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After peddling a bike for around 35 years, 76-year-old Robert Scott bought his first electric bike at the end of last year.
The Ōrewa resident then found himself looking around for others to share his rides with, and this grew into a new community group called the Ōrewa E-Bikers.
Members joined by word of mouth – often Robert met other keen cyclists when he was hanging out at Bike Me in Ōrewa.
Currently there are 13 members, all men, and all from the Hibiscus Coast. The youngest is 66 and the oldest is 86-year-old former Air NZ pilot Peter Grundy, who bought an $11,000 double battery e-bike, to get the range and power he was looking for.
Another member has good mechanical knowledge and helps members look after their bikes.
Robert says the group is open to women also – his wife Robyn also rides an e-bike but she wants to wait until there are other women in Ōrewa E-Bikers before she joins.
Meanwhile the group has created a good social, as well as active, outlet for the men.
“Men aren’t that good at getting out and chatting with each other,” Robert says. “But I’ve made some amazing new friends through this and we all seem to be able to sit around and tell stories, laugh and joke and share a coffee on our rides.”
“It’s also about getting out of the house for some exercise and fun in the wind and sun,” he says.
Robert was used to regular long rides, such as from Albany to Long Bay, before he got an e-bike, and says that the electric motor means he’s been able to keep doing that as he gets older.
He also likes a bit of speed. Recently he had a microchip put into the bike’s motor, which has increased the speeds he can do from just over 30kph to 50kph, although the pay-off was losing some range.
“I don’t often go as fast as that, but I regularly cruise along at 42-44kph,” Robert says.
“Most of the time my bike flies along. I can’t wait to find a hill!”
However, Robert confesses he went a lot slower one time when the battery ran out and he had to peddle the heavy bike for 5km unassisted by the motor.
Ōrewa E-Bikers meet at Ōrewa Surf Club carpark to ride together, three times a week. They do a lot of local rides, as well as going further afield.
“There is a great range of trails to ride on in Auckland,” Robert says.
Info: phone Robert, 0274 756 122.
