It’s the wave of the future: electric bikes and electric scooters, which have already caught on throughout Northern Europe, and particularly in Germany where 6,000 postal workers for Deutsche Post deliver mail daily on e-bikes.
As easy as riding a traditional bicycle, but more comfortable – and, arguably, more fun – electric scooters use a rechargeable removable battery that plugs into any electric socket.
Electric scooters, which are 100% electric, require no fuel or driver’s license (for those 18 and older) or license plate. Sidewalk parking is legal, as is the right to overtake traffic jams by riding in the bicycle lane. In short, riding an electric scooter means that you are bound by the same laws that apply to traditional bikes – not motorcycles or cars.
©MRNY
For those people living in Montreal, Dyad Cycles is not only a retail outlet where you can buy electric bikes, electric scooters, and regular bicycles, but also a rental and sightseeing tour company where you can test drive your electric scooter and get comfortable behind the wheel alongside a professional tour guide.
Dyad’s electric scooters are legally classified as power-assisted bicycles. In other words, this is one of those activities that really is as easy as riding a bicycle. Nonetheless, Dyad’s guides offer a free complimentary 10-20-minute training session before you hit the road.
©MRNY
The guides allow you to practice for as long as you and everyone else in your party needs. Dyad’s guided tour itineraries can be modified as necessary, based on the proficiency of all cyclists. The rental price also includes helmet, lock, and map, as well as a courtesy pick-up/drop-off for an additional modest fee.
With locations in Old Montreal and the Plateau, Dyad Cycles has been open since 2010, offering scooter tours that reflect Montreal’s urban pulse. Tours might include forays into ethnic neighborhoods, as well as rides through Parc Jeanne-Mance and up Mont Royal to the Kondiaronk Belvedere with its panoramic vistas above downtown Montreal.
All you need with your electric scooter is a sense of fun and you’ll be laughing all afternoon as you buzz around town.
