In 2020 in the early days of covid when we weren't sure what the future held and we were looking for ways to encourage positivity we ran a survey comp for ebike users. As well as completing the survey they submitted some great stories and photographs of their steeds.
Read a sample of the submissions below and you will understand why one of the key findings from our survey is that ebikes are happiness machines :)
Mark's Story: Rosemary, the ebike, has changed our lives
Today we hit 600km on our new family commuter!
Having sold my car towards the end of last year, please let me introduce you to Rosemary the electric-assisted cargo bike - she’s our newest family member and isn’t she a beauty ⚡️🚲😊😍
I could tell you from an economic perspective how many thousands of dollars we’ll save each year, as compared to owning a second car but I won’t.
Or I could share how much fitter I am riding the little trips within a 10km radius of home like the regular kindy/ childcare pickups/ drop-offs, visiting friends and grocery runs, as opposed to sitting in a car, stuck in traffic 🚗 🚗 🚗 🚙 🚗 but I’ll refrain.
Not to mention the environmental impact of driving less, but sadly that could be divisive here in Australia, so I won’t.
Instead I’ll simply focus on how Rosemary the bike has positively impacted our family’s mental health. Such as how much happier my kids and I are once we’ve reached our destination after each ride compared to driving 😁👨👧👦.
The feeling of the wind on your face to lift your spirits after a disturbed night with kids. How the kids now run out the door in the morning to jump into Rosemary the bike rather than wrestling against sitting in the car seats 🤼♀️.
And how we can chat the whole way and smile as people wave at us or hear other kids tell their parents to “look at that cool bike” 👋🏾 Yes I can safely say that Rosemary the ebike has changed our lives.
Luis' story: EBikes are a great way to keep my sons active
I bought my ebike in December 2018. I have just reached 4000km this week. I try and ride to work every day. It is a 24km round trip. I really enjoy the relaxing ride into work.
Owning an ebike is the best way to keep fit while avoiding traffic congestion and a lack of parking spaces. Also once I arrive, there is no need for a shower, so that is more time saved.
There is no way I would ride to work everyday if I didn't own an electric bike.
My 13 year old son got his Dyson RTC for his birthday last year. Prior to that, going on a long ride together was difficult. Its hard to keep up on a normal bike. We now ride together all the time. Some friends give him a hard time by saying he is lazy and cheating by riding an e-bike. They soon change their mind as soon as they experience the thrill of riding an e-bike. You can't wipe the smile off their faces!
My 11 year old now wants his own e-bike so he can ride around with his brother. They both say, "riding up hills has never been so much fun!" E-bikes are a great way to keep my kids active.
John's story: The best of cycling and motorcycling rolled into one
I'm 67 years old & have had about 60 bicycles & motorcycles in my life, being completely addicted to anything on 2 wheels.
Now I have to say in all honesty I've never enjoyed a machine as much, or had so much fun, as riding my recently purchased 2nd hand Riese & Muller Ebike.
I went the whole way & bought a Riese & Muller Delite Mountain which I immediately reconfigured into a "flat tracker" (still a work in progress). My God what have I been missing out on!
.. the best of cycling & motorcycling rolled into one. Can't beat the feeling of arriving somewhere full of endorphins & not exhausted or bathed in sweat, .. & so easy on the ageing knees.
I recently returned from Germany (pre-Covid) where I saw so many people in their 70s touring on Ebikes the length of the country on the wonderful cycle paths there.
I find myself taking any opportunity to get out & ride, with no trepidation about hills or distance & not even a thought about the wind direction. Basically its all the advantages of a bicycle without all the negatives, .. so it doesn't get much better than that.
Hopefully in the future there will be more Ebikes & less cars in every city on Earth.
EDITOR'S SIDE NOTE: See His Odometer - 27,510km!!
Murray's story: The fitness aspect of an ebike is great as I bike further
In 2015 my wife & I bought Gazelle eBikes & instantly fell in love with them. My wife, who wasn't a keen biker, all of a sudden wanted to go biking. She wasn't addicted as much as I was but does regular rides now which she didn't do before.
In 2017 I updated to a bike with Nuvinci hub gears which I enjoyed very much. After 3 years of riding the 80km range wasn't enough for me so I upgraded to a Riese & Muller Supercharger with dual Bosch powertube batteries & motor. The thought of being able to ride in excess of 200km's+ without having to recharge was a huge attraction, as was the low maintenance.
At the time of my first service I also upgraded my wife to a Riese & Muller Charger Mixte, a bike she truly loves. It also has a tube battery so keeps the battery family the same.
The longest ride I have done to date is 126kms which was from home to Southbank/ Brisbane & return. This was a great ride & I used just over 50% on my battery capacity on the day.
Over the period of 4.5 years I have biked a total of 12,000kms over the 3 eBikes & have enjoyed every moment. I used to stay at home on windy days when I owned a regular bike, not any more. The eBike allows you to select the power range & gearing to still make the ride fun.
The fitness aspect of an eBike is fantastic as I find I bike further thus getting an excellent workout.
Thank You For Participating
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey and submitted stories and photos. We would love to feature them all and have included a few more for your enjoyment.
See the key survey results and how ebikes are impacting our lifestyles here >> .
Growing Up An eBiker
Hanging Out Together
Top Of The World
Winners Are Grinners
A Shade Never Too Far
Three's Not A Crowd
Congratulations to our winners
Our winner, Mark, wins $1,000 and the runners-up each win $250 to spend in-store.
Congratulations to the following lucky winners:
- $1,000 to Mark - for his wonderful story on how Rosemary, his new family cargo ebike, has changed their lives. Read his story below.
- $250 each to Luis, John and Murray, whose stories are also reproduced below, and also Ray, Chris, Michael, Norm, Barry, Brett, John and Les.
