We chat to Stephanie who is the proud owner of an A2B Kuo+ folding electric bike. The A2B Kuo+ was donated by Electric Bikes Brisbane for Ride2Work Day and was won by Stephanie's husband.
Hi Stephanie. So tell us how did this electric bike come to be yours since it was your husband who won it?
My husband registered for the Ride2Work Day with his mate. As my husband (Geoff) actually works from home, you can tell the passion that he has for cycling transport! When his name was drawn for a prize, he thought he was winning a free coffee!! (He has a funny sense of humour) He was blown away when he found out that he’d won the ebike! He’s such a great guy, after all of the excitement died down, he called me at work and told me he won it for me!!
What was your initial reaction? Had you heard of electric bikes?
I was so excited when he told me! We have often discussed the excess of cars on the road in our area and the need for better transport options and of course the effects this is having on our environment and our children’s future. We live in a fantastic environment/climate and cycling is a wonderful option considering the amount of cycleways being built. I often ride past kids on the way to school sitting in their parents cars to travel a few blocks or a couple of km’s and wish that we could get them on their bikes.
I think we saw our first electric bike about 8 years ago and we had been considering this for our next “car”. I actually saw some e-bikes at a local Pizzeria (Dominos, Taringa) a few months back and was very intrigued by them. There are so many benefits of ebikes - less transport on the roads, very cost effective transportation (no registration fees, minimal maintenance costs, cheaper than riding the public transport!), you can ride everywhere and venture to places that the normal bike can take you with not so much exertion - thus thoroughly enjoying the ride! And of course good exercise (yes that definitely is a part of the electric bike experience unbelieved by a few of the cycling “purists”).
What do you mainly use your ebike for?
I now ride my bike (it’s called Zap) to work every day and stop in at the shops when I need to on my way home. My son has been riding it to his music lessons (we live at the bottom of a hill) and he loves it too (potential for a new investment!) I’m currently looking around for a trailer and considering doing the shopping with it! I also love the fact that my A2B can fold up into a neat little package and we can pop it into the hatchback when we want another vehicle with us on our adventures!
What sort of distances have you been riding on Zap?
I’ve just chalked up 2000kms !!
What's been the best thing about having an e-bike?
My ebike has changed my life literally! I have gained a better fitness level, and I love the fact that my mind is able to roam and just enjoy life as I ride home from a hectic day at the desk!
Would you recommend an electric bicycle to others?
I would highly recommend an ebike - and have!! The Brisbane environment is full of hills and yes, it gets hot in the summer months. My ebike makes the travel from A to B so much more enjoyable knowing that I don’t have to slog it out on the hills and be uncomfortably wet by the time I get to my destination! I can pack my pannier bags up to the hilt with the usual necessities of the day and all I need to do is change into the next mode to get me up that hill. Sometimes I think that I’m going a bit slow on the flats (as the next ‘tour de France’ trainee passes me by), but hey! I’m breathing the air and seeing the sites and I’ll get to my destination soon, before the bus or the car could ever get me there, and I feel great when I get off the bike and face my next adventure for the day!
