The Aussie e-bike that’s easy to ride, hard to steal
There is a sweet spot – nestled between zippy, quad-popping, professional delivery riders and ambling, Saturday afternoon peddlers – into which Zoomo’s latest e-bike fits perfectly.
Though the Aussie company is best known for making and hiring electronic bikes for couriers, its new Sport model suits the rest of us.
It’s designed for commuting rather than delivering, steaming up hills rather than avoiding them, and comes with enough safety features to make lapsed cyclists fall in love with twowheeled travel again.
The $2999 Zoomo Sport’s look signals its place in the market, with a step-through design, a built-in rear rack, and a surprisingly solid aluminium frame. And its advanced features add to comfort. They include front suspension, puncture-resistant tyres, efficient hydraulic brakes, and a light so bright you’ll have to take care not to frighten passing traffic.
Zoomo’s consumer-friendly bike also improves on its last model, the Zero, by offering nine gears rather than three, as well as five levels of power from its 250 watt motor. That motor can, with some momentum, propel you up to a speed of 25km/h with less effort than you might expect.
There can be some issues with rearmounted motors but Zoomo’s model is gentle to take off (perhaps a little too gentle on hills – you’re better off starting on the flat and staying in a low gear). The motor is powered by a battery that will sustain it for about eight hours or 80km, along with a display that will show you how fast and far you’ve travelled.
The bike also features a host of antitheft features. Riders must tap a security fob to start it, use a key to remove its battery, and a security system kicks in if they don’t, locking up the tyres with its serious braking power. The e-bike can also be tracked and Zoomo offers three recovery missions in 12 months and will launch tracking via app in future.
Zoomo even offers e-bike rentals from $39 a week.