Travel Eco-Influencers: Celebs like Harry Styles are helping e-bike uptake

• Harry has been spotted riding on e-bikes three times in the last five months
• Auto Trader reveal a 53% increase in e-bike sales since May 2023
• Snaps of Harry Styles riding a rented e-bike prompt a 20 point percentage jump in e-bike interest on Google Trends
• Other celebrities who love to use e-bikes include James Cordon, Kate Hudson and Stella McCartney

The e-bike experts at Auto Trader have revealed a 53% increase in e-bike sales over the last nine months, showing a public boost of interest in the sustainable transport which coincides with celebrity uptake of e-bikes too.

Harry Styles has been papped using the eco-friendly mode of transport three times in the last five months. The first sighting was with good friend and English actor and comedian, James Cordon in September 2023, biking through London on popular pay-as-you-go Lime e-bikes. The friends were spotted wearing tinted sunglasses as they enjoyed riding the electric bikes through the streets of Primrose Hill.

Since then, Harry has been spotted two more times enjoying the smooth ride of an e-bike; once on his own wearing a vibrant orange jacket just 24 hours before his 30th birthday (February 1^st 2024), and again with his girlfriend Taylor Russel later on in the month, as they shared a romantic couples’ nighttime bike ride together through London.

As well as e-bikes being an efficient and eco-friendly way of travelling around a crowded and busy city, it is also a super discreet way for A-list celebrities like Harry Styles to get through busy traffic, avoiding crowds and remaining relatively unnoticed; it seems e-bikes are giving celebs a sense of freedom that a super-famous face doesn’t always get to have.

According to Google Trends UK, search interest for e-bikes jumped up 20 percentage points in the days following Harry Styles and James Cordon’s e-bike ride in September 2023, with another interest spike in e-bikes showing in Google Trends again at the end of February 2024.

With over 2.7 million Google searches made each month worldwide for ‘e-bikes’, the sustainable transport is garnering a huge amount of interest, but they have taken a while to really take off in the UK compared to Europe¹. However, it seems that eco-positive celebrities like Harry are helping create awareness in more eco-friendly travel.

Other celebrities who are big fans of travelling around on e-bikes include:

Fred again…

London-based DJ, Fred again... has been spotted plenty of times riding around London on rented e-bikes, with one memorable time involving Fred Again’s very own bike ride rave, in October 2022, to encourage others to follow on e-bikes and enjoy his latest set of music.

Kate Hudson & Stella McCartney

Embracing the warm weather, Kate Hudson was spotted riding around London with fashion designer and friend Stella McCartney in July last year hanging out and enjoying the blissful ride, romantically joined by their partners for what looked like a double date.

Matthew Boderick

Matthew Boderick’s most recent spotting on a rented e-bike was only a few weeks ago wearing a pair of blue denim jeans and white helmet heading out for his day-to-day activities. Boderick is no stranger to an e-bike having used one plenty of times over the last few years.

Erin Baker, Editorial Director at Auto Trader, explains: “In a world where celebrities are often associated with private jets it’s fantastic to see  A-list celebrities like Harry Styles and Fred Again cruising around on e-bikes. E-bikes provide a lot of useful benefits for everyone, regardless of your celebrity status! They are speedy and efficient, allowing riders to avoid traffic but still arrive at their destination cool and collected as e-bikes don’t require the same physical effort as a normal bike.

Auto Trader are delighted to now offer a wide range of e-bikes to suit all kinds of journeys and commutes in a wonderfully eco-friendly way.  As many celebs know, e-bikes can provide fun and freedom, whilst also providing you with a good dose of fresh air, clearing your mind and adding some physical movement into your day-to-day activities.’

For those who want to ride around in style just like Mr Styles himself, there are a few things to consider ensuring safety and legality. There are:

• All road-legal e-bikes in the UK have pedals and an electric motor of 250 Watts or less with a max speed of 15.5mph (25km/h).
• To ride an e-bike in the UK, you need to be at least 14 years old.
• Familiarize yourself with the general Highway Code for cyclists. This includes understanding traffic signs which may order you to stop at certain junctions, signals for indicating and road markings to ensure you’re cycling in the correct lanes.
• Although some of the celebrities mentioned may not be, it’s recommend that you always wear a properly fitted helmet when cycling.
• If possible, try to wear brightly coloured or reflective clothing, especially when riding at night to ensure other drivers and cyclists can see you on the road.
• Obey traffic laws by riding in the same direction as traffic, using traffic signals such as using your arms to indicate, and be careful of pedestrians.

Sources: 

• https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/news/e-bike-sales-thrive-throughout-europe-s-main-markets-except-the-uk-4511
• Google Trends from the UK revealed showed that search interest for e-bikes was 51% for w/c 27^th August 2023, and at 71% for week commencing 10^th September.  Google Trends data from the UK also shows search interest for e-bikes was at 30% for the week commencing 14^th Jan and up to 55% by the first week of March.