LIFE IN THE BIKE LANE

LIFE IN THE

bike lane

With petrol fast becoming a luxury, Metropol’s gadget guru Ian Knott parks up his car in the driveway and jumps on the latest Scott e-bike to discover how benefi cial they really are.

Scott Silence Evo

• Silence eRIDE 6061 custom alloy • Scott dedicated Rigid Fork • Motor: Bosch Perf Sp 45kph, up to 1125Wh • 4 Piston Disc Brakes • Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus 700x55c • Supernova M99 mini, Rear Tail Light • Available in medium, large and XL • Weight: 28kg • Kiox Display • Luggage Rack • Built-in Lock and Kick-stand

Having recently rediscovered my long lost passion for fitness, when E-Mega Store offered me the latest Scott Silence Evo bike to trial - I couldn’t refuse. I’ve done a lot of biking in my time, but only dabbled with e-bikes. Mainly the point-and-squirt ones on which you don’t even need to pedal. But the Silence Evo isn’t one of those - if you don’t pedal, you don’t move. The motor is there to make pedalling a whole lot easier. There are five modes of assistance available: Off, Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo - each offering increasing pedalling speeds and levels of motorised assistance, but conversely reduced distances as the battery drains faster. Being a bit of a speed freak, I spent much of my commuting time in Turbo and Sport. Both modes offer a top speed of 45kph, but I did get Turbo up to 49kph before the computer physically slowed me down. Commuting 15km to and from work every day, the trip took the same amount of time as my car - 25 minutes, and unlike a non-electric bike, I was never drenched with sweat at the end of the ride. But best of all, I saved a very welcome $80 in petrol each week (2.0L Volvo on 95 octane), plus a further $30-$40 from the daily coffee I could no longer buy on the way to work!

The benefits didn’t end there though. I consider myself a reasonably fit guy, but after three days of commuting I had lost 2kg in weight, and after a couple of weeks I was definitely feeling the benefits of working those large muscle groups more.

Most main roads in Christchurch have a cycle lane, and they are an absolute Godsend for cycle commuters, as things can get noticeably tight when they aren’t present. Rush-hour drivers can be unaware of their surroundings, and as a cyclist, especially one travelling at similar speeds to the cars, I had to be super switched-on.

The Scott Silence Evo has unlimited gears, a full-time front and back LED light with brake light, a very loud horn, disc brakes, high quality Bosch motor and belt drive. It even has a built in security lock. The Kiox onboard computer syncs with a mobile app and can give you directions if required. All this technology, yet it was the simplest thing to use.

It definitely converted me into an e-bike commuter, and I’m going to be sad when I have to hand it back to the helpful folk at E-Mega Store.

Try before you buy!

Is an E-Bike really for you? Why not take one home to try? Half Day Hire $69

Full Day Hire $99

Our Kalkhoff hire bikes are the perfect entry level step-through bikes to ensure a comfortable and safe first ride - you could even try out commuting for a day. The only thing you’ll regret is not hiring one sooner!

F18

Best for: City & Trail

The E-Bike that does it all, Lightweight Carbon Power! Designed and built in Nelson NZ, the Hybrid F18 goes wherever your journey takes you! This bike feels both natural and powerful

Only $5,599

Best for: City, Road & Gravel

SILENCE Do you really need your car to commute? The Scott Silence is the flagship of modern commuting E-Bikes. This E-Bike will replace your car! Only

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