A CLOSER LOOK

BEACHMAN FOUNDERS EDITION CAFÉ RACER

Unique look

“The look of the Beachman is completely different to every other e-bike I’ve seen. The closest has been a couple people who have converted actual vintage motorcycles into e-bikes. I wanted something that looked cool. I’ve had people on the street stop me and go, ‘Whoa, is that electric?’ ” said McCool. “My mom was a biker, and she rode motorcycles. So, I couldn’t buy something that looks less cool than what my mom rode when she was a kid. Everyone is surprised when they see me pull away and there’s no noise.”

Fit and feel

“It is one size fits all,” said McCool, who is six feet tall. “It’s shaped like a vintage motorcycle, and you lean forward. I’ve seen short people ride it and I’ve seen tall people ride it, and you just scooch up further on the seat or back depending on how tall you are. I find it completely comfortable. It also feels like a real motorcycle. It has the weight of a real motorcycle; it doesn’t feel plasticky and it doesn’t feel like a bicycle with a battery in it.”

Sense of freedom

“I did use Bixi bikes for a while, but when they sold the company, they changed it so there’s no memberships anymore,” she said. “Every time I wanted to rent one, I had to sign up, put in my credit card, pay a deposit, and it was just too much. There’s only a half-hour limit on those now; to get from the Junction to Queen is at least a half an hour. So, I was pedalling my brains out. TTC service was also reduced in COVID, so my commute went from 45 minutes to an hour and a half sometimes. Now, with this bike I have the freedom I didn’t have before.”

THE SPECS

Body style Café racer

Drive method Electric hub drive

Battery 72 volts, 500 watts

Range 70 kilometres

Price Starts at $4,000

Website beachman.ca