Do you swing both ways?

[RobF]

. The bike flew up that hill like there was no tomorrow, so I am definitely feeling better about my rather elevated heart-rate at the top.

Come on Alex, the bike didn't fly up the hill, you did.

If I recall, you are a good weight for climbing in that you don't have much of it.

I'm pleased you are enjoying the new bike, one never knows about these things and you've made a big change in bike type.

It would be a shame in a way to load it with a carrier and luggage so I can see why you've got a rucksack.

 

[103Alex1]

Come on Alex, the bike didn't fly up the hill, you did.

I deliberately haven't fitted a speedo to the bike as it'll only depress me and to be completely honest I don't want to know how fast I'm climbing unpowered now ! Turned the corner on that one and the only thing I'm bothered about is whether I can keep going without what's meant to be an enjoyable ride becoming a hideous slog/endurance .

It would be a shame in a way to load it with a carrier and luggage so I can see why you've got a rucksack.

Couldn't bear to fit one to be honest, it would have changed the whole feel of the thing. Decided I have the Trek e-bike for going to the beach with all my freediving stuff if I want to do that trip on a bike, so can keep this one clutter-free rather than "for transportation purposes" !

 

[One_Box]

Currently on a cycling holiday in central Brittany with 10 other OAPs. We all have conventional cycles and one of our number ( 73 years young ) has a front hub motor conversion on his Dawes Super Galaxy. I am riding my 2014 Specialsed Secteur which is giving me lots of enjoyment. The rides we have undertaken ( 30 - 55 miles ) have been wonderful although the heat made the 55 miler tiring to say the least!

I am the only member of our club who owns a dedicated pedelec and am often asked why I bother with one as I'm reasonably fit for my age. Of course my Kalkoff is good fun and was bought for a specific purpose ( lugging 2 large panniers of shopping up steep hills ).

If buying an electric bike inspires anyone to explore cycling further surely that is a good thing. The satisfaction of getting to the top of that steep hill under your own steam just cannot be replicated and of course you will end up much fitter than if you only owned a pedelec.

 

[Black Dog]

Interesting to hear everyone's experiences in this thread. I bought my Wisper last autumn and started commuting with it, then stopped for the winter (rural roads, 13 miles each way, unlit, wife not happy) but started again in the spring. The ride is hilly and roads are rough, and even with full assistance it's a decent workout, although it is getting easier. Since then, I have lost over 2 stone, got somewhat fitter, and rediscovered my love of cycling. I am now looking at the next stage - going back to unassisted biking. I can't decide between spending a bit of money on a mid-range road bike or hybrid, or spending a lot less on refurbing my old Raleigh Amazon MTB. No suspension (good), heavy steel frame, but bulletproof and with very wide gearing. I'm at a crossroads, and interested in anything people have to say on making the change to 'normal' cycling. If I get fit enough and go back to unassisted biking permanently, I will probably sell the Wisper, but I will always think of it as 'the bike that saved my life'. When I got it, I was 60, overweight and slowing down badly. Now I am 61, about half-way to my weight goal, and feel a lot healthier. Looking forward to the next few months, and maybe even riding through next winter, wife permitting. Keep the comments and stories coming!

 

[One_Box]

Well done re the weight reduction !
Your Wisper seems ideal for the type of commute you have.
On a conventional bike you will probably take over an hour over that terrain and will certainly arrive sweaty.
Personally I would buy a hybrid in preference to a road bike mainly because the riding position is so different.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[RobF]

You are doing well as One Box says, so don't make any dramatic changes which could derail that.

Continue using the Wisper to commute and do some leisure rides unpowered - if you have the time.

You mention using full assist for the commute.

I don't know the Wisper, but you could try rationing yourself to lower assist levels for all or part of the way.

I've had some success doing that on my Rose/Bosch and now almost prefer it on eco.

Riding a heavy mountain bike is not going to give you a very encouraging restart to unpowered cycling, particularly for the type of riding you appear to be doing.

A new hybrid is a good idea, or if you fancy something even lighter and faster there are now a lot of drop bar road bikes with chunkier tyres.

