Some weeks ago I bought a big Bear step-through for me and a Santanta CD-L for Mrs Camera Dealer. I only had a short ride on it at home to make sure that everything was working as I mainly use a bike on our several holidays in Europe.
In May/June this year I was cycling over twenty miles a day on the very flat Ile de Re using my conventional road bike but I'm not fit, getting on in years and found hills hard work. I decided that the best way to expand my cycling was to get an e-bike. My wife already had a Powacycle, which was on the way out so I came on here for advice.
I'm glad that I did! I'm delighted with my Big Bear and here's the story so far.
We're at Lake Annecy in the French Alps and for the first couple of days had short trips of up to twelve miles just riding in to town and exploring the environs, but again, the west side of the lake is very flat.
Today I decided to do the circuit of the lake, which is about 25 miles. Anyone who knows this area will also know that the east side of the lake is anything but flat. There is a very long and steep climb going north out of Talloire. There is no way that I'd have got half way up on my road bike!
The Big Bear was a revelation! I put it in second gear on maximum power (5) and it just sailed up. At times I reduced the power level to 4 as my legs were spinning. It felt funny flying past some lycra-clad real cyclists who were struggling up the hill and they hooted at me in a good-natured way as I passed them.
Up this hill the battery-level indicator dropped slightly as it must have been hammering the battery but once I'd climbed the hill it remained on full for the rest of the trip, although I am aware that it may still show full when it's maybe only half full. However, I'm confident that there were many miles left.
One thing that I have learned is to turn off the throttle when stopping as it's so easy to accidentally twist the throttle and the bike starts pulling away very strongly whilst you're waiting at a crossroads or slowing down for a chicane on the cycle path - very embarrassing!
I'm beginning to wish that I'd bought the BB for my wife as she's not mechanically minded at all and is forever forgetting to stop pedaling before changing gear, it being a crank drive and all, but hopefully she'll get there.
Anyway, the crank drive is supposed to be better than a hub drive for hill climbing but I simply can't imagine it being better than the BB. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'm going to do the same circuit on the Santana and see how it compares on the Tailloire climb. It should be interesting and I'll report back.
Finally, good service from Woosh yesterday. Some idiot stepped out in front of my wife and she fell off her Santana. Bruised elbow, hand and knee but nothing life-threatening. What was worrying was that we couldn't get her bike to work in e-mode as the King-Meter kept reverting to Error 25. In desperation I phoned Woosh, not expecting a reply as it was Saturday. Hatti was in thank God and she put me on to a technical chap who told me that I should unplug the leads from the bike handles to see if it would clear it. At least I thought he said 'bike handles' but he's Italian or something and I only speak Lancashire, but eventually I realised that he was saying 'brake handles'. Sure enough, unplugging the right-hand cable cleared the fault.We then noticed that the brake handle had got bent in the fall and was stuck in the slightly 'pulled on' position. A bit of brute force straightened it and all was well! So well done Woosh and well done who ever steered me to Woosh in the first place, Trex I think?
In May/June this year I was cycling over twenty miles a day on the very flat Ile de Re using my conventional road bike but I'm not fit, getting on in years and found hills hard work. I decided that the best way to expand my cycling was to get an e-bike. My wife already had a Powacycle, which was on the way out so I came on here for advice.
I'm glad that I did! I'm delighted with my Big Bear and here's the story so far.
We're at Lake Annecy in the French Alps and for the first couple of days had short trips of up to twelve miles just riding in to town and exploring the environs, but again, the west side of the lake is very flat.
Today I decided to do the circuit of the lake, which is about 25 miles. Anyone who knows this area will also know that the east side of the lake is anything but flat. There is a very long and steep climb going north out of Talloire. There is no way that I'd have got half way up on my road bike!
The Big Bear was a revelation! I put it in second gear on maximum power (5) and it just sailed up. At times I reduced the power level to 4 as my legs were spinning. It felt funny flying past some lycra-clad real cyclists who were struggling up the hill and they hooted at me in a good-natured way as I passed them.
Up this hill the battery-level indicator dropped slightly as it must have been hammering the battery but once I'd climbed the hill it remained on full for the rest of the trip, although I am aware that it may still show full when it's maybe only half full. However, I'm confident that there were many miles left.
One thing that I have learned is to turn off the throttle when stopping as it's so easy to accidentally twist the throttle and the bike starts pulling away very strongly whilst you're waiting at a crossroads or slowing down for a chicane on the cycle path - very embarrassing!
I'm beginning to wish that I'd bought the BB for my wife as she's not mechanically minded at all and is forever forgetting to stop pedaling before changing gear, it being a crank drive and all, but hopefully she'll get there.
Anyway, the crank drive is supposed to be better than a hub drive for hill climbing but I simply can't imagine it being better than the BB. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'm going to do the same circuit on the Santana and see how it compares on the Tailloire climb. It should be interesting and I'll report back.
Finally, good service from Woosh yesterday. Some idiot stepped out in front of my wife and she fell off her Santana. Bruised elbow, hand and knee but nothing life-threatening. What was worrying was that we couldn't get her bike to work in e-mode as the King-Meter kept reverting to Error 25. In desperation I phoned Woosh, not expecting a reply as it was Saturday. Hatti was in thank God and she put me on to a technical chap who told me that I should unplug the leads from the bike handles to see if it would clear it. At least I thought he said 'bike handles' but he's Italian or something and I only speak Lancashire, but eventually I realised that he was saying 'brake handles'. Sure enough, unplugging the right-hand cable cleared the fault.We then noticed that the brake handle had got bent in the fall and was stuck in the slightly 'pulled on' position. A bit of brute force straightened it and all was well! So well done Woosh and well done who ever steered me to Woosh in the first place, Trex I think?
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