E-bikes are cheating! Graffiti is vandalism! These are givens, right? 

Maybe not. In 2018, Jozi journalist Eelco Meyjes set out to right the wrongs of both of these Karen-isms, by offering left-field two-wheeled tours of one of Africa’s busiest cities. Graffiti Coffee Rides – a cunning man is Mr Meyjes, bringing in the cyclist’s drug of choice to seal the deal – operates out of the leafy northern suburbs, but arranges tours across Egoli.

It all started in 2017, as Meyjes finished his second solo self-supported 3 680km Cape Town to Vic Falls ride – on a ‘normal’ MTB. Besides championing the cause of the declining finch populations of southern Africa (birding is his other big passion), these two big adventures taught him all he needed to know about the potential of the bicycle; but also about its shortcomings. 

At the time, in Europe and in Asia, e-bikes had been around for ages, and were selling like hot cakes; but in South Africa, retailers couldn’t give them away. But in November 2017, after being rejected three times by the 947 Ride Joburg organisers, Meyjes became the first person in SA to ride the event on an e-bike, as their official guinea pig. No one in SA could tell him if the motor might overheat, like that of an electric drill, or if the 300Wh battery would last the distance. 

But the ride was a success; and the rest, as they say, is history.

Outsider art

Meanwhile, in Europe, ‘Banksy’ had rapidly become a household name as the world’s most notorious graffiti artist. The shredding of his little-girl-holding-a-red-balloon painting – at a Sotheby’s auction, immediately after the hammer fell – was a massive publicity stunt that got everyone talking about graffiti. The world pricked up its ears. 

Until then, graffiti had always been an anti-establishment activity; this happening broke it into the mainstream. Today, corporates are big sponsors of graffiti and street art, because of its huge appeal to the youth market. Meyjes, who had majored in History of Art at Wits many moons before, had also seen some outstanding graffiti works on his epic long-distance rides, even in Garies in the Northern Cape. 

South Africa has some of the best graffiti artists in the world; many are receiving commissions from both local and international corporates, governments, education centres and private individuals. Worldwide, graffiti – or ‘street art’, as it’s now more often called – is arguably the biggest single modern art movement in existence. 

All of this got Meyjes thinking: how do you put two wrongs together, and make them a right?

Wall and all

Meyjes had noticed some impressive graffiti and street-art works in the City of Johannesburg – not just in the frenetic inner city, but increasingly, out in the suburbs too. What they needed was for somebody to string them all together, and make a huge street-art gallery of them all. 

Jozi is particularly hilly, though, so some form of assisted travel was required to enable viewers to see all of these huge graffiti pieces, which are often a fair distance apart. The e-bike was the answer: fun, exciting, and the perfect weapon for immediate and close access to the art, even in a city littered with lung-busting hills.

The idea of art lovers trundling around on foot to see graffiti and street art had been around for a good few years; but no one had yet taken people around on bicycles to showcase the spectacular work that can now be seen on our streets. In January 2019, Graffiti Coffee Rides was officially born to remedy that omission.

Popularity has grown since then, and dozens of cyclists now join the once-a-month graffiti tours. Out of Covid, they came in their droves; everyone wanted to get a bit of exercise, learn a bit about graffiti, and have fun on a bicycle. And as the business expanded, cyclists began asking how the rest of the family could enjoy the burgeoning street-art culture that has spread across Jozi and South Africa. 

So October 2021 saw the introduction of the Graffiti Safari Tours option, on a game-drive vehicle. And in 2022, a midweek graffiti tour option; there are more than 800 graffiti walls in Meyjes’ memory-map, after all (and counting). But the e-bike is still the best way to do it. 

Sweat-free, but with the wind in your face, and with probably more coffee stops than are absolutely necessary; but what better way to explore the City of Gold?

THE DETAILS

Eelco Meyjes is the man to speak to, for regular and bespoke graffiti tours and everything e-bike.

Route 1: Melville, Auckland Park and Westdene; +- 24km, R265pp.
Route 2: Newtown and Braamfontein; +- 30km, R365pp.
Route 3: Maboneng (old Jeppe area); +- 40km, R365pp.

All tours stop for a 20- to 30-minute coffee-plus-a-pastry break.

Bring your medical aid card if you have one, and a small amount of cash or your credit/debit card

E-bikes and regular bikes welcome; bring your own – there’s no rental service.

You must be reasonably fit to do the rides on a normal bike, and to maintain a smile on an e-bike (currently, approximately 85% of clients are on normal bikes).

All routes are recce’d and safety-checked 24 hours before each ride, taking note of roadworks, coffee stops, old art that may have disappeared and new art that may have popped up.

Private tours for corporates and clubs can be arranged, as can personal one-off routes and tours.

Routes 2 and 3 are tours to the inner city, and are accompanied by two motorbike marshals to assist with traffic control.

Maximum of 18 guests on each tour.

All tours start at 7.30am from Fournos Bakery in Dunkeld, and end at approximately 11.30am

BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL!

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