Dear abusive motorists...

1. I am sorry if sometimes I change lanes without indicating properly. This is usually because:

a) unlike you, I can't brake and indicate at the same time, especially going downhill in wet conditions on my heavy bike.
b) I am avoiding the potholes that the council has kindly left in the road for us, and if I hit a pothole and fell in front of your vehicle we would all be worse off.

2. Yelling abuse (I think your precise words were "fucking idiot") out the window of a 3-ton petrol-driven death machine towards a woman on a reasonably fragile 20kg sustainable transport appliance tends to provoke the old cliche pick on someone your own size. But, then, yelling abuse from the window of a moving vehicle indicates an unwillingness to accept responsibility for the consequences of one's own negativity, so maybe that's the wider issue.

3. Maybe I should grow my hair long again. If you're more obviously female you get less abuse.

4. It really is a lose-lose situations for cyclists. Either we are a menace because we are in front of you and you can't overtake; or we try to avoid being in front of you, weaving through lanes of traffic, which also gets us declared a menace. Some of you are at least honest enough to admit that you don't think we have the right to share the public highway with you, but that opens another debate, about this culture's granting of a sense of entitlement to those on fossil fuel-driven transport.

5. I don't obey the road rules all the time. Neither do you. I try to avoid hurling abuse at you for your mistakes. May we forgive others as we forgive ourselves.

What I do when I'm not cycling...

... I car-share. I pay a fee of $95 a year, and I can pick up a car for $15 an hour. This is ideal considering that I only ever need a car for (a) special-occasion excursions; (b) getting my musical gear to gigs. I absolutely love the Mitsubishi i-car which Cityhop provides. If they ever make an electric one of those (EDIT: oh wait, they have!), it would be the car I would love to drive (that or a new-model VW Beetle). And apparently I'm not the only cyclist in this position.

I really should keep posting here more often. The 705se is working very very well. I had a bit of a (non-cycling) accident recently, and I've used a combination of the bike and the Auckland train system to get efficiently from Grey Lynn to the Manukau SuperClinic. The only real downside I'm finding is that such a heavy bike, going at a decent speed, tends to stretch out the cables on the calliper brakes quite quickly. I do hear the most recent models have disc brakes, but I'm definitely not going to upgrade the bike again any time soon. And I have to remember to not go full-bore speed on rainy days.

Increased range

Considering that the old bike had an estimated range of 20 kilometres all up, I am assuming that the new bike has a range of 30 kilometres all up. Google Maps informs me that my range on my bicycle alone now covers:

a) all of the current Auckland City;
b) western Auckland as far as the foothills of the Waitakere ranges;
c) the westernmost parts of Pakuranga;
d) in South Auckland, all of Mangere and Otahuhu.

Add to that bicycle capability to go on trains and ferries, and the range suddenly expands to the entire Auckland region. The ferry to Devonport puts the entire North Shore in my range (even to North Harbour Stadium!); the train to Panmure puts all of Botany/East Auckland in my range; the Southern line train means I can get to all of the southern suburbs (with the possible exception of Pukekohe during weekends); and the Western train means I can get all the way to Bethells Beach on the west coast. Now that's a good picnic idea for summer.

UPGRADE

One year of e-biking in, and I've upgraded. Not entirely willingly. Long story short: old bike gets stolen. I buy new bike. Old bike gets recovered. Purchaser beats head on wall. But not to worry; the Silver Machine Mk 1 has found an excellent second-hand home somewhere in the winterless North, where a delightful artist lady will no doubt give her far less of a thrashing than I gave her. So in effect, I've gotten a great upgrade for... well, still far more than I'm happy to have spent, but certainly worth it in the long run, if the credit card company don't destroy me first.

(I didn't bother posting it, but here it is now: I had ongoing problems with the battery of the SM-1. As detailed in the last post: the wire from the ignition kept falling out. Eventually it was stuck back in with extra-strong solder and a piece of foam to keep it in place, and cross fingers it will live out its natural life for the new owner. In general, I'm told that Wisper e-bikes have ongoing hassles with loose wiring - and the occasional bolt not screwed in very tightly. Part of the issue with being exported as kitsets?)

