We ride a lot here on Cycling Plus, obviously. But we'd be stretching the truth if we said that the bicycle was our only means of transport. And we know that you're probably the same - sometimes only four wheels and an engine will do.
That said, we've long mooted the idea of locking our car keys in a safe for a few weeks and seeing if we can live without the internal combustion engine. We have, of course, come up many excuses as to why we simply can't. For instance, you simply can't use a Pinarello Dogma to take a mattress to the recycling centre can you?
Thanks to Tern, a company best know for making some pretty cool folding bikes, we might finally have to put our money where our mouth is and try. It's new GSD – or Get Stuff Done – is a compact e-bike that looks like it really could replace our company Lamborghinis.
We first saw the GSD at September's mega-trade show Eurobike in Germany. Obviously we couldn't resist the cuddly wolf in a crate on the front of one of the display models. Or the beer on another one.
According to Tern, the GSD "is designed to carry two kids, a week’s worth of groceries, or 180 kg of cargo, but it’s only 180 cm long—the same length as a standard ebike."
The GSD doesn't fold like other Tern bikes, but you can fold the handlebars to make it a bit more portable. "It packs down small enough to fit in a VW Touran or an urban apartment," says Tern. Either Tourans have got bigger or apartments smaller...
It's powered by a Bosch electric motor and, due to it's size, you can actually have two batteries on the go at a time which helps extend it's range – making it a realistic choice for some long haul touring. For the school run you can attach two child seats and for the shopping you can add some hefty panniers. We're hoping to borrow one and will let you know if we can seriously reduce our car use!
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