Riding an e-bike for the first time - my experience

Hi! I’m Gabrielle Meiklejohn, the Loans Officer for the Canberra Electric Bike Library. I started in this role and with SEE-Change in early October 2022, after moving to Canberra at the start of 2022 to start university, and to live in a marginally bigger city than Wagga Wagga. Moving to the ACT presented new opportunities, new things to learn, and new experiences. One of these new experiences was my first time on an e-bike.

I’ve spent plenty of time on bikes, but most of this time has been spent with either pushbikes or motorbikes. I grew up on a farm about 20 minutes north of Wagga Wagga and getting around it often involved bikes. Bikes are a very useful tool to transport things, manoeuvre sheep, or quickly check that a gate is shut.

E-bikes are a really fun mix between the two bike types that I’ve used growing up. You have a motor that moves the bike, but only if you’re pedalling as well. E-Bikes also use substantially less fuel than motorbikes,

My first experience on an e-bike was at the SEE-Change office in Downer. I understood the basic mechanics of how the bikes worked, so I didn’t expect too much trouble on my journey around the carpark near the office.

The motor kicked in on the lowest setting as soon as I started pedalling, and I was grateful for just how much power that the motor provided. It only took a half minute for me to get used to the extra power, which was slightly daunting, as I now had to rely on the brakes a whole lot more than I was used to. Compared to my Grey Norco Pushbike, the Commuter E-Bike was a breeze to ride, much easier on my legs, and significantly faster.

At the end of each loan period, I perform a test ride of each bike in order to ensure that the bike is functioning as required. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to test out all of the bikes in our fleet, including our standard commuter bikes and our cargo bikes. Some of the cargo bikes can be a bit odd to get used to, especially with large baskets, large storage tubs, and varying weight conditions. Nonetheless, with a little bit of time and a test ride, I was able to quickly feel comfortable with each of our models. The bikes are fun, practical, and an absolute pleasure to ride.

E-Bikes can help you reach your destination faster, in a more environmentally friendly manner, and with less time taken to find (and pay for) a park!

Returning back to the office at the end of my first test ride, I was clear to me that e-bikes are a brilliant piece of technology, and crucial to the uptake of more active travel in the ACT. We have a strong cycle path network and other infrastructure that can be utilised by anyone and also support a significantly greater number of users than it currently has.

I look forward to spending more time on the cycle paths of Canberra, to supporting the Canberra Electric Bike Library into the future, and hopefully seeing you at the office (or out and about at our events) giving an e-bike a try!