Electric bicycles sideway

The JollyBikes Story continues and immerses us into a new world of different relations and experiences.
I have been put in contact with Neil, a man of Japanese descent who was brought up in Hawaii, has lived in the USA for some years before he arrived here 19 years ago and made Thames his home. He has worked as a bicycle mechanic for some years in the past - and that lead to a working relationship as the JollyBikes mechanic - he established our workshop in his garage in Parawai, a suburb of Thames. Which is an invaluable addition to our services. But not only that, the conversations with him are very interesting and sometimes funny - around sociology, ethnology, human behaviour and mentality, and shop talking about bicycle technology.

Also, there is Mark, the casual-attitude Chech immigrant and entrepreneur and owner of Volto Bikes, who runs his company on his own and flies to China now and then to supervise the production of his e-bikes, and Kaye, the Kiwi woman from Nelson who has given me so many invaluable tips and help with setting up especially the rental part of the business. She herself runs an e-bike rental and retail in Nelson (a2b cycles) which she established four years ago.
Elena helps me handing out the bikes when I am at (my original) work.
I attend meetings for small businesses now (although this is of limited help, and it feels a little awkward and I almost feel like cheating).

Every Saturday we are on the weekly Thames market with a stall, advertising. Most people passing by are locals. Few try the bikes, but many show at least some interest. I have overheard people commenting "Look, these are the e-bikes they are talking about now" while they were passing. The locals are more interested in buying then in renting, naturally. Apart from interest there is also a conservative, contemptuous attitude: "that is cheating", or "these bikes are for old people". This mirrors the ambiguity of the Kiwi's attitude towards innovation: "my father hasn't needed this, so I don't need it either", as Neil has put it in words in one of our conversations.
Nevertheless, we have sold our first e-bike now, a Volto, and another one has been ordered. And I have got approval (at least in principle) to become an official retailer of all our brands, Smartmotion included.
The rental business is still going a bit sluggish: about 15 customers in total so far. Maybe we have to further work on things there.
Yes, I still work as a doctor. I am at Te Korowai, back where I started in 2010, and have just increased my hours there again. In between I have done some shifts at other clinics as well but none of these other clinics have really turned out to be a long-term option for me.
Unfortunately we had to stop the "Former Garden Shed" B&B business, lamentably, our landlords did not like it, and we are now looking for a house to buy to be able to continue the hospitality work we enjoy so much.    

A group of our first rental customers

Elena on the Thames Saturday Market

Neil and me at the market stall

Market Scene

Market Scene

The e-bike storage cabin on the Cruz'n Stop Campervan Stopover grounds on Mary Street, Thames