Jun 10 2011

Commute: Green bikes without the red face

Riding a bike to work would be way cool if it wasn’t for the pedalling bit.

In an Escher world, it could be downhill each way.

A few years ago I won this electric EasyBike in an Ansell beer promotion. I was quite fun to ride to work until our friendly neighbourhood policeman told me that the bike was unregisterable and illegal to ride on the road. Spoilt all the fun!

In New South Wales, motor assisted pedal cycles with electric or petrol engines only need to be registered if the maximum engine output exceeds 200 watts. Larger than that, and you need a motorcycle licence.

At the Manly sustainabilty fair last weekend there was a range of e-bikes from distributor Commute, http://www.commute.net.au.

Some bikes could be folded to take on public transport.

However, its not such a cheap solution. These high quality European bikes cost around $2000.

Single speed bikes (ie no gears) seem quote popular now for commuting. I understand that they can be more efficient, but you lose a lot of flexibility by taking away the gears. Any thoughts?

 

One Response to “Commute: Green bikes without the red face”

1. C says:

   June 13, 2011 at 8:06 am

   That’s no way to treat that poor scooter Tony.This is how you store a two-wheeled vehicle won in a promotion ;)http://tinyurl.com/3sgy4fr

   Reply