They are suitable for cycle paths and even very light trails if you have the riding skill.

Alex on here has just bought one.

They come under various names, CX/cyclocross, adventure or sometimes 'do it all'.

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/cyclocross-bikes

 

[Black Dog]

Thanks for the input, folks. The Wisper is pretty good for the commute, although a low gear of 39" means that some of the steep hills (up to 1 in 6) are a strain on both me and the motor. My MTB has a low gear around 27" and I can ride up stuff that I can hardly walk up. The assistance is mainly on the hills - on the flat I am spending more and more time over 15 mph, which means under my own steam. However, the Bosch (as I understand it) reduces the assistance gradually when you turn the gas down. On mine, I have six power levels, but all they seem to do is to cut the power out at a lower speed - so six lights gives assistance up to 15 mph, 5 lights gives full power up to 12 mph, and so on. I must try a few commutes on my wife's Modus with the Bosch system and see if that is better.

Riding unassisted is NOT an option! I ran out of battery on the way home a few weeks ago (my fault, I undercharged it) and it was like riding a lump of lead. 26 kg and the drag of the huge tyres and hub motor made it a very challenging experience. It really is a hugely heavy bike, almost like a moped.

If I don't refurb the Raleigh, I am leaning towards a road bike with drop bars so I can attack the hills a bit better. I never ride on the hooks anyway, but perhaps with my reduced waistline that might be possible in future. It's the variety of positions that I am looking for. The Wisper has ergonomic grips which look comfy, and are comfy for about 20 minutes, but they force your hand into one position (the bars are pretty crowded with levers, shifters, display etc) and after a while I get badly numbed hands. I'd like to replace the bars or perhaps fit bar ends, but it doesn't look all that straightforward. I think I might spend some time (and a bit of money) on the Raleigh and see how I get on. If I find that I can't do anything like the distance I need to for the commute, then I haven't lost much.

Of course, when I got the Wisper I sold my Dawes Galaxy which I hadn't ridden for years. Now I realise it's pretty much what I am looking for. Bad impulsive decision. Sorry for the long post!

 

[JohnCade]

I agree with your points about straight bars, and however good the grips are your hands are still mostly on one place all the time and get numb.

I vastly prefer road bars which give you the option of many places to grip for climbing or going fast, or just resting your hands; while the standard position on the hoods is very comfortable. Your hands seem to feel more natural pointing along the direction to travel rather than at ninety degrees to it too.

 

[flecc]

Most comfortable are the comfort bars often used on utility bikes like Dutch bikes. Fairly wide, grips swept outwards and downwards slightly. A keen cyclist friend who always had drop handlebars tried the pedelec below, the first e-bike he'd ever tried out. When he returned I expected a comment about the e-assist but to my surprise what he said was, "What great handlebars!".

 

[JohnCade]

Most comfortable are the comfort bars often used on utility bikes like Dutch bikes. Fairly wide, grips swept outwards and downwards slightly. A keen cyclist friend who always had drop handlebars tried the pedelec below, the first e-bike he'd ever tried out. When he returned I expected a comment about the e-assist but to my surprise what he said was, "What great handlebars!".

View attachment 11758

Those are the bars I have on my Kalkhoff with good grips too, and I get numb hands after an hour. I vastly prefer drop bars for the reasons I gave earlier. Each to his own.

 

[RobF]

Bar ends on flat bars are good because they allow a change of hand position.

I had them on the Rose, but had to remove them to fit a bar end mirror.

Result is I now get numb hands when I didn't before.

Palm shaped grips are also worth having.

Relaxing each hand in turn by riding one handed helps.

With reference to the thread title, the problem is worse on the Cannondale.

I think that's because the bars are set a bit lower.

I've considered raising them, but it would spoil the nice direct steering.

 

[JohnCade]

I’ve got palm shaped grips, but I have the bars set a bit lower than many with this type of bike to get out of the wind. So more weight is on the bars than would be that case with the usual more upright position.

