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Raleigh, the British bicycle brand, is partnering with Gridserve, a sustainable energy company, through the opening of a new educational bike display in Smilebikes at Norwich Electric Forecourt.
Norwich Electric Forecourt is more than an EV charging station, it’s a destination that has spots to work, rest and shop.
By opening a new educational bike display in Smilebikes at the Forecourt, Raleigh aims to reduce the barriers of education around e-bikes and highlight the positive environment and societal impact they can have.
Tim Gregory, owner of Smilebikes, said: “The whole team at Smilebikes are incredibly proud of the new partnership between Smilebikes, our longstanding suppliers at Raleigh UK and Gridserve.
“With electric vehicles now taking their rightful place as the future of transport, we believe that a central hub for EVs, both two wheeled and four, is a great way of showing off and demonstrating this new and sustainable technology, which will enrich all of our lives and the planet as a whole.
“Smilebikes was founded off the back of e-bikes being the life changing catalyst for keeping active with a medical condition.”
The new partnership with Gridserve is an extension of Raleigh’s core mission: getting more people out on bikes and enjoying nature.
With this partnership and previous projects like the ‘I’m a Cyclist’ campaign Raleigh aims to speak to everyone who’d like to cycle more but might need more inspiration.
Gridserve was a natural fit for a partnership with their mission to deliver sustainable energy on the scale needed to move the needle on climate change.
Paul Brant, Gridserve Electric Forecourt director, said: “We are thrilled to work with Raleigh and Smilebikes on the new educational bike display. This new partnership adds to an already comprehensive EV experience at the Electric Forecourt®, where visitors can learn about a more sustainable future, test drive electric vehicles or ride an e-bike.
“Since opening in April 2022, Norfolk has seen an uptake in EV registrations, growing by almost 50% – ahead of the UK average. We hope to see the same uptake with two wheels now as well. We look forward to helping more people make the switch to electric.”
During demo events it’s also possible to test ride any of the available Raleigh bikes like the Motus, Centros and Trace.
Anyone interested in seeing more about Raleigh bikes and learning about Gridserve are invited to join the opening on Saturday, July 15, at the Norwich Electric Forecourt with e-bike test rides available.
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Lee Kidger, managing director of Raleigh, said: “We are delighted to partner with Smile Bikes and Gridserve to bring electric bikes to a new audience. Gridserve, Smile bikes and Raleigh have many common values including the ambition to get more people using sustainable methods of transport and having community focus with positive local impact.
“The ambition of the collective is to bring the joy of electric bikes to the masses through engagement events, or simply a test ride on the interactive bike on display inside the forecourt”.
