Beautiful bikes for Wellington

Beautiful bikes for Wellington

Home » Blog » Su Yin Khoo » Beautiful bikes for Wellington

By Su Yin Khoo

Do you live in Wellington? Cycle everywhere or planning to? Oh how I envy you!

Above: Jason's mamachari

The past year or so has been an interesting time to be a commuter cyclist in New Zealand. You notice more and more people using their bikes in lieu of the car and yet there are few shops that stock bicycles to suit those needs—modified 'Frankenbikes' a consequence of this gap in the market.

Jason and Sarah Penny in Wellington decided to do something about it and started Mamachari to beautify Wellington with pretty bicycles.

Mamachari (ママチャリ) is a term of endearment for bicycles in Japan that loosely translates as 'housewife bicycles' because the womenfolk use them for their grocery run and to transport the children around.

Don't be fooled though—everyone in Japan uses these type of utilitarian bicycles. These upright step-through bikes almost always come with a basket, bell, full mud-and chain-guards, a kickstand, rear racks and dynamo-powered lights—everything you need to get about your everyday business in comfort.

Jason and Sarah are planning a trip to Osaka soon to scout for more mamachari. In the meantime, have a look at their collection of beautiful bikes on their Facebook page.

Comments

Annabel McAleer

Mon April 12, 2010 @ 08:23 AM

I lived in Japan for a year and LOVED riding my mamachari everywhere. I even rode to work in the snow. It's great to sit so upright, you can really be aware of what's going on around you, and also it's just a cruisey and relaxed way to ride.

Drivers in Japan are fabulous (well … if you're a cyclist they're fabulous!) as they're so used to cyclists and give way to absolutely everything, but it's also completely commonplace to ride on the footpath if the road is a bit busy and scary. Wish we could do that in Auckland!

Su Yin Khoo

Mon April 12, 2010 @ 09:32 AM

A driver didn't even give way to me when I was walking on the footpath this morning. He just stormed his way through feeling all-important on his Jeep.

But for one of him, there are many other nice drivers I encounter daily. One even smiled and waved at me and that totally made my day :)

pioverten

Mon April 12, 2010 @ 09:17 PM

yuk!!, they look slow, un-chuckable, inefficient and heavy!

bikes like this serve to cement in motorists minds that cyclists are only capable of 20-25km/h....

Annabel McAleer

Tue April 13, 2010 @ 08:50 AM

What's wrong with drivers being reminded that bikes are slower than them? Isn't it when bikes go super-fast and therefore seem somewhat unpredicatable that drivers get p'ssed off?

Su Yin Khoo

Tue April 13, 2010 @ 09:01 AM

Hi pioverten, thanks for your comments!

I'm not quite sure what you mean by un-chuckable?

For me, these bikes are practical for getting around town and carrying my load of groceries. I can't do that on a racing bike just like how people wouldn't drive an F1 automobile to the supermarket.

The functionality of these bikes may stay the same over the decades but with the availability of new materials, you'll find that some of them are pretty light and can hold their own on the road!

But since bikes aren't overly expensive, in theory I could own one mamachari, one racing bike, one mountain bike, one foldable bike ... :)

Mamachari lover

Wed April 14, 2010 @ 08:56 AM

I've been riding my Mamachari to uni everyday and absolutely love it - saving myself time and money spent on the bus. I can nip to the supermarket & sunday vege market without having to worry about finding a park and carry my load home quite comfortably. My bike is light weight and faster than riding a mountain bike on the road! I couldn't live without my Mamachari now

Patrick Morgan
www.can.org.nz

Thu April 15, 2010 @ 05:53 PM

Nice ride Su Yin! Like the man-basket on the back.
I'm convinced that mamachari is the way to go. It's kinda the opposite of lycra.
Pedal on.

