The Weekly Shopping - Country Style

This was D-day.

The whole purpose of buying this bike was to travel to and from town doing the chores - delivering herbs and doing the shopping for our business. If it didn't work for this then we have wasted our money.

I was nervous. The Croozer trailer fitted well. Two batteries charged for the Gazelle, I set off on the the 27 k trip. The first 6 k are dirt - and pretty rough and hard dirt. Not comfortable on any bike - including my dual suspension mountain bike. But the Gazelle was fine, and at least my butt didn't take a hammering. Once on the tar it was a very pleasant ride over the hilly terrain. I didn't even notice the trailer, but I did notice the power assist.

I arrived in town in a little over an hour, ready for a coffee and the shopping.

Shopping complete I loaded the trailer with 37 kg of goods - this is a serious utility trailer. Add to that the 11 kg trailer and I was set to pull 48 kg over the 27 km home, including some steep hills. I was still nervous.

I need not have been. The Croozer was very stable and didn't effect the handling of the bike at all - either walking or cycling. Slow, fast, tar, dirt it just tracked comfortably behind. Definitely easier to handle than the BOB I used to use.

And the Gazelle - I love this bike.

The power assist is fantastic. I still had to work hard up the steep hills - but what would you expect - with me on board we were trying to get about 150 kg up some serious slopes! I could feel the pull of the motor all the way, and as soon as the steep incline eased I could relax and let the bike do its thing.

The dirt with a full load was much more comfortable than unladen. I was home in a little under an hour and a half. I averaged about 19kmph on the trip home (about a 400 m net climb). The trip used the best part of 2 batteries - perhaps 15 to 20 km of spare range. That was what I expected considering the load. I didn't try and conserve battery power at any stage.

But the most amazing thing was that I was still relatively fresh. I completed the whole trip before lunch and then spent the afternoon working on the farm. Overall I estimate I averaged about 5 - 7 kph faster than I would on my high spec mountain bike. I also suspect that I only used about 60-70% of the energy.

That is exactly what I had hoped for. Enough assistance to make the 60 km round trip with load in less than half a day and with enough energy left to do normal things. Don't get me wrong - it was still serious exercise, but I was not wrecked at the end.

The only thing I am going to do is to add a couple of teeth to the rear cog so I can spin a little more comfortably on the steep bits. Apart from that - this bike is a serious utility machine - and I can't think of anything I would want to change. Magic!

City on Innergy

The first day was all about checking the capability of the Gazelle in the city. First stop breakfast.

My 9 year old daughter on the rear seat and panniers on the rack and it was off to find a bakery. This bike is amazing. It took no more effort than a leisurely solo ride, and provided a good deal more comfort and convenience. I didn't even notice my 25 kg daughter or bags full of shopping on the back.

No more gearing up for the ride. Just street clothes. The inbuilt lock is perfect for a short shop. For the longer time away, the plug-in chain leaves the bike securely coupled to any handy permanent post. I did not miss the wheels off - D-lock puzzle that has been my cycling life to date.

The next job was a leisurely ride to morning coffee. The seafront of Newcastle has some fairly precipitous hills. No problem. Toddler on the seat and despite the hot sun I could only raise a light perspiration getting up first gear climbs. Don't get me wrong - you still have to pedal, the motor just means that you don't have to work hard. Then swooping down gave me the chance to work out the roller brakes. All doubts about their adequacy were more than settled. Fit for purpose.

The motor control system is fantastic. The power comes in almost seamlessly. The seating and handlebar positions can be adjusted in seconds, so I could choose my favorite sit-up-and-beg position for getting around town. The height of the bike put me above the average car, adding to what was fast becoming an ethereal experience.

A quick spin at night proved the lights more than up to the job - they even turned themselves on for me! And despite leaving at the same time I almost beat the car-bound family back to the motel. Tania said that I looked like a spaceship from the back.

There is no doubt. If I lived in the city I would already have my car up for sale. This thing is just so capable and so much fun that I would not want to drive. Both the kids loved being on the back. My 9 year old will not stop pestering me to take her everywhere I take the bike!

Bagging the Gazelle

The purchase was made through Civic Bikes in Newcastle in negotiation with the guys at Gazelle Australia in Sydney.

Ebikes are not big in Australia (that's why I'm blogging), and I suspect this was the first Gazelle Innergy that Civic had sold.

Regardless, they did the required Gazelle training and did a fabulous job of building the bike. They also fitted the Bobike child seat that I had ordered. The seat will let me cart our smaller children on the back if I want.

The day I picked it up I requested a few minor adjustments and we decided to make a change to the way the child seat was mounted. The Civic crew handled these short notice modifications very professionally and within a matter of hours the bike was ready to ride.

What I Think of my Loony dad

I think my dads a nice sort of person with good intentions for the earth and the people who live on it. I think the ebike is a good idea because if you live 30 k's out of town and you have to go in for quick things like to just grab some vegemite or beer (dads crazy about vegemite and beer) you dont want to drive 60 k's total just to get that stuff.

He must be pretty serious though because hes bought a trailer (nice and big so he can fit all his vegemite and beer in there).

The crusty old codger wont let me have a ride though, he says its too big. Whatever. Nothings too big for me.

Choosing the E-Bike

We wanted to 'can the car'. But we live about 30 kms from our local town (Gloucester, NSW). How do we make cycling a practical alternative? We were looking for a utility ebike that would work in our real world.

We were caught between three bikes - the Gazelle Orange Innergy, Wisper 950SE & Ezee Torq. On paper they were hard to split

Tania and I made the 600 km round trip to Sydney to ride the three on the same day.

Verdict?

All three were good bikes and would probably have done the job. In terms of performance, they all had plenty of assist. But there was no question. The Gazelle was the most sophisticated, integrated and bike-like. Add to that the questions about Chinese quality control and batteries (for the Wisper and Torq), and the location of service centers... there was no doubt we both preferred the Gazelle.

So then it was just a matter of the cost differential. The Gazelle retailed for $A3950, the Wisper for $A3350 and the Torq for around $A2650. Add an extra $A800 for the extra battery for the Gazelle (to give it the same range as the Wisper) and it was much more expensive.

For me, the Gazelle's thoughtful design and quality build are well worth the extra money, as is the 2 year battery warranty and the company's reputation.

But if I'm honest, this whole 'can the car' thing is a leap of faith.

I would much rather take a leap of faith with an object of beauty. I would much rather leap with a company that has a solid track record. I'm sure the Gazelle will still be working in a couple of years. And even if it doesn't fit the bill I know I will enjoy riding it!