Remember those Toyota ads from back in the day? People jumping up into the air shouting ‘Oh what a feeling!’? That’s exactly what it feels like when you hop on a Zoomo Sport and start pedaling.
The tagline may already be taken, but that feeling sticks when you’re zooming up the street on one of these sleek and snazzy electric bikes. Suddenly the name makes sense. The ‘Zoomo’ really zooms.
From the novice rider to the seasoned bunch road rider, a few of us took the Zoomo Sport for a test drive for a few weeks and that first pedal stroke feels like a slingshot assist. The motor kicks in on and suddenly you’re off.
We’ve all heard about e-bikes and seen them buzzing around the streets, mostly as delivery tools of the trade, so why the fuss? Well, they’re easy to ride and most importantly you feel like you’re cheating on hills and into headwinds. They work on the basis of what’s called Pedal Assist so you don’t need any fancy experience or detailed instructions. When you turn the pedals, the motor kicks in and helps you along all with the aid of five levels of power at the touch of a handlebar mounted button. Stop pedalling or exceed 25 kmh and the motor assist ceases. Safe and secure.
The bike beckons to be used as you walk past it. It’s an all-over matte black number that makes us feel pretty cool for school. Feel like a bit of exercise but it’s windy? Tick. No problem. Want to duck up to the shops in a hurry? Tick. The secure luggage rack makes that a breeze. Want to commute without sweating and avoiding the traffic? That’s also covered.
The included security features also make this bike a little different. You need a Fob medallion to start the bike and if you don’t have that, the rear wheel virtually locks making it difficult to steal, especially considering the weight of the bike. In-built security GPS tracking also adds peace of mind should the worst occur.
There were sad faces in our household upon having to return the demo bike, especially now we’re starting to look up bus timetables for the morning commute. Who knows, Santa might come early this year! But in the meantime, there’s a very 2021 subscription model that means you could be zipping around on a rented Zoomo Sport for $39/week.
