Pendleton Somerby ebike
Price £600, halfords.com
Frame Aluminium
Gears 8 speed
Battery 40-50 miles after 5-hour recharge

Most of us know Victoria Pendleton for her exploits in the velodrome. As a track cyclist she represented Britain for more than a decade and utterly dominated the sport between 2005 and 2012. In all she won nine world titles, including a record six in the individual sprint competition. She’s an Olympic, European and Commonwealth champion. So what’s she doing riding an electric bike around a dining table in a hotel in Soho?

Wearing a neat black suit (“I love bespoke tailoring,” she says), Victoria whoops and laughs as she dodges diners and swoops round waiters carrying trays of champagne glasses. She’s used to going round and round a track, so this must be a doddle for her. But she isn’t just showing off her bike-handling skills, we’re here for the launch of her ebike range. For the past few years she has been working with Halfords on a line-up that has nothing to do with flat-out speed cycling and everything to do with a relaxing ride into town, possibly for a coffee and some light shopping before drifting home. Her Somerby model, complete with mudguards and rack, starts at just £224 – it is easily Halfords’ bestselling women’s bike. There are also hybrids and children’s bikes in the range.

Now the Somerby has gone electric. Ebikes are the fastest-growing sector of the bike market. Last year more than 33m ebikes were sold in Asia, and sales in western Europe are set to follow the trend. Elsewhere throttle-twist bikes are popular, but here in the UK, we are limited to pedal-assist motors with a top speed of 15mph.

But why would one of Britain’s greatest cyclists want to ride a sensible town bike with a little electric motor? “You are right,” laughs Victoria.” I am an Olympian cyclist after all. So riding an ebike does seem crazy. All my career it’s been about hard work and effort on the bike. But that little flick of power is very addictive. I first rode an ebike a few years ago and straight away I thought: ‘Yup, that’s for me.’”

The clever people who predict future trends in these matters believe ebikes are not so much about cycling but about an alternate means of navigating the cities we live in. Halfords isn’t hoping to lure hardened cyclists on to their ebikes – they’re targeting people who’d normally regard anything with two wheels with deep suspicion.

If you’ve never considered cycling before (or can no longer be bothered to battle that last incline on your way home) you’ll find the electric-powered version of the Somerby a welcome surprise. It has a motor with three power levels to take the strain out of pedalling uphill, and eight gears to make riding easier on the flat. The battery has a range of up to 50 miles. The low step-through frame makes getting on and off simple. It also comes with built-in mudguards and a chain guard to protect your clothes from oily muck, and it comes with a luggage rack and a sprung saddle to ameliorate the worst of the pot holes. Give one a go!

Victoria is only 37, but seems to have led nine lives already. Having conquered the cycling world, she’s now swapped two wheels for four legs and races as a professional jockey. And next month she joins Ben Fogle as the pair attempt to climb Mount Everest. Why on earth would you do that, I ask? She looks a bit perplexed. “Why? Because I like a challenge, of course!” Her idea of a challenge isn’t quite what the rest of us think it is. A gentle ride on an electric bike will do perfectly well, thank you.

Cool kit

Keep your toes warm and dry with these fully waterproof cycling socks. The Crosspoint waterproof socks were developed to solve the soggy-toe problem and to keep your feet dry while cycling, running, hiking or any outdoor activity in the rain. The socks are fully waterproof thanks to three-layers: a wear resistant knit exterior (feels like a regular sock), a waterproof breathable Artex membrane, and a Coolmax FX moisture wicking anti-bacterial lining. The result is a sock that feels like a sock but protects like a rain bootie. Now you don’t have to choose between keeping your feet dry and breathability (we don’t like sweaty feet either). A reinforced toe and heel provide comfort and durability. The lightweight waterproof socks are 9% lighter than the originals.

Bike socks £29, showerspass.co.uk

Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166