Case studies - how has your electric bike changed your life?

[vidtek]

I think it's a good article, but the fact is the politicians know where their bread is buttered, and it's not the 2% of bike riders. I can't see proper infrastructure for bikes happening in my lifetime. Without proper infrastructure, the appetite for cycling is diminished, it's just too damn dangerous out there on the roads. My local council BCP (Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch), just plays at it, getting central government grants allocated for cycling infrastructure and what do they do; they just play at it-beautiful cycle paths for a couple of hundred meters then bam, you're plonked back into a massive roundabout with nowhere to go, cars and trucks whizzing round with no inkling there are 2 wheelers there. The planners (I hesitate to call them that) haven't got a clue. BCP are just a waste of space and my money.

 

[Max Tolerance]

Well, here you go:

In 2021 I "realised" I was out of condition, so began researching then was offered a grant to help my employees get on bikes, I thought about this for a while then thought why not get on a bike myself! Then, the icing on the cake, I "discovered" electric bikes, now, while I would never have an electric car an electric bike was a completely different proposition, less effort right?
So began my research and I joined this forum almost exactly two years ago, the people here have been very helpful and I was looking for a manufacturer from whm I would purchase my first bike. My initial idea was to buy a kit and build my own, then, me being me I thought to build the bike from scratch (something I could do) then reality set in and as I am very busy I decided to buy the actual finished product.
I emailed a couple of manufacturers/importers and by far and away the best most attentive responses came from David over at Wisper. This guy knew his product and was prepared to give his time to an individual customer (the long term result has proved this was the right choice).
So I placed my order, as my posts show, the bike arrived and I charged the battery then off I went, really thoroughly enjoying my new means of transport, the road to realising my new fitness potential was beckoning.

What a deluded fool I was. I wasn't "out of shape" at all, my bloody heart was failing! After a summer of enjoying my bike, buying totally unnecessary "upgrades" and also investing in some proper kevlar riding gear the inevitable happened, going down my driveway one evening I pushed on the pedal at just the right (wrong) time, the motor kicked in and it spat me off, I landed just awkwardly enough to break three ribs.
I slowly wheeled the bike into it's home I had built for it and that is where it stayed for the last fourteen months or so. Then I had my first heart attack. swiftly followed by heart attacks two, three and four. Make no mistake about it, heart attacks are not for the faint hearted and stay as far away from those Defibrillators as you can, they bloody well hurt. REALLY hurt.
Anyhow, it has been a real challenge the last twelve months or so and I have met some really interesting and important (to me) people, one of whom is Ian of the Electric Cranks (featured elsewhere on this site) Eventually, navigating my way through the NHS I have been fitted with an ICD (Internal Cardiovascular Defibrillator ) I did mention to keep away from these things, right? So this sits just above my left breast with a service life of about fourteen years and I call it my third breast. It causes me no discomfort and is the very best battery operated device I have ever had, a guy I know who has one has likened it to cheating I refer to mine as my Turbocharger, the difference it has made to my life is unbelievable the device is not only a defibrillator but it also manages my heart and it does this in ways that are way beyond my understanding but are incredible, I am indebted to the folk at Medtronics.
So now I am feeling much, much better (life changing really) I decided to get my bike out again: cue really crappy weather in my future :-( Really though get the bike out and look at what fourteen or more months left to it's own devices looks like :-(
I took it over to Rick at Cycleworks: https://www.facebook.com/thecycleworks.tech/?locale=en_GB
He is not a Wisper agent but he IS a very straight and competent bike person, he called me back after a week telling me: "it's ready". It really looked brand new, the same as the day it was delivered, Rick also remarked how well put together the bike was and how powerful, he sees a LOT of bikes so his opinion was important to me. I am so very pleased I chose this bike and now, at this time of the year I am planning my summer month trips and really looking forward to getting on my bike.

 

[oneinfour]

I just bought my first ebike, a Cube hybrid, didn't really put much thought into it TBH (unlike me but quite refreshing) but just went shopping at a relatively local bike shop and came out with the Cube, i liked it because it already had the lights, guards and rack already fitted. I used to cycle a lot in my youth which is a long long time ago, so much so that me and mates cycled to Switzerland without any probs, not something i would attempt now! - I did have an Overbury mountain bike which i used a lot but then just drifted away and lost interest, I find walking a bit boring (and painful on my knees and feet) but I really wanted to get out and about more on a bike and having experienced a hired ebike thought that was the way to go ... it is! - I also wanted to cut down on local journeys so this morning did my first shopping trip. that was a bit nerve wracking as i hadn't cycled on main roads for a long time but because the Cube is quite a big bike (and fast accelerating) didn't feel at all intimidated and i got all my shopping home in one piece. I was surprised at how drivers were behaving themselves (I do as a driver) it was quite impressive especially as the last time I was on the road on a bike there were no restrictions on how badly you could treat cyclists. The Cube's now on charge ready for the next trip - onwards and upwards

 

[Nealh]

Most LBS only sell mid drive bikes and will sell anything to get a sale, I doubt if many are too bothered if it suits an individuals needs.

 

[AndyBike]

Most LBS only sell mid drive bikes and will sell anything to get a sale, I doubt if many are too bothered if it suits an individuals needs.

No, utter mince
Its because they already have contracts with the big companies who do their standard bikes. Santa Cruz, Whyte, Trek,Marin etc etc, and these companies also do an Ebike version aimed at their mtb riding customers.
The larger companies do a range of bikes now aimed from the trailpark dedicated riders to the recreational mums and dads.

They're never going to buy in bikes from some Chinese import company that might be shut down in a years time.

 

[MikelBikel]

Welcome to ebiking! #ebike #electricbike #electricvehicle #fattires

youtube.com

 

[ninatee]

I last posted on this thread in 2014. I still have the same trusty eco-stepper e-bike. I didn’t use it for a few years when I had a car but due to my health declining again and motorists being horrendous, I’ve gone back to my e-bike. I missed it. I forgot how much I loved riding. It truly is my last line of independant travel I have. Since the pandemic, the roads have gotten even crazier than before. Biking is getting scarier, but luckily I live in a town and can just about manage getting around safely. People stop me all the time and ask about my bike. Can’t recommend it enough.

 

[thelarkbox]

I revisited cycling circa 2020. However living uphill/upslope from most destinations, going out was/is fine but even the longer gentler sloped routes home from the city would leave me exhausted, and shopping etc would get left on the bike while i took a wee rest even after more local trips.

Post conversion I can still ride out to most places without turning on the power but oh boy do i appreciate the motor assist on my faster rides home, and arriving home without staggering up to the back gate catching my breath after the final push is great, no more defrosted peas or icecream or worse, 'Warm Cut Meats and Melting Butter!' in the panniers..

Nothing Monumental but a huge boost in quality of life for me..

 

[Sonar.sonar]

I am disabled and 70 years old I have a disability scooter I use a lot but now have an e-bike that I can go out fishing with down to my local beach . Could not do that before I was dependent on others with room for a scooter . So yes changed my life style a lot .
however have a few issues to sort out with a throttle…..

 

[robintes]

Certainly made a difference when I moved to another slightly hill area (10% max). As the ads said at the time "you will amaze other cyclists as they see you gliding effortlessly up hill" That was true. 15 years ago when I retired I like to visit many of the traditional Pubs around 10 mile radius. So dropping in for a few jars was never a concern (for cyclists) - no breathalysers for me - not that I was ever intemperate btw. I would mostly come home dark nights on the pavement - way too dangerous on the roads. Those were the pre Covid days alas.