It sounds like a setup for a joke, but it’s not. Even though my husband rides an electric bike (he’d stopped riding due to bad ankles and is now happily back in the saddle), I ruled it out for me. E-bikes are obviously rising in popularity, so when I was offered to try out a Specialized Creo, I gladly accepted. I met a friend and off we went cruising the back roads of Eliot and South Berwick.
Words can’t describe it; only my idiotic grin could. It took bicycling up a notch on the joy/fun scale! Within a minute, I burst into a huge smile as the electric assist helped me pedal up the hills. I shouted out to my friend, “I gotta buy one of these!”. I was converted.
I love to ride my bike. To be outside, smell the smells, see things not seen from a car, and get exercise. But I don’t like climbing hills, and hills are everywhere in my community. I would end up putting my bike on the car rack and driving somewhere flatter. Not really doing much for the environment.
Riding an e-bike feels like a gentle hand is helping me up the hills. I’m still getting awork-out, but one that isn’t exhausting or causing my 66 year-old knees to burn. I quickly discovered that easy pedaling equals fun which means I will ride more often.I can use it for transportation, leaving my car parked where it belongs. I’ll ride more often to places I used to drive — the bank, bakery, or library. Daily errands become fun again, and I’m happily reducing my carbon footprint with every pedal. Oh, and I can always find parking.
So here’s some skinny about e-bikes.
E-bikes, short for electric bikes, come in many forms. Any bike can be an e-bike, whether designed as one, or converted using commercially available kits. Road bikes, mountain bikes, commuter bikes, cargo bikes, hybrids, and any number of other exotic bikes are all available as e-bikes.
E-bikes look and act like regular bicycles, and can be pedaled like any other bike. The difference lies in the electric motor that’s designed to augment your strength rather than replace it. You can reach your bike’s top speed, and the motor will keep you there, but it won’t go any faster than what you can pedal. You can still get a good workout without exhausting yourself trying to get up hills. E-bikes give you the best of both worlds — a bike for exercise and transportation, and an electric motor to help assist you when you need a little extra power.
While e-bikes are finally be taking the world by storm, they aren’t a new concept. In fact, the first patent for an electronic bike was filed in 1897. The technology has changed dramatically over the decades, but we’ve been looking for ways to make riding a bike easier for more than a century.
E-bikes have a variety of different benefits. They make it easier for you to traverse hilly areas while still getting the health benefits of biking. Studies show you get just as good a workout with an e-bike, and you’re likely to ride more often with electric assist. Most bikes have multiple power modes depending on how much assist you need.
E-bikes have a limited travel range, ranging from small bikes that can only travel up to 15 miles, to more advanced models that can travel upwards of 100+ miles. They range in price from $1,000 to over $9,000 for high end models.
If you’re skeptical about whether an e-bike is the right choice for you, you don’t need to spend the money on something that you might not ever use. Instead, find a shop that will let you try one out, or borrow one from a friend who has already discovered the convenience and wonder that is electric biking. Odds are, you’ll be the next convert.
Anne Rugg, President of SABR
assist. Most bikes have multiple power modes depending on how much assist you need.E-bikes have a limited travel range, ranging from small bikes that can only travel up to 15 miles, to more advanced models that can travel upwards of 100+ miles. They range in price from $1,000 to over $9,000 for high end models.If you’re skeptical about whether an e-bike is the right choice for you, you don’t need to spend the money on something that you might not ever use. Instead, find a shop that will let you try one out, or borrow one from a friend who has already discovered the convenience and wonder that is electric biking. Odds are, you’ll be the next convert.Anne Rugg, President, SABR (Seacoast Area Bicycle Riders)