How I Use My eBike

How I Use My eBike

I have been riding a bicycle for eighteen years starting at the young age of sixty-three. During that period, my favorite times were on multi-week bike tours. I have traveled across National Parks, across multiple states, and from the US to Montreal. Until recently, I averaged over five-thousand miles every year and worn out three road bikes. However, my needs have changed.

In the last year, I qualified under American Disabilities Act. I have cancer, had two heart surgeries, and had a stroke. To continue my passion, I purchased an ebike. My new ride was not much different from my conventional road bike. It was motionless unless I pedal. It weighed about thirty-eight pounds, had a 240-watt motor, and had a hybrid configuration. I could ride it easily with or without the motor. Simultaneously, I depended on greenway trails for therapy.

Unquestionably, riding a bicycle was necessary to improve my seventy-eight-year-old health. Physically, the exercise from shoulders to legs provided full-body strength. Mentally, the outdoor experience focused on balance and concentration. Furthermore, I was hardly alone. Several of my companions could qualify under ADA and had selected safety routes, similar to greenway trails, to ride their modified bikes.

Although my bike had a small motor, I turned it off for most of my travels. I only used its assistance for some hills and for excess distance to avoid me falling off. Its motor was not needed on most greenway trails.

Many people who don’t ride ebikes seem to emphasize the motor’s potential speed. It will go twenty or twenty-eight mph. We don’t! All the people whom I know are concerned about bike weight and battery capacity. We compete on how many watt-hours we have remaining after a ride.

Typically, my speed averaged around ten miles per hour, regardless of being on a road or a trail. I moved casually with other companions with conventional bikes. Unless I was coasting down a hill, I was lucky ever to get to eighteen mph. Our “turtle” group often meandered along thirty to forty miles for around ten to twelve mph.

Thanks to my new ebike, I again anticipate riding annually over five thousand miles and enjoying several overnight tours -- mostly for recreation and therapy, but also for nearby shopping commuting. Its rack and pannier could carry a fifty-pound grocery bag of purchases. Its 240 watts had the additional energy that my road bike never motivated me

My ebike story is not an exception. Just this year, over ten members of my bike club joined the experience. As we retired or approached that age, we recognize the importance to retain our physical ability and request a safe opportunity to continue our health while maintaining our favorite pastime.