So farewell, 2008 Wisper 705eco- the budget model of a very fine bike range. I have now moved up to Silver Machine Mk 2 - the 2009 Wisper 705se City. Key differences:

- 50% more battery power - 36V 8A. The old bike could get from Grey Lynn to Onehunga and back on a full battery charge - that's 21k over hilly terrain, for those of you who don't know Auckland. So that adds at least 10k extra range, in theory - which makes the range Grey Lynn to Otahuhu, or thereabouts. But I haven't really experimented... yet.
- classy lights - the front one powered by a dynamo, and which switches on automatically when it gets dark.
- options of different levels of power. SM-1 only had "100%" and "0%" settings (much like its owner, but never mind). So the throttle wasn't much use when you were already blamming away on pedal-assist. The new bike has "0", "40%" and "80%" settings - and the throttle will take you up to 100%. There's also the infamous green button ("offroad" mode) which would theoretically take off the legislatively mandated speed limit and enable a top speed of 30k - let's call that the "120%" mode. I say "theoretically" because I will certainly never use that on the roads because it would be totally illegal in New Zealand and I'd have to register SM-2 as a moped. *ahem*

So... hopefully I'll post a bit more once I've given SM-2 a bit of a spin and seen exactly what she's capable of. But the additional power will certainly be welcome on wet Auckland nights.

BATTERY: [is dead]

Further to the below... damn battery gave out altogether yesterday. Fuses totally intact, but... black out. No blinkenlights at all.

Thankfully, friendly Austrian serviceman set it right in a couple of hours flat. One of the wires had come loose from the ignition - a short circuit associated with it beginning to come loose was what probably blew the fuse last week.

But even being without my Silver Machine for a few hours was scary. And I think it's re-emphasised to me... how much I love my electric bicycle.

It gives me freedom, independence and mobility within a short urban range, which does me for 95% of the trips I need to take. (For the rest, I can get a lift with friends; or avail myself of the fine services of Cityhop.) It gives me a bit of exercise but not too much. I can get to work, visit friends, and do my grocery shopping - even take it into town for shopping and socialisation. It gets me all manner of curious and complimentary comments when stopped at lights. I can steer it through parks and down by-ways to avoid the traffic, or ride on the road like a respectable citizen. If I want to go long distances, taking it on the train is an option. If the electrics break down, I can pedal the damn thing home or to a service.

And, best of all - everyone will be driving these in 15 years time when the oil runs out. So there's the "smug" factor.

It's part of me now. We are a cyborg entity. If I was making the choice again, I might seriously consider getting a more expensive model with a bigger battery; or even an electric scooter, although you can't do your groceries on that, they're more of a problem when they break down, you need to get registration and buy more accessories, etc. But I love Rocinante and we'll stick together.

The terrible trouble with fuses

([] denotes "translated from blinking light speak")

LAST NIGHT

ME: (plugs battery into bike)
BATTERY: [all fired up raring to go!]
BIKE: [no battery. battery plz?]
ME: ??? (takes battery out, plugs it in again, fiddles with key, even unscrews bits of it)
BIKE: [oh, there's my battery! let's rock!]

(cycles halfway across town, when suddenly, on a busy road...)
BIKE: [where's my battery gone? MOTOR STOP NAO]
ME: ??? (takes battery out, plugs it in again, fiddles with key, etc)
BIKE: [no battery. battery plz?]
ME: GRRR!

(cycles rest of way, and back, on foot power alone. Gets home very hot and puffed.)
ME: (consults intarwebz)
INTARWEBZ: Perhaps your fuse has blown?
ME: (lightbulb comes on! takes out both battery fuses, one is clearly blown to fuck. Replaces blown one with spare one I have lying around.)

NEXT MORNING

ME: (plugs battery into bike)
BATTERY: [all fired up raring to go!]
BIKE: [no battery. battery plz?]
ME: ??? (checks replacement fuse... blown. Obviously not big enough.)

(cycles manually to hardware store)
ME: Y halo thar. I can has little glass fuse which can take 25A?
HARDWARE STORE: Sorry, only has big glass fuses of that power, and little glass fuses which can't take that power. Try electronics store.

(cycles manually to electronics store)
ME: Y halo thar. I can has little glass fuse which can take 25A?
ELECTRONICS STORE: Sorry, out of stock. Try auto parts store?

