Why you just want an electric bike

If you don't have one, you don't really count yet. Everyone has one or has it high on their wish list: the electric bike. It's fast, good for the environment, and also bizarrely healthy. My personal trainer has one, zooming from training in Amsterdam-Zuid to -Noord. Even my most athletic friend has one. She loves cycling, but arriving dripping with sweat at an appointment is not what she wants. Enter: her electric friend.

I live in Haarlem, so fairly close to the beach, but on a nice summer day, it's impossible to reach the beach. So we all crawl onto the electric bike here, because eight kilometers there and eight kilometers back to Bloemendaal is just a bit more manageable. After a long search, I chose the Chamonix from Gazelle. There are a lot of providers of electric bikes, but I chose Gazelle because they have been making bikes since 1892 and have had the royal stamp since 1992. That’s, with all due respect, just a bit more knowledge in-house than a trendy temporary bike brand. Knowledge, experience, and craftsmanship, that's what I chose, because an electric bike is quite an investment.

I chose the Gazelle Chamonix for these reasons:

• It has a battery that allows you to cover 80 to 150 kilometers (depending on the support level you use)
• It has seven gears and three support levels (eco, normal, and high)
• It has a powerful mid-motor, so you zoom ahead
• It has hydraulic disc brakes
• It has wide, strong tires and good suspension
• I am really in love with the grips, which are nice and sturdy and powerful
• It has a nice panel where you can easily read how much battery you have left, how fast you're going, and how many kilometers you've traveled
• Everything is easy to operate
• It charges easily and quickly, and the battery is easy to place
• It's handsome!

I can really just go into the dunes to cycle by myself if I have an hour to spare. I wouldn't have done that so quickly with a regular bike.

Want to know more about this lovely bike?