Evans Cycles has revisited Sir Ridley Scott’s iconic 1973 Hovis advert set in Dorset

44 years on from the original, Evans Cycles has revisited Sir Ridley Scott’s iconic 1973 Hovis advert. The original Hovis boy Carl Barlow, now a 58-year-old retired firefighter, is seen finally conquering Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, thanks to the power of an electric bike.

An electric bicycle, or e-bike, is a normal bicycle that has been adapted to incorporate an electric motor which gives pedal assistance to help riders go faster, further and tackle steep hills with ease. Evans Cycles created the film to show how e-bikes can help people to conquer even the toughest routes and commutes. The original 1973 Hovis ad shows a youthful Carl having to push his bike up the road to deliver bread but, in this 2017 re-run, an e-bike makes light work of Gold Hill’s steep incline. As the updated film shows, Gold Hill is harder work on a standard bike, with multiple riders attempting the hill with little success, before Carl glides up on an e-bike.

In addition to making light work of hills, a survey by Evans Cycles discovered that using an e-bike could also counteract other reasons why some commuters are currently not choosing cycling for their journey to work.

The electric motor of an e-bike can reach a top speed of 15.5mph. This means that two of the major concerns for commuters; the length of time it takes to make a journey (27 per cent), and the fear of arriving to work hot and sweaty (33 per cent), are no longer an issue. The pedal assisted motor would also aid the 19 per cent that felt they lacked the required fitness to cycle to work.