Su Yin Khoo

Thu April 15, 2010 @ 07:40 PM

Ah, that's actually Jason's bike in the top photo ... I can't take credit for it ;-)

I do have a unisex basket though.

piover

Thu April 15, 2010 @ 07:50 PM

unchuckable meaning not that rapidly or violently manouverable. I survived 4 years riding to uni in auckland (about 13k each way), and a big part of that was having a bike (and a body) that could swerve,stop and go fast.

motorists continue to take liberties against cyclists working on the premise of 'he's not going that fast' or 'its easier for him to stop' (part of the asian 'might is right' traffic rules).

anyway, i'm just angry because i have blown out knees and cant ride that much anymore.

Add your comment

Anonymous comments are queued before publishing and it may take some time before they appear. Please consider creating an account and your comment will appear automatically. If you already have an account, please log in.

More Goodness

The Good blog

Winter pick-me-ups

May 15, 2012

As gloomy weather sets in, it's the little things that lift your mood. Like these candy-coloured retro leather purses from Green With Envy – a splash of gorgeousness on the daily shop. And we've got two to give away!
How to get rid of oxalis?

By Zoe Carafice, May 15, 2012

Good's new gardening expert Zoe Carafice is ready and waiting to solve your dilemmas! Each question published on Zoe's blog or in Good receives a fab prize from Tui Garden. This week: how to eradicate oxalis bulbs.
One good reason to skip lunch

By Siobhan Leathley, May 15, 2012

Plenty of food that’s good enough to eat (but not good enough to sell) is disposed of every day. Kaibosh Food Rescue is aiming to change all that by collecting extra food and distributing it to charities. Now they're calling on Kiwis to donate the cost of a meal on Miss a Meal in May Day – so they can expand their mission to help out the hungry.

Good magazine

Urban harvest

By Nancy Howie, April 16, 2012

Could you live off the land? Nancy Howie travels to Canada to discover how one grassroots movement is redefining the suburban dream.
Where has fracking been allowed on the East Coast?

December 1, 2011

Armed with exploration licenses issued by the New Zealand government, Tag Oil and its partner Apache intend to extract oil and gas from the East Coast. See the map here >
Man-made earthquakes

By Good, November 15, 2011

Is it possible for human activity to cause quakes? One investigation in Blackpool, England discovered that more than fifty tremors in the region were caused by fracking operations. Read the article >

Good pages

Latest issue

Discover what gives your home soul, tips for easy entertaining and making favourite clothes last longer. Find latest research on honey for health and the brainiest breakfasts, plus guides to greenwashing, distilling and the best loo paper to buy.

Latest comments

Anne on Winter pick-me-ups:
To survive the cold winter wear wool next to the skin, pile the wood into the woodburner, cook winter soups on top and invite friends in. An …
Olivia Winter on Winter pick-me-ups:
We live in a tiny old house that gets very cold! We lounge around in front of the fireplace in our onesies and our yearly bought novelty sli …
Olivia Winter on Spice up your breakfast:
When I was a child I used to go to my grandparents claybrick house on Waiheke and the first morning I was there nana would bring me breakfas …
Vicki Olsen on Winter pick-me-ups:
Wear lightweight but warm layers of merino clothing, and eat lots of warming soups and crockpot meals. Get outside on sunny days to bo …
Pam Harrison on Winter pick-me-ups:
Comfort food. Home made winter soups are the best. Also the humble roast with lots of veggies, gravy and cheese sauce. I als …
Kama Scarf on Winter pick-me-ups:
Open the doors and windows when the sun is shinning during winter to let some fresh air through the house. Yummy scented candles also …
ck smith on Winter pick-me-ups:
Love those Phoebe purse's, wonderful bright coloursMy best winter-proofing tip is never leave the house without a scarf, hat and gloves …
Fi Bennett on Winter pick-me-ups:
Gorgeous purses - really soft looking and fantastic colours!My husband is a digger operator and will often have to remove old trees to clear …

Blogs

Good pages

Good—simple choices for a better life

Subscribe