"I've got no e-bike experience whatsoever."
It's a sentence we hear a lot.
It's also why we put so much effort into demo days.
You can read reviews, watch videos and compare specifications for hours, but nothing replaces that first ride. Within a few minutes, people who were unsure suddenly understand what electric bikes are all about.
That's exactly what happened when we spent the day at Denbies Wine Estate with members of their team, filming ahead of their first-ever Cycle Day on Wednesday 15 July.
First rides. First impressions.
Among the riders were staff members with very different cycling backgrounds.
Some cycled to work already. Others hadn't been on a bike for years. One admitted on camera:
"I've got no e-bike experience whatsoever."
After just a short ride through the estate, Dylan was converted.
He hadn't ridden a bike for around ten years, was surprised by how natural it felt climbing the hill at the back of the wine estate.
"It was a nice, smooth ride. It wasn't too strenuous either going up the hills because the gears did all the work."
Instead of finishing exhausted, he summed it up perfectly:
"I feel nice and refreshed, ready to go."
For many people, that's the biggest misconception about cycling. They imagine arriving at work hot, sweaty and tired. An e-bike changes that equation completely.
Even experienced cyclists were surprised
Denbies CEO Chris White regularly rides a conventional bike, but his first experience on an electric cargo bike still caught him off guard.
After loading it with three cases and a series of variety packs of wine, he joked:
"I look like a getaway driver."
Humour aside, what really impressed him was how the bike rode.
"I've never ridden a cargo bike before... I was surprised how lightweight it was."
Living at the top of a steep hill, he could immediately see the practical benefits of riding electrically.
The perfect place to discover e-bikes
Denbies is one of the UK's most sustainability-focused wine estates, becoming certified Net Zero in 2023 and later achieving B-Corp certification.
It already offers free solar-powered charging for visitors and staff - courtesy of another UK brand, Solarcycle - sits on the beautiful Leith Hill Greenway, and has become a genuine hub for cycling in the Surrey Hills.
It's exactly the sort of environment where people can try an e-bike without pressure.
Why we're passionate about demo days
Since founding Estarli, we've watched thousands of people try an e-bike for the first time.
The pattern is remarkably consistent.
People arrive wondering whether they'll like it.
Five minutes later they're smiling.
Ten minutes later they're asking about carrying children or pets, real-world battery life, and what sort of tyres suit their lifestyle.
It's incredibly difficult to explain that feeling in words.
That's why we believe demo days are one of the most powerful ways to help people discover cycling.
Whether you're interested in:
- commuting to work
- replacing short car journeys
- riding further for leisure
- carrying children by bike
- combining cycling with train travel
- or simply getting back into cycling
there's nothing quite like trying the right bike in the right setting.
Join us on 15 July
We'll be at Denbies Cycle Day throughout the event with a range of Estarli electric bikes available to test ride, including folding bikes, hybrid commuters and our award-winning e-cargo bikes.
You'll also be able to meet experts from Green Commute Initiative, learn more about how you could save with Cycle to Work schemes, discover Denbies' solar-powered charging facilities, and explore some of Surrey's best cycling routes...the wine isn't bad either!
Denbies Cycle Day
📍 Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking
📅 Wednesday 15 July
🕥 10:30am–2:30pm
The event is completely free, with no booking required - however we ask that you get in touch with use via news@estarli.co.uk if you intend to visit so we can schedule/staff appropriately.
