Frequently Asked Questions

Does Stephen Gale or Suitable Transport sell electric bicycles?

   No. Neither suitable transport or its members have any plans to sell electric bicycles. Stephen is happy however to assist anyone who intends to import or manufacture electric bicycles or conversion kits.
 
Is Suitable Transport intending to raise money for a charity?   No. Suitable transport hopes to raise awareness of the benefits of bicycle riding (electric or otherwise). All expenditures will be properly accounted for and made transparent to all sponsors.
 
Why is Stephen wearing a suit?   People often wear suits when they travel to work. We would like to demonstrate by exaggeration that even a suit wearer can ride an electric bicycle to work without excessive sweat or discomfort.
 
Will Stephen die from doing the ride in a suit?   We hope not. Actually the effort required to ride an electric bicycle at a reasonable speed is not much greater than walking at a moderate pace. Therefore unless there is unprecedented weather conditions all should be well.
 
How will the batteries be charged?  

We will simply charge the batteries overnight from a conventional AC power outlet. This will consume approximately 1KW/hr of energy costing roughly $0.10.
 
How much do electric bicycles cost?   In Australia decent Electric Bicycle conversion kits are available for as little as $750, although the price paid varies greatly with range and weight. The Schwinn World GSE that Stephen will be riding will retail for $1700 USD (thats around $2200), but this is the Mercedies of bicycles.
 
Can you still pedal an electric bicycle?   Absolutely. In fact it feels very strange not to. Typically most riders seem initially exert a similar level of effort they would if they were walking briskly, although this is the rider's choice.
 
Do you get any exercise when you ride an electric bike?   That’s entirely up to the rider. It certainly requires more effort than driving a car, but less than or equal to riding an ordinary bicycle. In Stephen’s case he was surprised to find that he more often likes to pedal harder and enjoy the exercise.
 
How does the energy used by a bicycle compare to a car?   An electric bicycle uses approximately 0.03MJ per KM. By comparison an average car (10l/100km) uses 3.3MJ per KM. This is a difference of approximately 100 times.