Bay firm's motorised bicycles selling like hot cakes

PORT Elizabeth entrepreneur Simon Clark has come up with a revolutionary new form of transport, perfect for beating the petrol price blues.

A standard bicycle fitted with a 48cc, 1.7kW motor is ideal for short trips to the store and back. The Super Cycle, as Clark refers to it, is fitted with a 2l petrol tank capable of delivering an estimated range of 80km.

besides the bike being an affordable transportation alternative, the only car able to rival the sheer fun of the Super Cycle around town is the wall-climbing Batmobile.

The Super Cycle, with its small engine capacity, still qualifies as a bicycle, which means no licensing or roadworthy certificate are required. According to Clark the only servicing needed is checking whether all the nuts are properly tightened, cleaning the chain and changing the spark plug.

Clark, who started SuperCycles in November last year, said that he accidentally stumbled onto this business opportunity.

"I was searching for cooling hoses for a Yak 52 Russian airplane on the Chinese e-bay.

"I do not know how it happened but they thought the spares and the motors should be on the same page. We ended up ordering one just for fun."

Clark proudly says they have already sold over 200 of the nifty machines.

He also said the Super Cycle was safer than a scooter, "with a higher sitting position making visibility easier".

Due to slow initial acceleration, riders would not be tempted to take chances around traffic, he said.

The Super Cycle also has the added advantage of easy storage, with riders storing them as they would with any conventional bicycle.

Clark gave The Herald the opportunity to test his answer to the ever increasing fuel price. In short, it works like a bomb.

Despite concerns about hills being a challenge for the Super Cycle, the rider only has to put in a minimal pedalling effort as the little motor still does its part, admirable considering that it still classifies as a bicycle.

The Super Cycle is able to effectively operate with a person weighing up to 115kg and is estimated to reach 45km/h.

If you are interested, SuperCycles can convert a standard bicycle for R2650.

Additionally there is "do-it-yourself" kit available for R2200. - Deon van der Walt