(cycles manually to autoparts store, now getting tired and pissed off)
ME: Y halo thar. I can has little glass fuse which can take 25A?
AUTOPARTS STORE: Sorry, only has big glass fuses. Try electronics store?
ME: GRRR!

(cycles to work manually, hot, tired, 95 minutes late. rings electrobike dealer)
ME: Y halo thar. Fuse has blown in battery. Cannot find replacement.
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: Oh, go to autoparts store.
ME: Done that. Did not has.
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: Oh? Go to electronics store.
ME: (annoyed) Done that. Did not has.
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: Oh? Try speciality electronics store on other side of town...
ME: (weeps silent tears of despair)
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: Oh, almost forgot. Has a spare battery for your bike! Come over get fuse out of that and I'll order some more from manufacturer.

(cycles to electrobike dealer)
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: Y halo thar! This is fuse.
ME: Looks too little. Right fuse?
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: Of course! Got it out of other battery.
ME: Right. Top fuse, or bottom fuse?
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: ... there are two?
ME: *facepalms*
ELECTROBIKE DEALER: Oh, sorry, here is bottom fuse. You were right this one is much bigger.
ME: (plugs in fuse then plugs in battery)
BIKE: [oh, there's my battery! let's rock!]

(cycles back to work, under full power, without further incident)

THE END....?

So... how's it going?

The first thing to emphasise is that Auckland is freakin' cold in winter. A nice big thick coat buttoned up to the chin, plus a scarf, plus serious business gloves, is pretty essential to make cycling a realistic option around the frigid parts of the year.

Secondly, perhaps a bit of buyers' remorse. Perhaps I might have blown an extra $2000 and got an actual electric scooter? PLUSES: Double the speed and therefore double the effective range. MINUS: still exposure to the elements. Extra costs with getting leather jacket, helmet etc. Much more difficult to get fixed. You need to register it. You can't do your grocery shopping on it.

(Oh, I don't think I mentioned, I got a rear basket as well, so now I can carry up to about $100 of groceries home from the local Foodtown. There are benefits with a smaller, lighter, more manoeuvrable vehicle.)

Thirdly, it's really important to keep the servicing going on. Flat tires or brakes that don't quite break anything are not the kind of thing you want to be worried about on winter nights in Auckland.

Auckland PT - I'm giving up...

That is, I'm giving up reading Auckland public transport related forums. The main reason is, I can't stand the endless negativity.

I'm not saying that there's nothing worth being angry, pissed off, or sad about. Indeed, we have a government in control who are brainwashed by the road lobby, endless delays in making the investments that would give us a truly world class PT system, and so many teething pains bedding in the current round of improvements.

But the attitude of PT supporters in Auckland is absolutely terrible. The forums are utterly filled with people who spend their whole time crying and complaining about everything that's wrong with Auckland PT - and thinking that this is good tactics. I've been told "we can't tolerate mediocrity" - in other words, we can never allow ourselves to be happy with anything because it takes pressure off people to be perfect. If they tried that attitude in a primary classroom they'd be fired, or told to go back to the 1950s. I've been told that "PT bigwigs appreciate our input on how things will get better". I'm sure they do. And I'm sure they also roll their eyes and grit their teeth every time another chorus of whining sparks up about OMG MY TRAIN WAS 10 MINUTES LATE I'M LEAVING PT FOREVER AND BUYING THREE SUV'S.

We are all responsible for what kind of energy we bring into the world; or, to use less mystical language, what memes we propagate in our interactions with others. If your goal is to make pro-PT activism in Auckland a cesspool of defeatism and negativity, ensuring that it will suck the energy out of activists rather than inspiring them, and put off sensible people who don't like to be miserable all the time from participating, then congratulations, you're wel on target.

What's worse is that the PT supporters have been sucked into the Labour Party's chosen mode of campaigning against the Government's plan for a single Auckland council (the "Super City"). Again, don't get me wrong - Rodney Hide's plans are patently anti-democratic. I support a democratic Super City, with a 40-member Assembly elected by proportional representation, and local boards with serious powers.

