For the past month or so, I’ve been enjoying the hell out of riding around London on a gorgeous Cityzen C8 HMB e-bike on loan from Royal Dutch Gazelle. As my time in possession of it comes to an end I’m trying to eek out as many chances as I can to ride it before having to return it.
I’ve been having so much fun zooming about town on this lightweight sporty and attractive electric bicycle and will miss it immensely.
I have to admit before taking the Cityzen for a weeks-long spin, my experience cycling in London (or pretty much any city of size) was next to nonexistent. I must learn fast though, as only a few rides in I was hooked – with respect to joyrides more than actual commuting anyway.
Having the Cityzen made my move to urban cycling a fairly smooth transition. The bike’s pedal-assisted mid-mounted Bosch motor had some serious get-up-and-go to it with respect to tackling hills and gaining momentum at traffic lights. These were key factors in building my confidence on busy streets.
It was great having the bike to explore my particular neck of the woods as well. I’m in Walthamstow, wedged between the recently opened to the public Walthamstow Wetlands and the ancient Epping Forest with the Lea Valley Regional Park just north and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford not all that far to the south. So, there’s plenty of cycling fun within a mile or so from my home. For the most part, bike lanes in Walthamstow are decent and well marked with plenty of quiet residential streets in the area.
Charging the bike’s Li-on battery overnight (from a standard plug in my wall) would be all I need for a few days of regular cycling. So, even the few instances when I traveled slightly farther afield, I still could rely on a e-boost without fail.
If I minimised use of “Turbo” mode (the motor’s fastest and most powerful setting but also the one that would drain the batter the quickest) the battery would last even longer. And of course, the bike rode like a dream even with the power off.
I tended to keep the bike in Turbo though and loved hitting speeds of 25k/hour without too much exertion.
For a proper look at the Cityzen C8 HMB e-bike’s specs (Shimano BL-M315 hydraulic disc brakes, eight gears, aluminium frame, and so much more) and to find your local Gazelle dealer go to gazellebikes.co.uk.
About Gazelle
Royal Dutch Gazelle employs around 350 employees at its factory in the Netherlands where it produces more than 250, 000 bicycles every year. The brand is the market leader in the Netherlands and has been since becoming incorporated in 1892. Princess Margriet granted Gazelle its Royal title on the occasion of its centenary in 1992. In 1996, the Gazelle quality system was certified in accordance with ISO-9001 norms. Gazelle is the only Dutch bicycle manufacturer with this certification.
