Cycles are tools for getting life done, and the tool you need depends on the task. We designed our logo around the idea of different cycles – a tricycle, step through, hand cycle, racing bike and cargo bike – all linked by the idea that there is no such thing as “a cycle”.
The options for getting cycles has expanded from the simple ‘visit a bike shop and buy one’ of the past. Today you can pay a subscription, loan one from the Canberra E-bike Library, or buy in person or online and have your freedom machine delivered in a truck, as I did when I bought my Tern GSD from Dutch Cargo in Melbourne in Aug 2022.
E-bikes make hills and headwinds disappear. They’re ideal for carrying people, or heavy loads on cargo bikes. What’s a cargo bike? These are larger cycles designed for carrying children, goods, or pretty whatever you want. Join our Canberra Cargo Bikes Facebook Group and ask how our members are using their cargo bikes to get life done.
Thinking of buying an electric bike? Don’t rush into it. Get in touch and we can discuss your needs and requirements. You can also loan them, or pay via subscription. Details below.
But please, don’t get one with a throttle. Not a cheap one (for hundreds of dollars) from Aldi or Kmart or Gumtree. Why?
Throttles can throw the rider off their cycle. While the metals in Aldi/Kmart bikes are soft, and many mechanics dislike trying to fix them. A cheap e-bike also likely uses a bulky battery, and its charger likely a fire hazard.
Choose established motor brands and genuine chargers like Bosch, Bafang or Samsung.
The following businesses are recommended because I’ve used them, or know the people who created/work for them:
Pedal Power
One of the oldest advocacy groups for people on cycles, Pedal Power provides insurance from $12/month, advocacy, social rides of various distances and average speeds, and more. (Disclosure: I am on the Board, and my cultural tours are co-hosted with Pedal Power).
Brompton folding bike hire (from Canberra and Region Visitor Information Centre)
Two hours for $20. Try a multi-modal trip and take the bike on the Canberra light rail line between Civic and Gungahlin.
Cycle Canberra Bike Hire
This company will deliver a bike to wherever you need it, and offer free deliver to your hotel or Lake Burley Griffin. Some riders had them delivered to the start of our tours, for example.
Canberra E-Bike Library
Run by SEE-Change and Switched On Cycles on behalf of the ACT Government, the library lets you borrow a cycle for 14 days. You’ll be charged a small fee to cover insurance (free for Pedal Power members) to see if it fits your household circumstances. There are 12 freedom machines in the library fleet, ranging from cargo bikes to a tricycle to step through bikes. I loaned a cargo bike in late 2020 and it changed my life.
Bike library – a Pedal Power trial service in Canberra’s far north
This operates just like a regular library, providing free, long-term access to second-hand bicycles, helmets and locks to any adult or child requiring a bike. It’s based in Taylor, north Gungahlin, at the Margaret Hendry School.
Subscriptions and sales
Sparque
Buy or lease an e-bike with salary packaging. Sparque’s many happy riders across Canberra include a dad with a cargo bike dad whose loads have included a free-standing oven and 60kg of turf. Other customers include employees at the Australian National University and the ACT Government.
Lug + Carrie
Subscription service offering Tern GSD cargo bikes. These bikes will replace your car, and kids will want to use it for every trip.
Dutch Cargo
Sales and financing, and an extensive range of electric bikes, including adaptive tricycles for people with special needs.