As a cyclist who often rides along the A259 between Brighton, Rottingdean, Saltdean, and Newhaven, I was really keen to see how an electric bike would compare. When I head in that direction and back towards Brighton, my nemeses are the hills at Rottingdean and Saltdean.
On my road bike, as I get to them, I take a sip of my drink, a deep breath, and drop down into third, second, or even first gear as I face up to the steep challenge of getting over those hills. When I’m feeling fitter, they are less hard. “Easier” isn’t really the appropriate word. As they say in cycling, it doesn’t get easier; you just get faster.
Well, I jumped onto the Hauler bike kindly lent to me by JLC EV near Eastbourne so that I could give electric a try. From The Argus office in Bond Street I then headed down North Street and round to Madeira Drive.
I had been given instructions on how I could go up through the gears to give me more speed as usual. It goes up to seventh gear. And you could also flick the controls on the handlebars to increase the amount of assisted power you are given, from one to five..
It was really good fun getting used to it and the little shots of power, just when you need them, are quite transformational when it comes to getting around our hilly county and city. Heading along the seafront on the flat was ideal as I got used to that range of power; what effort I needed to put into it and what I could expect from the bike.
I was soon feeling confident and powering along by the time I got near to Sea Lanes. I was motoring along at steady speed without too much effort. In fact, I was hitting the top assisted speed of 25 kilometres per hour and as I could see from the display, sometimes helping to recharge the battery.
At Black Rock, I dropped down the gears to head up through the tunnel and up the ramp to the cycle lane towards Roedean. My first taste of the power assist on a hill and I was up and past the Marina in no time. No sweat! It feels like cheating. It is going up the hill that the number five power assist really kicks in and helps.
That’s when I was thinking that this must be the way forward for cycling around Brighton and Hove, and the rest of Sussex in fact, as we have so many hills. I was almost effortlessly gliding past Roedean and on to Rottingdean. It is a relaxed ride compared to what I am used to and brilliant fun too.
But how would we get on with the climb out of Rottingdean? This is a tough one. You normally have to stop at the lights and therefore cannot get any speed up. So, from a standing start, I hit a low gear and called for maximum help as I headed up the hill.
Amazing. As you pedal, the power kicks in and pulls you up. You need to control it, and it really gets you up and over the hill with ease. It was the same when I got to the hill at Saltdean. I wanted to ride on and on. The hills out of Peacehaven and up and into Newhaven were no problem either.
I did a solid hour, and there was still plenty of charge in the battery because when you are hitting the speeds, particularly downhill, the battery charges back up again. And once you have had a ride on your own, you can have a go with someone on the back as the Hauler is built for passengers.
But can the power still pull you through? You bet it can. The HAULeR is ideal for the school run, taking passengers to the shops, or commuting to work. The beauty of that commute is that it is so easy you can do it without needing a shower, like you often do on a non-e-bike.
If we are going to reduce car use, especially with petrol and diesel priced so high, bikes like these really can be the answer. It still counts as exercise, but this feels so much easier and is such great fun too.
This is the future. And the present.
Availability & Next Steps
For further details, pricing enquiries, and to arrange a demonstration of the Benzina Zero HAULeR, contact JLC EV at sales@jlcev.com or call 0330 0532 030. Further product information is available at www.jlcev.com
To read this article, originally published in The Argus on 26/05/2026, click here.