E-bike experiences – riding together!
“E-cycling has opened up completely new opportunities”
An e-bike benefits both neighbours when the two go for a ride
Joint rides with an e-bike and a traditional bicycle have opened up new outdoor exercise opportunities for two neighbours living in eastern Helsinki. By taking turns on the e-bike, both have the stamina and they dare to go on longer rides.
A few years ago, the family of Helsinki resident Maija Erkheikki bought a Helkama Hawk e-bike for the whole family to use. The idea emerged during a holiday trip to Lapland.
“We rented e-bikes in Levi and the children spent all day with them outside. However, an e-bike is not cheap, so we first decided to buy one for everyone to use,” Erkheikki says.
“We live in a somewhat remote location at the boundary between Helsinki and Sipoo, so the children ride the e-bike to visit friends or go play football, for example. It is also comes in handy for a run to the local shop, which is also 4 kilometres away,” Erkheikki says.
But even Erkheikki would not have immediately guessed that the family bike could be shared with a neighbour as well.
One beautiful winter day, however, Erkheikki asked her neighbour Maria Rosenström to go on a ride on ice. Rosenström had a traditional bicycle, while Erkheikki took the e-Helkama. On the next rides, they began to switch bicycles, even in the middle of the ride.
“By switching bikes, both get a good exercise, but we can also adjust the load based on the mood and energy of the day,” Erkheikki says.
The e-bike turned out to be even more useful when Rosenström became pregnant: as the pregnancy progressed, the rides could continue, as the bike provides just the amount of assistance you want.
Exploring the home region with an e-bike
Mainly, Erkheikki and Rosenström cycle along trails in the Sipoonkorpi National Park and nearby areas. Especially at first, the forest trails were relatively unfamiliar to the duo, so they even got a little lost at times – and still do.
“We’re a sort of adventurers at heart. It’s always nice to go and see where a small path leads,” says Rosenström.
With an e-bike, there is no need to be afraid of running out of stamina, even if the tide suddenly gets longer.
“The e-bike has opened up completely new outdoor opportunities that we would not have imagined before,” says Erkheikki, who even bought a sports watch, which has further expanded the route selection.
“We have found completely amazing trails even very near to us that we knew nothing about before. The home region has become much more familiar with this hobby.”
The company bike benefit makes it easier to get an e-bike
Even though the neighbours have been pretty satisfied with the combination of an e-bike and a traditional bicycle, Rosenström admits that she is so enamoured of the opportunities offered by the e-bike that she is planning to get an e-bike of her own.
“It would also be a really good way to start exercising after childbirth, when you can adjust the load accordingly,” Rosenström points out.
Getting an e-bike is also facilitated by the company bike benefit, giving an annual tax benefit of EUR 1,200.
A company bike is not limited to commuting by any means, it is freely available in leisure time as well – for example, for those rides in the woods with a neighbour.
Making commuting by bicycle a pleasure!
Commuting by bicycle is possible with a wide range of bikes; choose one that matches your needs and journeys. With the right equipment and route choices, you will make your commute a moment of enjoying some personal time.
