Melbourne to Sydney? An electric bike is ‘suit-able’!
More on the $3000 Skills Training Vouchers
February 26, 2007QLD
March 1, 2007No sweat on this eight-day bike ride in a business suit
WHY would Stephen Gale wear a suit on such a ride? To show that even a suit wearer can ride an electric bicycle to work without excessive sweat or discomfort.
This Melbourne-based engineer is making the eight-day journey to show how riding an electrical bike to work can be an easy and sustainable mode of transport.
Australian adventurer/businessman, Dick Smith, is a fan…
“Stephen Gale has demonstrated that by challenging our conventional notions of transportation we can each dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Whether we are talking about an electric bike or an ethanol fuelled aircraft, we need to open our minds to all possibilities.”
Stephen is looking for riders from like-minded companies to join him on the ride and help his group, Suitable Transport (Suit-Able, get it?), communicate his message.
Ideally they would like a group of about 15 ‘suit-able’ adventurers willing to wear their environmentally caring companies’ uniforms – whatever they might be.
About the trip – in summary
- Departs Melbourne’s Fed Square Monday 16 April 2007
- Arrives Sydney’s Martin Place 24 April 2007
- Route – along the coast
- Speed – 25-30km/hr
- Distance per day – 130km/day maximum
- You can share the ride between two riders, say Melbourne to Eden, Eden to Sydney
- Launch event will feature Triple J DJs and music from the band ‘Bomba’.
- Quite a bit of media attention already: brekky TV, radio programs, interviews by major newspapers and various magazines.
- Leader newspaper group will run articles in the papers distributed in participating companies’ neighbourhoods
- Cost: $1995 plus GST to cover all contingencies. The project is NOT a money-making concern – a lot of the costs will be covered by Stephen.
There’s a heap more info here.
Stephen is an ex RAAF electronic engineer who runs an electronic engineering consultancy. He is also doing research in the field of solar energy for his PhD.
We seem to be moving from the ‘what can I do about it?’ mindset to individual action ……driven by frustration at slow moving politicians?? Are our leaders getting the message?
3 Comments
Are our leaders getting the message ??maybe ,are they paying any attention? Nooo
Are Toyota gettin the 40 mill for a project that were going to do anyway? yessss . Is the government interested in giving small entrepreneurs a leg up with their ideas noooo .Does Peter Garret (or his staffers ) answer his parliamentary email? noooo
Well he must have a better bike than I had I have had 2 electric bikes 7 years apart The first one was second hand with a huge heavy battery that the bike could just about hold and it lost the connection v the engine and the charger and no one could fix it It also took Hours to charge up I sold it for a fraction as a normal bike after my son took all the extras off. The next one was a folding one a Sundowner small wheel one and the charger did not hold enough power to get me a normal weight and height person up a hill -I needed it for getting up a hill in the dark at night so that was no good I got the shop to swop it for a top range Dahon with no power and they gave the offending electrix one back to the wholesaler. I would love to have an electric bike that is really good Can people who have a really good one tell us about them?????
Angiel for the past four years I have been patiently waiting for technology to catch up with the concept of electric bikes, the batteries were excesively heavy and costly,I have now opened a business with the latest E-Bikes using a lithium polymer battery which are far advanced from the lead acid batteries offering lighter weight, longer charged periods and the ability to hold charge without serious deteriation. I weigh 120kg, have a stent in my heart and do virtually no exercise. ! recently rode over 40Kms on one of our bikes including up some serious hills, I could never have done this on any non-pwered bike. Our bikes are not bargain basement prices but the best possible quality at a reasonable price, they will last and give many years of good service.check us out http://www.laquo.com.au. Now if we can get the WA government to realise how good this form of transport is for the environment, peoples mobility and health then maybe they might review their riduculas laws about riding them on shared bicycle paths.Come on Mr Colin Barnett lets get people on to e-bikes and out of cars!!