Having a rough RIDE?
E-bikes are growing in popularity these days, so it’s useful to know who to call if your journey doesn’t go to plan. Plus, I weigh in on a parenting issue that’s causing quite a stir. On yer bike!
Kevin Milne CONSUMER HERE’S WHAT TO DO IF YOUR E-BIKE BREAKS DOWN
There’s some interesting discussion at present about whether fathers should take their toddler daughters to the men’s or women’s toilets when the littlies need to go. As one of the Weekly’s male columnists, what’s Kevin Milne’s opinion about this?
When my daughter was a littlie, I used to take her to the men’s toilet, if I had to choose between the two. I wouldn’t think of taking her into the women’s toilets – even if I was carrying a cute, curly-haired reason for being there. That would risk breaching women’s privacy and embarrass me. In the men’s, I could usually get her in and out again very quickly. And even if there had been other men in there, what would be the worst that could have happened? She might have seen the back of another man at the urinal. What would she have done? Faint? Of course not. She wouldn’t have cared less.
We sometimes imagine our little children share the inhibitions we ourselves have brought into adulthood. But I don’t think they do. Shielding them from those moments is just an extension of our own awkwardness.
You were out on your e-bike, quite some way from home, and it broke down. You had no idea how to fix it and
no way to get home. Had
you been in your car, you would have called the Automobile Association. In the end, you called a taxi, which took you and your bike home. Is there a solution to this problem?
Well, as it happens, had you rung the Automobile Association, they would indeed have come to your assistance. The AA breakdown service has
now extended its cover and
will attend to you if you have
an e-bike malfunction. Just
like with a car, they will try to
fix your issue on the roadside (or pathside). If they can’t fix it there and then, they’ll recover your bike and take it to a nearby bike shop, mechanic or your home.
The only difference with the car is you probably won’t be able to doze off while you’re waiting for them to arrive.
I see that there are now
200 million e-bikes around the globe taking cyclists the easier way to their destinations. But remember they are not like a skinny moped. You have to put some effort into the ride.