1. Home
  2. Why Mercury
  3. e.transport
  4. e.revolutionaries
  5. Hayley's Scout e.Bike

Defeating hills while turning heads with an e.bike.

 

Hayley's Scout Bike

Hayley’s eyes light up whenever she talks about whizzing around Cornwall Park on the weekend on her Scout e.bike. Her new hobby has not only left her recharged and reinvigorated, it’s made her appreciate an important lesson - that a small change in your life can be ‘big’.
 
Hayley’s journey to the joys of electric began a couple of years back, when she decided to go on a guided bike tour through Buenos Aires. “I hadn’t been on a bike since I was little and it was such an awesome way to explore the new city. So I made a mental note to buy a bike when I got home but forgot about it until first lockdown was looming and I panic bought on TradeMe.”
 
Her return to cycling didn’t rock her world though. She realized she wasn’t fit enough to handle the hilly areas and didn’t have the stamina to go anywhere interesting. Then she had an e.revelation. “I started researching e.bikes, stumbled across the BoostBikes site and totally fell in love with the Scout.”
 
The Scout, created by BoostBikes in Auckland, proved to be right up Hayley’s street. As e.bikes go, the Scout is a real head turner, with its low-rider motorbike design and retro styling. It also comes with a very cool design feature, the electric engine is hidden in a fake classic gas tank. After contacting Phil from BoostBikes, and going for a test-drive, Hayley was ready to Join the Electric Revolution. With a second lockdown looming, she decided to make the switch, and she’s never looked back.
 
“I love how fun it is, e.biking has all the joy of bike riding with none of the pain of intensive exercise. I’m not really the sporty type so this is my first active outdoorsy hobby.” In a very short time, Hayley noticed the effect on her daily mental well-being. “I think I was physically and mentally healthier during the second lockdown because I had my e.bike. Being able to zip away for a quick ride at lunchtime helped break up long days of intense Zoom meetings.”
 
Hayley also chuckles at the fact that every time she hits the parks, she is surrounded by amazed onlookers, “I enjoy watching the thought process of people who see my bike for the first time. Why is that lady riding a motorbike through Ambury Park? Then as I get closer. Wait, I can’t hear an engine? Wait! Her feet are moving? Is she pedalling?”
 
It’s clear from talking to her, that she has well and truly got the electric ‘itch’. On a recent trip to Queenstown during the school holidays, she hired an e.bike from the local Torpedo store and went for a 3-hour mission around Lake Wakatipu. “That’s not something the old Hayley would have ever done.” Next, she’s keen to try out the great trails around the Waikato River which Mercury sponsor.
 
As she explains, her electric bike has become a gateway to other big changes that have helped her to Kiss Oil Goodbye. “We replaced our old mower and power tools with electric recently, and my husband decided to buy a new fleet of Nissan Leafs for his business because they’re low maintenance and help his petrol costs. Electric’s becoming more and more mainstream and accessible.”
 
Hayley’s story is a great example of how a small step can lead to positive change. For herself, the planet and her young child. “I might not be alive to see the worst of climate change but my son will be and I love being part of a movement towards something that’s helping change those timelines and forecasts.”

 

DISCOVER MORE e.REVOLUTIONARIES.

Read Nocar Cargo's story.
Read Jessica Rose's story.
Read Paul's story.
Read Esti's story.
Read The Wildlife Hospital's story.
Read The Social Riders' story.
Read Civic Contractors's story.
Find out how e. you could be here.
Back to e.revolutionaries.