But Phil Twyford and his buddies in the Auckland Labour caucus are inundating the public airwaves with such relentless and over-the-top negativity - talking pretty much about how the Super City means the end of all democracy in favour of corporate rule. Two points about this:

1) this encourages the illusion that the existing state of Auckland governance is any kind of "democratic" at all. All that is really happening here is that the bloated, undemocratic bureaucrats, local bigwigs and philistines who run things in Pakuranga, Henderson and Takapuna are shitting themselves at being put out of office by the bloated, undemocratic bureaucrats, local bigwigs and philistines who run things in Queen St and Newmarket. Meet the new boss, not actually much worse than the old boss. Anyone who rants about "the end of local democracy" is required to show that the current system is democratic in any way, shape, manner or form.

2) Labour's campaign is utterly negative - in that they show absolutely no positive alternative for how a democratic united Auckland might operate. This is clever tactics politically speaking, since if you don't have your own goalposts the opposition can't score against you. But it means that the people who have bought into Labour's OMG DEMOCRACY IS DOOMED DOOMED I TELLS YA narrative end up endlessly recycling worse-case scenarios, perpetuating a meme that "this is the end" for everything worthwhile in Auckland. This renders them not only useless politically (except as Labour-aligned cannon fodder), but very unpleasant company.

So... sorry Josh, Chris, Jodi, Nick, Matt, Lucy, etc etc etc, I just can't handle it any more. You're doing the good work, but are you doing it at the expense of your own mental health? Could you do it in any way which didn't involve living in a cesspool of downers?

===

The bike is still going pretty well, thanks for asking. I'm regularly riding from Grey Lynn to Blockhouse Bay for football practice, and the battery holds up fine. I'm going to have to replace the gear lever, but thankfully that won't take much.

Back in action

The Machine is back on the road. All I needed to pay for was a standard bicycle service, plus bigger, harder brake pads - I go down a lot of hills in my daily routine so I need Serious Business brakes. Everything else came under warranty - the problem with the throttle was due to dirty contacts rather than a loose wire. The only real problem was that the gear cable had been attached too short, but that's all fixed now.

It is so much more pleasant to ride now that (a) I can get up to top speed without worrying how and if I'm going to be able to stop in time; (b) it's no longer rattling itself to death. So, in conclusion: if you're buying an e-bike, spring for some serious business brake pads. Make sure that everything's put together right to start with. And also pay no attention to cowboy bike repairmen who make up lies about how screwed things are to get money out of you - just a regular service every six months and everything should be fine.

In the shop

Four months on the road and the Silver Machine is in for a service. The dealer, who mainly specialises in scooters both fossil-fuel and electric, will hand it to his collaborator who fixes bicycles for most of the work, then double-check the motor and electrics himself.

Mostly it should come under warranty. The dealer's reaction when looking at the gear cable was "Yipes! That shouldn't be!" Hopefully back by tomorrow. (Luckily I've moved closer to town so not having my bike doesn't totally cramp my life like it did when I lived further west.)

First break in service

The back tyre got punctured last night. If it were the front tyre, I would have happily fixed it myself, but I really don't feel confident disengaging the back wheel from the gears, let alone the electrics. (I also suspect there's a loose wire in the electrics somewhere - the throttle doesn't work 100% of the time - but that's not urgent.)

So, back to walking and PT for a little while. Thank all the gods who made the gods that one fine cycle shop in AKL has stepped up and said they can get it fixed before Christmas! I will happily pimp them here if they actually come through on their promise. Stay tuned.

A step towards self-sufficiency

I thought that it was becoming much easier to pedal my bike recently. I put it down to me becoming super-fit. But no, what happened is that my bike was refusing to go past fifth gear (out of seven).

So! how do I spend a glorious Sunday afternoon? Getting greasy and sweaty, turning the bike upside down on the front porch, getting totally confused and possibly making things work, searching the Interwebz for tutorial videos, figuring out what to do, doing it about twenty times before it finally works... but finally getting the gear cable tightened just so, and now everything appears to be underway.

This used to be the kind of thing I'd get the services of a professional for, but (a) I'm flat broke; (b) everything I can do to the Silver Machine by myself makes me feel a little more like a strong independent woman like you see on the sanitary pad adverts.

This shit just got real yo

I have just moved into a flat on my own, thus no longer having access to former flatmate's car. I am therefore entirely dependent for my mobility on public transport, and the Silver Machine. Is this even possible in Auckland? Only someone as demented as me would dream of finding out.

The first hurdle to cross is learning exactly how much shopping I can carry home from the (thankfully very close) supermarket without risking the whole thing falling off. Gone are the days of weekly or fortnightly huge grocery shops - now, brief stop-offs for two bags full or so, most days after work.

