Over the last couple of days I have made a trade. I believe it was the best trade ever!
Remember this rainwater tank with a hole in it?
Well I was going to cut it up into three parts which were going to become garden beds. This is of course until a friend came a long and said he could fix it. Well, because it had already replaced, and I had already tried to fix it myself, so I had nothing to loose. I asked him what he had to trade for it.
He said he would trade this bike:
Yes folks, it is bike, but not your ordinary bike. It has an electric motor!
It has a 200 watt, 24 volt motor connected to the back wheel, that helps you get up hills and the like. It can only turn on when you are peddling so and is used for assistance rather than propelling the bike independently. Apparently those are the rules for electric bikes in Australia.
This is the battery pack. Inside are two 12 volt sealed lead acid batteries, which are charged from the mains via a power pack that slot into the socket at the top.
The battery slots into the frame and locks in place so it doesn’t jiggle out while you are riding along.
It has a throttle and a battery charge indicator.
As you can see, I am excited to be going for a ride!
After this photo was taken, it was three times around the block for a test ride. The seat needs to be adjusted, but other than that small issue, it rides like a dream. It is fairly quiet, but you can definitely hear the whir of the engine when you engage it.
Best of all, the electricity used to charge the bike is 100% renewable energy! No carbon emissions from this baby at all, and even better, it is second hand and got the chance of a second life with me. Kim is a little worried about me riding around the town, given the rather large percentage of hoon drivers. I have assured her that I will stick to the bike paths were I can, and avoid the crazy people. I am now on the look out for a second battery pack, and a cargo trailer both on the cheap.
What do you think? A good trade or what?
Reminds me of that Ikea advert… Quick start the car….
or in other words… You did really well…
That has to be the best trade EVER! Well Done!
Big thumbs up, well done!
What an excellent trade for both of you! We have a few motorised bikes going around our town but they are petrol driven. Have fun!
I love electric bikes, they are the best. I’ll have to post a picture of my new. It’s the best but I’m a wee bit biased. Australia is, as usual proving to be a nanny state compared to nearly everyone else. The limit in most normal countries is 400watts ( I think ). Australia only recently made the huge leap to 250W. But when you’re struggling to ride up a hill who cares what the wattage is, as long as you’re getting help.
I’m looking forward to hearing about your adventures riding around Melbourne.
What a bargain Gavin! No wonder you are grinning like a Cheshire cat. I dream of owning an electric bike and would trade just about anything for one. My motive is not ‘green’, I just want to keep up with the family.
gav your starting to look like a grey nomad .theres lots of electric bikes on bribie island ridden by young and old. dad
Those new solar panels came at just the right time!
You could knock up a pretty decent trailer using a couple of old bicycle wheels. As a kid, my mates and I made bike trailers out of old golf buggies we found at the tip. They worked great!
a nice “green” swap! a win/win for everyone! do watch out for the auto drivers, if they’re like they are here, they won’t be watching out for you!
How fantastic that you both got what you wanted. Good luck with the bike and be safe.
Looking good Gavin in that helmet, now all you need is a set of lycras. (sorry, its just my sick sense of humour!)
Seriously though, a great trade.
You’re a cheeky monkey Olive xD