – but then had the hassle of having to remember my password, and having to re-enter my bank card details into the app (this has happened many times previously at other docking stations). It also feels a big security risk – having your phone, wallet and bank card out in public, trying to tap in a 16-digit number and your home address while cursing TfL. After about 10 minutes of trying, I did manage to hire an e-Boris bike, though. But my dislike of the TfL cycle hire app intensified. There was a bike crash at the end of our test ride. We won’t name names, but one of our team had to visit A&E to be checked for concussion. It was a genuine “accident” – a bend being taken too sharply. Worryingly, though, it caused a pile up – another member of our team, who was riding behind, was unable to stop their Lime bike and crashed into our fallen rider. The crash caused cuts, bruises and a lot of shock – these are fast, heavy bikes. The “take-home” message? Riding in groups, or around lots of other cyclists, needs constant vigilance. No – and none are provided with the bikes – but the Highway Code advises (in relation to cycling in the UK): “You should wear a cycle helmet.” Forest tells its riders: “We strongly recommend you wear a helmet.” Many collisions and minor injuries – such as those we suffered – will never be reported to the authorities. Ten people were killed in London in 2024, including at least two known to have been riding Forest hire bikes, Cheistha Kochhar and Dean Jones. By comparison, there are about 1.3m journeys a day made by all types of bike in London. According to TfL, serious injuries to cyclists decreased by nine per cent in 2023 compared with 2022, despite cycling journeys increasing by more than six per cent. However there is growing concern at the number of people being killed or seriously injured on London roads. Many collisions involve speeding vehicles. Avoid busy roads where possible, steer clear of HGVs whenever possible and don’t cycle on the inside of turning vehicles. TfL is working with the boroughs to introduce a Londonwide set of rules about how and where dockless bikes can be parked. However, these rules will probably not be implemented until 2026 at the earliest. In the interim, at least 10 boroughs have struck voluntary deals with Lime or Forest that require dockless e-bikes to be parked in designated bays. These boroughs include Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hounslow, Camden, Hackney, City of London, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Lewisham, and Lambeth. Lime sends a warning message to riders who fail to park correctly. The fine for repeat offences rises from £2 to £20 and can ultimately lead to a ban. Forest has a “four strikes” penalty system – a warning followed by a fine of £10 to £20, followed by a fortnight’s suspension followed by a full ban. The jury remains out – there was not unanimous support for one bike. Each had its advantages and disadvantages. But in terms of ease of hire and availability, the Lime bike was the winner. Love them or hate them, they’re almost everywhere. They’re easy to hire, cheaper than most comparable Tube journeys and arguably a lot more fun. The Forest bikes are slightly cheaper than Lime – assuming you remember to buy a “bundle” of minutes in advance - and their “eco” credentials may appeal to some wanting to avoid the “corporate domination” of Lime. As for TfL’s Boris bikes, this feels like a system at a crossroads. The “classic” manual Boris bikes appear increasingly outdated, both mechanically and technologically – their only real attraction is the cheap hire price (£1.65). What’s more, with declining Boris bike ridership numbers, it can be harder to find a docking station space at the end of your ride. As for the hiring problems we encountered, TfL told The Standard that its e-bikes can only be hired via its Santander Cycles app or by becoming a scheme member (which costs £20 a month or £120 a year). But it needs to communicate this more clearly. TfL says it is “working hard to ensure the app continues to be reliable” and is carrying out a procurement process for the contract to operate its hire bikes. Can TfL afford to switch to an entirely e-bike fleet? Probably not. Fifteen years after the then mayor Boris Johnson paved the way for hire bikes in London, the days of the Boris bike appear numbered, unless it can match Lime in ease of use and access to bikes. That’s a shame, as it’s arguably the “best” e-bike of the three we tested. But a bike that’s frustratingly difficult to hire is one that’s quickly going to run out of road.