I did fit bar ends a couple of years ago when I bought a MB to hack around the lanes on. But I found them a disappointment compared to the bars I had on my old road bikes which had so many possible hand positions; and riding on the hoods with brake/shifter levers is just so comfortable with everything a fingertip away.

 

[D C]

Another vote for bar ends, they add a lot of leverage and power if you stand on the pedals for the uphill stretches though for me, they need to be set almost horizontal to get the best out of them. (I don't seem to be doing this as much as I used to!)
They also protect the bars and give stability if you need to upend the bike for roadside repairs.
Dave.

 

[JohnCade]

Yes better than normal grips for climbing. Not a patch on proper road bars though IMO.

 

[flecc]

Yes better than normal grips for climbing. Not a patch on proper road bars though IMO.

Yes, road bars for maximum climbing power. I think you've answered why your found the comfort bars uncomfortable after a while, you like a lean forward position which puts weight on the hands of course. Comfort bars only work well if sitting upright with hands relaxed rather than weight bearing.
.

 

[JohnCade]

Yes, of course that is the reason they aren’t comfortable over longer distances. But I leaned forward much more on my road bikes so I was comparing the comfort of bars for my riding style. As we all do naturally. Personally I hate the sit up and beg riding position with all the weight on my arse and the road shocks going up my spine. It’s harder to lift your bottom over the bumps too.

Nothing at all wrong with the actual comfort of these bars, and if anything with my hands stuck in the one position the grips are more comfortable than less padded road bars after a while. They are no different in comfort to MB bars or other kinds of flat bars in that respect and the grips are important with this type. But of course with road bars you aren’t stuck with one position, you have lots of possible positions to ring the changes. That’s what I was saying in the post and why I find them more comfortable for longer rides.

 

[One_Box]

Numb hands ... Maybe you are gripping the bars too tightly? Try relaxing more, make a conscious effort to relax shoulders and neck whilst riding.
Do you slip forward on the saddle whilst riding, if so raise the nose of the saddle just enough to prevent this happening.
Drop handlebars, definitely the best especially for long distances IMO and I've tried all sorts over the years.

 

[JohnCade]

Numb hands ... Maybe you are gripping the bars too tightly? Try relaxing more, make a conscious effort to relax shoulders and neck whilst riding.
Do you slip forward on the saddle whilst riding, if so raise the nose of the saddle just enough to prevent this happening.
Drop handlebars, definitely the best especially for long distances IMO and I've tried all sorts over the years.

Thanks. But many decades of riding different kinds of bikes, including a good few years being a semi serious roadie has taught me how to deal with numb hands and elbows and arse, and all the rest that gets cramped up.

 

[Black Dog]

I've had the numb hands thing for years (carpal tunnel syndrome) and it used to afflict me terribly on motorbikes, where there is very little weight on the hands. I used to ease it by taking a hand off and doing a few crunches. Oddly, it got better over time and it has hardly bothered me in the last year or two. On the ebike, it's come back with a vengeance. Not gripping too tightly, it's just the weight on one part of the palm for 30 minutes plus. Road bars have always been the best for me in terms of hand comfort, but with an economy size waistline (read big gut) they were not comfy in other ways. However, I fitted some new bars (old stock in the local bike shop, cheap as chips, one piece with 'horns' like bar ends) to the MTB last night and went for a ride. They were a vast improvement, and with the Brooks saddle from the Wisper the whole bike was a million percent more comfy than before.

It's a nice afternoon here, so I am going to clean the MTB, adjust the gears and brakes (not done in years) and commit to doing short rides on that in between commuting on the Wisper. I'm going to try to build up gradually until I can do the whole distance, hills and all. Long term project, perhaps aim for next spring. But I think a nice road bike is going to be the ultimate solution.

Thanks for all the comments, very valuable.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I was out on my roadbike today and my hands kept going numb. Like you, I used to get it on my motorbike, which I put down to my jacket applying a bit of pressure under my arms. Today, I was wearing only a tee-shirt, so the cause must be the position of my arms , which still traps the nerves. The moment I take one hand off the bars, the feeling comes back, but it only takes a few minutes to go numb. I tried every position of holding the bats but still my hands go numb.