A good time to be getting on your bike
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After dodging earthquakes and floods, a Nelson electric bicycle retailer and 2013 Nelson Mail Top Shop nominee says she has always been two steps ahead of disaster.
Cyclelogical owner Kaye Hill, whose Nile St business sells electric bicycles and accessories, is one of the 2013 Nelson Mail Top Shop nominees.
The a2b brand e-cycles, which retail for between $2000 and $3000 or can be rented for $40 for an afternoon, can be plugged in and charged from a mains socket.
The e-cycles use a pedal-activated drive system, with a rider able to dial in their desired level of power, and pedal a few times to get the electric motor running. Riders can use as much or as little motor assistance as they like.
Originally from Christchurch, Ms Hill got a job as a claims administrator at the Earthquake Commission following the September 2010 earthquake.
But after the second earthquake in February 2011 she decided to move away from the city.
"I thought, ‘I don't want that to be my last job', because I could see I was going to be there for years."
She moved to Nelson, and decided to set up a new business.
She already had an electric bike to use for commuting, so decided to research the technology and bought 20 to sell and rent.
When she moved into a house in South St, and was in the process of setting up an online shop with bicycle accessories the Nile St property, formerly an office, became available.
She opened the store in November, but was soon hit with a recurring health issue, meaning she had to employ someone else to help manage the shop.
Then, in April, the floods came.
She had stored 29 of her e-cycles at Wakatu Estate storage company Storage World, in one of the lower garages, and all but two were inundated with blackwater from the rain, wrecking their automatic transmissions.
Fortunately she was insured, but the flood meant she was down to seven e-cycles until she could order more.
The e-cycles are designed in Italy and built in China, then shipped to New Zealand. An order took about four months to reach the shop, she said.
But such drama is nothing new for Ms Hill. About 20 years ago when a manager at a Perth TAB store, she was tied up in an armed robbery at her branch.
"I have always had to face different challenges. Every year brings new challenges."
It had been a thrill to be nominated in the Top Shop awards, she said.
"People love my shop. I just get so many incredible comments, people saying ‘I wish there was a shop like this in Wellington or Christchurch'."
The location, at the bottom of South St, was quieter than in the middle of town, but she liked the idea of "destination shopping".
"It's become a destination. We have so many tourists come to this area, what we want to attract is more locals."
In Europe, one in four electric vehicles sold were electric bicycles, and the sector was growing quickly, she said.
"All the European car companies are making their own electric bikes, they are building charging stations for electric bikes."
- © Fairfax NZ News
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