We’re spotting more and more cargo bikes around town, especially electrified ones, being ridden by family-types, dog-owners, and the delivery crews of Urban Sherpa and GreenWheels. Why, it’s almost as if there’s some kind of… cargo cult! And here’s your chance to join it. A bunch of cargo bike folk are organising a ride and picnic this Sunday, 22 November. Meet up at the Ferry Building (which makes it easier for those coming by sea or train), and then ride along the waterfront to the picnic destination in Victoria Park, next to the playground. BYO picnic lunch, kids, dogs, disco balls, etc. If you don’t have a cargo bike yet but just …
BarbC
I adore travelling on public transport with my bike, and chatting with fellow travellers – almost every trip sends me home with a head full of stories. On Thursday night, returning home from Bike Auckland’s committee meeting, I parked my bike amongst the others on the ferry’s stern deck and looked around for someone to chat to. I was immediately attracted to a man wearing a high-vis rain jacket with a cute little badge… I simply had to know more! What sort of pilot was he? Glen Stanton, the owner of the badge, explained he was the volunteer pilot of an electric tricycle-rickshaw owned by the Aria Retirement Home in Brown’s Bay. Twice a week, …
Nic Smith has been commuting on an e-bike for a few months now, and wouldn’t change a thing. Here’s her story… The best way to illustrate what it’s like to have an e-bike is to tell you that whenever I share the experience with someone who’s never ridden one before, their response is generally ‘Holy shit!!’ and a cackle. People just laugh at how much fun it is to suddenly blast off, with just one turn of the pedals. And I’m still laughing. I’ve had my beast for nearly four months now and I still don’t take for granted the freedom, the mobility and the fun it’s given me. Six months ago …
Emma Coote got an electric cargo bike big enough to carry both kids, and it’s changed her Auckland family-commuting life. She shares her experience with us here… This morning was the first day I have driven to work in around 2 months. I arrived with battle fatigue! Tomorrow I am most definitely back on our bicycle made for 3. Being able to pedal the kids and myself to school and work, almost exclusively on bike tracks and without doing myself an injury, is life changing. They love it, I love it, the roads have one less car and we all arrive happy and invigorated. We have a 4km commute to school …
NZTA is currently running a survey on what New Zealanders think about e-bikes and e-bike riders (as well as other low-powered vehicles, including Segways and hoverboards). This is partly a response to the recommendations from the Cycle Safety Panel, with government now looking at updating laws and regulations around cycling. At this stage, it’s not clear what regulations are being considered, but general discussion around the subject has homed in on potential restrictions for e-bikes, such as: maximum wattage / torque (i.e. how powerful the motor can be) maximum speed assist (i.e. if the bike is going faster than, say 25 km/h, the motor stops helping) and throttles could be banned (i.e. the motor will only assist when you …
Thomas Lumley is a statistician at the University of Auckland, and co-edits the StatsChat blog. He also rides an electric bike to work most days. Here, he interviews himself about how it’s going so far. (Reposted with permission from Thomas’s Tumblr). Q: So, it’s been about 11 months since you got your fancy electric-assist bike. A: Yes, that’s right. Q: Have you given up yet? A: No, it’s still fun. Q: Even with the rain? A: Combining Doppler radar and the detailed weather forecasts has mostly kept me dry. Q: And getting killed by cars? A: So far, still at less than 1 event. Q: How do you feel about busy two-lane roundabouts? A: I …
You might have spotted Mercury’s zippy new campaign about how wonderful e-bikes are. It’s part of a top-to-toe brand refresh for them, with a focus on new ways to think about energy, where it comes from, and what we’re using it for. The video is pretty persuasive, with a gorgeous young person biking her surfboard to the beach, flattening out the steep Auckland hills and zooming past Lycra lads as she goes… (If you recognize the various locations, try not to think too hard about how she’s sure as heck taking the long way round – it’s all about the vibe, man! There’s also a nice video of Te Radar taking to the Waikato River Trails and checking out dams, etc, on …
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