Electra Ace of Spades Go! 8i Electric bike
Price £2,600, electrabike.com
Frame aluminium
Motor Bosch
Range up to 100 miles depending on use

More and more of us are choosing to go electric when it comes to cycling. For years ebikers have been taunted with shouts of ‘lazy’ or ‘cheat’ but, increasingly, even diehard pedallers have come to accept that a power-assisted ride is not the devil’s work, it’s just another way of getting more people on to two wheels and persuading stressed commuters to discover the buzz of cycling without arriving drenched in sweat.

Despite what you might think about the boom in cycling on our streets, most sectors of the bike market are actually stagnating. But ebike sales grew 22% last year and are continuing to rise. One brand you might be tempted by is Electra. Founded in 1993 in California, it specialises in cool, swept-back cruisers. You can buy them either as they are and let your legs do the work, or upgrade to a Go! and enjoy the zip of the powerful and silent Bosch motor. It takes six hours to recharge and for that you will get a range of 20-100 miles, depending on the setting. The all-black badass Ace of Spades proves there is nothing mimsy about ebikes. Just don’t forget your bandana…

Cool kit

Stylish new cycling shoes from Evans, one of Britain’s oldest bike brands.
FWE bike shoes £84.99, evanscycles.com

Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166