National Ride2Work Day Australia

Meet Chris O’Neill, Zoomo Store Manager and Avid E-Bike Peddler 

Wednesday 10th November 2021 is an important day for us - because it's National Ride2Work Day, the biggest celebration of commuter riding  in Australia.

Ride2Work Day is an opportunity to help people who have never commuted by bike before to give it a go. Naturally, as an e-bike company, we’re all for this vision. 

To mark the day, we spoke to Zoomo’s Sydney Store Manager Chris O’Neill to find out why he commutes to work via an e-bike every single day.

Meet Chris. 

​From your perspective, what are the benefits of commuting to work on an e-bike?

There are many benefits of riding my e-Bike to work and in my opinion it’s a no brainer. I live in Petersham and commute to Surry Hills every day. On the train it takes me around 22 minutes and on the bike it can take me around 15 minutes, so it’s quicker for me to get to work. 

Riding to work also provides me with a good amount of exercise - even though many people seem to think riding an e-bike is ‘cheat’ exercising. I can attest that it is not, if you don’t want it to be. This is because Zoomo e-bikes are pedal assisted, which means you need to pedal to activate the motor and you can choose to adjust the speed so that you do all the pedalling and get the exercise you need, if desired. 

Where my workplace is, parking is a nightmare if you're in a car - not to mention the costs associated with parking. Whereas on my Zoomo e-bike, no matter where I ride in the city, parking is free and you can lock the bike anywhere which is a huge benefit which can not only save a lot of time, but money and hassle too.  

What advice would you give to people who have never commuted before by bike, but are considering it?

Make sure you familiarise yourself with cycle lanes in your area and always obey the road rules just as you would in a car. Make sure you are visible to motorists, such as wearing reflective clothing and riding with your lights on day and night will always help other motorists see you. 

One other piece of important advice is to ensure you don’t cut corners when it comes to safety equipment. A $15 helmet from a discount store vs. a more premium helmet for $150 could mean life and death, so do your research and invest in the right gear if you're going to start riding on a daily basis. If you’re renting or buying a bike from Zoomo, we’ve got you covered - we sell high-quality helmets in all stores and have a strong ‘no helmet, no ride’ policy when leaving our stores.

What do you think our cities need to do to get more people on bikes and out of cars?

More bike lanes and more incentive. In London they have congestion charges in different Zones within the city, so if you are driving into the city you have to pay a hefty price just to drive around. This is why so many people in London, including some of my family members, don't even own a car. They ride absolutely everywhere because it’s free, fast and fun! If Australia had similar zones in place, it would deter people from driving everywhere and encourage them to jump on their bikes instead.  

Lastly, if city planners started to focus their attention more on cyclists, and committed to better infrastructure such as pedestrianising parts of the city, then we will start to see more cyclists on the road commuting to work. 

What are the top three words that come to mind when you think about the experience of riding an e-bike?  

Fast

Fun

Green!

So, what are you waiting for? If you’re thinking about giving e-biking a go, you can check out our full range of e-bikes here, including subscription models that allow you to try before you buy.