I am not used to being popular

One thing you hear a lot of in the news these days is how much Auckland car drivers hate cyclists, to the extent of suggesting banning them from the roads and cheering on drivers who run them down. But when stopped at the lights the other day, one car driver asked me friendly questions about the Silver Machine. Perhaps that's a clue - unlike many other cyclists, sadly, I take my responsibilities of driving a vehicle seriously, and I stop for red lights (and at least slow down and give way at stop signs). Also, they do say that it's only male cyclists who get the massive hatred from car drivers - apparently if you wear a blond wig, cars no longer intentionally ram you.

But yeah. Cyclists love it, scooter drivers love it, and even car drivers seem to be getting the point. Nothing's fallen off it recently - although the handlebars seem to be coming a bit loose and the Allen keys need to be dragged out recently.

The big test comes up very soon. I have been using my flatmate's car on and off for three years, but I am now moving out on my own. I will be living in Auckland with no car, just the Silver Machine. And that may well be the real test. For example, I will have a very limited mobility while the trains are not running over Christmas.

Enhanced practicality

Latest purchase: handlebar basket ($60), to make small shopping trips practical without having to hang plastic bags off the handlebars. Yes, it looks retro. No, I don't care.

One absolutely necessary accessory if you want to run a Wisper bike: a set of Allen keys (also known as "hexes", I believe). I have had to adjust the handlebars once, the screws on the mudguards and the brake cables twice each since I got this thing. I get the feeling that perhaps the construction crew didn't quite imagine it would be going over as many potholes as you find in an average Auckland street.

The fact that the brake cables start slipping after riding in heavy rain is a bit disturbing.

The next level in cycle chic

In honour of Hallowe'en, I cycled to work in full goth today, and yes that's including boots with stiletto heels. It was absolutely no probably riding the Silver Machine in such get-up - it was actually more trouble walking (note to self - long skirt and stilettos, bad combination).

A couple more technical niggles. The other screw from the front mudguard fell off, but luckily I had bought replacements. What was more annoying is that the handlebars had gradually slipped until they were pointing straight down. While the Harley-Davidson look has its appeal, it's not comfy. So, my advice to would-be Wisper purchasers: invest in a set of Allen keys. You will need them, sooner rather than later.

In other news, this blog well may be featured in this fine green-consumer magazine sometime soon.

A shoutout...

... to everyone who came on the 350 bike ride on Saturday - in particular to our reader who greeted me while we were waiting at the Herne Bay shops, and to the two other Wisper e-bike riders who I touched base with. Kia kaha, e hoa mā.

If all else fails, repent sins

Tip for all bike riders in Auckland: before going on any journey which involves significant slopes, test your brakes properly first. Especially in wet weather.

Last night I had the most hair-raising journey down Onehunga mall imaginable. I was lucky not to be caused a serious injury when the road finally came up to greet me.

I'm quite perturbed that the brakes on the Silver Machine have slipped so badly in just two months. But then I go down some steep hills, on which I need to have the brakes on all the time, so maybe it's just my bad riding habits.

Also of note: yesterday was so wet that it took me until midday to dry out.

More bike-train synergy

Mt Albert - Greenlane via bike; then to Otahuhu by train; riding to Otahuhu shops and back; then train to Newmarket, thus home.

I think I pushed the capability of the battery to just about its limits, but I was happy with that. I don't think I'll try the Greenlane route rather than the Newmarket route in future - I was thinking to avoid the New North Road hill, but I forgot there's a megabitch of a rise on Balmoral Road before you get to Mt Eden Road. (As to train, hopefully after Western Line double-tracking is complete, the train will be useful for me to get to Newmarket as well.)

But man alive, that Otahuhu railway station is seven kinds of dump. Considering that it's the main interchange between Southern and Eastern lines, it needs a facelift and fast.

First problems

The chain on the Wisper 705eco has a nasty habit of slipping off. The chain guard, while making it feasible to cycle in a long skirt, also makes it a bit tricky to put it back on.

One of the screws holding in the front mudguard was also shaken loose, but that was trivially easy to replace.

Otherwise, all holding up fine. Today marks a month of solid commuting, which I believe was the challenge, in all weathers.