Like many, Maju Emmanuel rode a lot as a kid, and very little as an adult. For many years the only thing that rode his bike were the spiders in his shed.
But a new job immersed him in the blooming bike culture at the University of WA and saw the 56-year-old reconnect with the kid who loved riding around Kottyam, his birthplace in Kerala in south western India.
“Everybody is full-on biking here – there is a big biking community. Staff, students, everything,” the maintenance manager at St Catherine’s College on UWA’s Crawley campus told us recently. “That’s what got me into it. I thought it was a good idea and seeing all kinds of people riding here, it gave me the confidence to give it a go.”
Emmanuel bought an e-bike in the winter and has since ridden 11k each way almost every working day from his Como home.
“I wasn’t sure I could do the 10km because I hadn’t biked in years so I thought ok I’ll start with an e-bike to see how it goes,” the father of two girls said. “I love my bike journeys, I’m fitter, I’m happier – I’d never go back to commuting in a car.”
“I know some people have negative opinions about e-bikes, but for someone like me it’s been a great way to give me more confidence with bikes. We are looking at buying a house that might be further away from work and my wife was asking about this and I said I am confident the e-bike will get me there.”
Safe routes to work: “I don’t rush.”
Of course, with safety the biggest barrier to more people riding, it helps that Emmanuel can ride pretty much the whole way on separated shared paths – not to mention on one of the most scenic routes in the city.
“I always ride at 20-21km/h then I don’t have to overtake anyone at that speed and it takes 20-25 minutes to arrive here. That ride along Riverside Drive is so beautiful, it’s my time and it really puts me in a good mood. I don’t rush.”
He understands how important safety is to a healthy biking culture, having seen the recent decades mass reduction in bike riding in Kerala where his mother still lives, and other parts of India, especially big cities like Chennai and Delhi.
“It used to be that you could see bikes everywhere. Not anymore. Now you don’t see bikes anywhere. There is no place to bike any more, it’s not safe. The bike culture has changed. It’s quite sad. There is little government support.”
Closer to the place he has called home for two years after two decades in New Zealand, Emmanuel praised his e-bike’s ability to moderate his effort so he could commute in his work clothes and didn’t need to shower upon arriving at work, although he didn’t rule out more specialised biking kit in the future.
“Lycra is a possibility. Maybe I’ll get a normal bike one day too!”
Find out more about e-bikes here: E-bikes – WestCycle
Check out our e-bike buyer’s guide here: E-bike buyers guide
