Harmonious Living - eZee Bikes

eZee Bikes

Ceri Balston
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
I've written about electric bicycles in Harmonious Living before so was looking forward to test driving the range of eZee Bikes now available in South Africa. I met up with eZee's director, James Swift (great name for someone selling this lifestyle product!) at the recent Getaway show at the Coca Cola Dome in Northern Jo'burg. An eZee electric bicycle looks just like a conventional bike, with both ladies and men's versions, the only difference is that these have been fitted with a state of the art electric motor, battery and controller system. In fact over R5 million of research and development has gone into making eZee's range the world's leading electric bikes. All of the eZee electric bikes come with removable power packs that use a 37V 10A Lithium Manganese battery as standard. These are easily recharged simply by plugging into a standard wall plug. eZee bikes are also built around alloy frames and use lighter battery technology, and are, on average, around 10-12kg lighter than most electric bikes. It may seem that these bikes are the lazy person's approach to exercise but actually the great thing about them is that they encourage you to get back on the bike, doing some much needed exercise (in my case), without all the pain. You can of course assist the 'engine' of the bike with some pedalling, but you only need to pedal when you want to. The more you pedal the fitter you'll get and the more you'll want to pedal, it’s a simple equation. All too often people inspired to go on a health kick sign up to their nearest gym or buy the latest piece of miracle equipment (such as a stationary bike) and wonder why they never manage to stick to it. The problem is that exercise indoors is just not as fun as exercising outdoors in nature, with an eZee Bike you can get out there. James let me take one of top models for a spin around the Dome, ok, it was inside the Dome, and the one thought that kept on striking me was that "this is fun", and it was certainly very fast! A smile was fixed to my face as I whizzed in and out of the stands. The eZee Bikes are also extremely quiet, it's like riding in stealth mode, there's not even the accompanying heavy breathing or pounding blood in your head that you would normally get when riding a bike, this is far more enjoyable. Electric bicycles, such as the eZee range are apparently the most efficient form of transport available today, and it has been calculated that it only cost a mere 40c/100km to run. This is a ridiculous stat when compared to how much it costs to drive a car a 100km, even with the most fuel efficient car that can manage 6litres/100km you'll be paying more than R42, more than 100 times the cost of running an eZee bike. It's also important to note that electric bikes are a zero emissions transport option (apart from the minimal carbon footprint created when charging the battery), it releases no CO2 and no pollutants. Again, compare that to how much CO2 your car will emit for every litre of petrol or diesel it burns, 23.2g and 27.2g per litre respectively, that quickly adds up to one very large footprint! The initial outlay for an eZee bike can be anything between R8,900 for the Liv to R14,970 for the Forza, the top of the range model featuring the fastest motor, longest lasting battery, cruise control, and it also looks great! This may at first seem a little pricey but when compared to the savings you'd make in petrol and maintenance on your car it’s a cost that can be quickly recouped, and that's not to mention the benefits to your health that the new addition to your lifestyle will undoubtedly bring. So if you're looking for a way back to fitness and health, want to do your bit for the environment then look no further than eZee Bikes. For more information about eZee Bikes in South Africa visit www.ezeebike.co.za.

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