Thursday, December 28, 2017

OK! The Secret Is Out!


Yes! The secret is out!

Over the years people have used all kinds of generous words to describe us… reliable, responsible, caring, capable, adaptable… the list goes on. But one word I rarely (if ever) hear used to describe us as conventional. (I can almost hear friends laughing at the thought of it!)

I mean, how many conventional people do you know who wait until their children leave home then say, ‘Hey, let’s sell the house and everything else we own, and go travel the world house-sitting’?

Not many I bet.

We’ve even been blessed with many complimentary testimonials, again using words like: reliable, responsible, caring, capable, adaptable. But never… conventional.

So if this is the case, why then is anybody surprised to hear that… Steve and I just sold our car and replaced it with two electric bicycles and panniers!

Yes, that’s right! We decided it would be more fun, adventurous and, of course, more environmental if we used bikes instead of a car! And so far it’s proven to be all of those - even when we’re doing our familiar ricocheting from a house-sit at one end of the freeway to our next house-sit at the other end of it!

Of course, that’s when we truly appreciate the bike path that runs either side of the freeway and the trains that run right down the middle of it (and happily carries bikes).

I know to some people this choice might sound a ‘little’ crazy, but I promise you it was a logical decision. One we made, well, purely… because it sounded like it might be fun It has absolutely no impact on our reliability or service! Although, it may have an impact on our fitness and agility. Plus I can guarantee we’re smiling a lot, primarily due to the extra fresh air and being forced (totally against our will of course) to cycle past Perth’s more frequent, ridiculous and annoying traffic jams!

So, if you see Steve and me cycling around Perth on our electric white bikes (with panniers) please feel free to hoot and wave.


13 comments:

  1. Fantastic moves Lizzie & Steve :) :)! Pete is very concerned at how you're both gonna move your stuff from place to place?
    Well done guys, happy 'pedaling with power' :)!

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    1. Thanks, Alana,
      Please tell Pete we still have a few bits in storage (the important family bits), and remember some people travel with just a backpack! It just means I have to do more laundry and not carry all my party dresses with me :-)

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  2. Delighted that you've spread the word. Take care and no more punctures!!
    Love Mum xxx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Mum.
      I have to admit five punctures in a couple of days was a few too many - more than enough practice. :-)

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  3. You are brave especially with the extreme weather we experience in WA. We have friends in Melbourne who have done the same but its a lot cooler for much of the year over there. I take my hat off to you!

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  4. You are brave especially with the extreme weather we experience in WA. We have friends in Melbourne who have done the same but its a lot cooler for much of the year over there. I take my hat off to you!

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  6. Thank you :-) We're still thinking of trying different states or even countries so we could end up in all kinds of weather.

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  7. Hi Lizzie - are you able to let me know what brand & model of ebike you ended up buying? I've been doing the research but always value 'real' reviews from actual users. Thanks, Kay

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  8. Hi Kay, thanks for the interest.

    Our bikes are both Smart Motion's Pacer. We've been more than happy with both of them. The only things we've changed on them are the saddles (for something more comfortable for the long trips) and the inner tubes (because we got fed up of all the punctures we were getting).

    Obviously there were a lot of other bikes to pick from, but because we were relying on the bikes so much we needed to pick something strong and suited to our lifestyle. So the deciding factors that caused us to pick these were that (if I remember correctly) the company designed the bikes for the New Zealand posties (so the bike was designed for hard work) and I liked ALL the lights built into the frame (making cycling safer).

    Does that help? If you're after more info and insights feel free to ask. :-)

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  9. Oops, typo alert, my last comment (second paragraph) should say, that the bikes were made by the company that made the bikes for the NZ posties, not that this actual design was made for the posties...
    Sorry

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