When Ray Wookey founded a cycle retailer called Cycling Made Easy in 2011, electric bikes were in their infancy and almost considered a passing fad. One cycle rep even remembers telling Ray, "E-bikes will never take off".

Undeterred by naysayers, Ray has steered the company through huge changes not least the re-brand to Energise E-bikes in 2019 and the expansion into two showrooms, with the Tunbridge Wells premises opening its doors to the public in 2014.

Ray has spent the last decade testing electric bikes to their limit, riding his e-bike on long distance cycle treks such as Lands End to John o'Groats, London to Paris off-road, and the C2C route from the Irish Sea at Workington to the North Sea at Tyneside. When he isn't on an epic ride, his e-bike is a reliable steed, getting Ray around town with much less fuss than a car would be.

"Even though people were extremely skeptical about electric bikes, I just felt that they had the potential to transform the way people travel, and so it has proved. People don't understand how good they are until they try them. If a 75 year old like me can cross the country by e-bike, there's no reason you can't enjoy the same."

From racing bikes in his youth, to designing bikes for the retail market, Director of Operations, Tony Wade, has spent 35 years working on all sides of the cycling industry developing a firm philosophy of quality over gimmickry whether in the workshop, design studio or salesfloor.

Shortly before taking on the role of showroom manager in 2016, Tony purchased an electric bike so that he could tackle a hilly 18 mile commute between Coulsdon and Isleworth and still maintain enough energy afterwards to raise three young children. Today, Tony still uses the same e-bike, which over the years has been a test-bed for all manner of new bike accessories.

"Being in the cycling industry man and boy means I've learned a thing or two! I've lost count of the number of bikes and accessories I've tried over the decades but it means that what we stock is a tightly curated selection of items that simply work. No gimmicks, just quality products that we can match to your specific needs."

Despite never riding a bike growing up, Neil Ridulfa, our marketing manager rarely has a day without riding his Specialized Vado SL 4.0, and it's contagious, as three of Neil's friends have bought matching bikes!

Neil learned to cycle on an electric bike and can attest to the confidence that they can give inexperienced or infrequent riders.

Today, Neil uses his electric bike to commute but also to carry his portable piano and all his music to and from the choir rehearsals that he leads three times a week.

"There's no way I would be riding as much as I do without an electric bike. I was so new to cycling that I needed a bike that could make me feel confident no matter what was happening on the road ahead of me. For me, an electric bike was a life-changer."

If you bring your bike for a service, our walking, talking bicycle encyclopaedia, Rob Bryans, will not only be able to tell you what year your bike was made, but also which factory it was built in, and because he has worked for a wide range of retailers over the decades, he may even be able to tell you who sold you the bike in the first place!

Rob first joined the cycling industry in the 1990s where he has remained ever since, working in a variety of positions including a period selling some of the earliest Yamaha system electric bikes in the UK.

Despite a major accident several years ago which caused damage to his lower leg, he has used his electric bike to carry on cycling and to make near-daily visits to the local fishing spots.

"My e-bike helps me carry all my fishing gear and the bonus is I can ride all the way to the water's edge. That's something I wouldn't be able to do in a car. I always tell people to give an e-bike a go because they really have the Wow Factor. "