E-BIKES ARE CHEATING! Graffiti is vandalism! These are givens, right? Maybe not. In 2018, retired Jozi ad-man Eelco E Meyjes set out to right the wrongs of both of these Karen-isms, by offering left-field two-wheeled tours of one of Africa's busiest cities. Graffiti Coffee Rides - a clever man is Mr Meyjes, bringing in the cyclist's drug of choice to seal the deal - operates out of the leafy northern suburbs, but arranges tours across Egoli.
It all started in 2017, as Meyjes finished his second solo self-supported 3 680km Cape Town to Vic Falls ride - on a 'normal' MTB. Besides championing the cause of the declining finch populations of southern Africa (birding is his other big passion), these two big adventures taught him all he needed to know about the potential of the bicycle; but also about its shortcomings.
At the time, in Europe and in Asia, e-bikes had been around for ages and were selling like hot cakes; in South Africa, retailers couldn't give them away. But in November 2017, after being rejected three times by the 947 Ride Joburg organisers, Meyjes became the first person in SA to ride the event on an e-bike, as their official guinea pig.
No one in SA could tell him if the motor might overheat, like that of an electric drill, or if the 300Wh battery would last the distance.
Fortunately, the ride was a success; and the rest, as they say, is history.
OUTSIDER ART
This story is from the March/April 2023 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
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This story is from the March/April 2023 edition of Bicycling South Africa.
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