People look to ebikes for many reasons, from those seeking maximum assist with minimum personal effort and vice versa and with all stages in between.

 

In 2020 permanent AF (Atrial Fibrillation) struck leaving me finding it difficult to climb stairs let alone ride a bike. Various treatments with varying degrees of success over the next 4 years ultimately led to a ‘good result’ for me and my cycling. In that intervening period my ebike conversion (TSDZ2 on a Dawes Galaxy) got me back on the road quite quickly thanks in no small part to technical input from this forum (too many to name but you know who you are :-) ).

 

Over time as health improved, so did the ability to cycle with reduced levels of ‘e’ assistance and from springtime this year I found it possible to cycle without ‘e’ at all on the flatter parts of rides. This led to a cycle of events (no pun intended) whereby cycling unassisted saw me get stronger so then the cycling miles without ‘e’ increased – and then fitness got better still and so on.

 

I now have 3 conversions, 2xTSDZ2 on flat handlebar bikes, 1x front hub motor on a road bike, my old carbon frame Trek Madone. I now use the Trek for the ‘faster’ group rides in our club. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no born again roadie (too old at 74!) and still rely on some ‘e’ to get me through but now only on the sharper inclines.

 

Yesterday’s ride exemplifies the benefits of using an ebike to recover from illness in that over 56 miles and 1,000 of ascent (the South Downs area) I used just over 25% of my 300 Wh battery (2.95Wh/mile) as for much of the ride, road speed was above the ‘e’ cut-off and on the flatter parts of the ride, ‘e’ was at zero – the delights of riding lighter bikes with smaller batteries and ‘recovered’ legs!

 

I frequently see unassisted riders who struggle on demanding rides but refuse to ‘give in’ as they see it, to ‘e’ assist but I would say to them, use the ‘e’ only when you need to, enjoy your rides more or if you’ve been unwell, consider the ‘e’ assist as part of your rehabilitation

 

I would be interested to hear from others whose ‘e’ assist has led to them getting fitter rather than as some folks say, that ebikes make you lazy (but I’d say only if you choose it to be that way).

It's wonderful to read about how your health has improved, and long may this continue! Banish Atrial Fibrillation to hell forever!

 

p.s. Are you eating fewer cakes? As you know, I prefer biscuits. Cakes are the enemy.

I have converted 1 solo and 2 tandems to e-assist for similar reasons to you. Advancing years and some health issues meant I began to struggle with normal cycling. I resisted the temptation fit a motor for as long as possible, but now wish I'd done it sooner. We've almost reached our target of 2,000 miles on our tandems this year and there is no way that would have been achievable with e-assist.

 

We converted the first Orbit tandem in 2021 with a Woosh DWG22C kit and it has been virtually faultless over the past 5,000 miles it has covered since then. I used the same kit to covert a solo as I wanted parts commonality with the tandem. We used a Tongshen TSDZ2B on a Thorn tandem (Rohloff hub) earlier this year and have done about 750 miles since the summer.

 

We're asking a lot of the little Tongshen to propel a tandem - normally only using levels 1 & 2 - but it means that our own effort is increased. I know my pulse monitor tells me I'm definitely trying on the climbs!

 

I would completely agree with your comment that e-assist can help with fitness but it does depends on the individual. In our case, we tend to go out more often and go further than we would have done otherwise. Not having to worry about headwinds / steep hills makes a big difference to the motivation needed to wheel the bike out of the garage. For much of the time we manage without using assistance and only really use it when required.

 

I still miss not riding my lightweight race bike, but e-assist has been a game changer in terms of maintaining at least a modicum of fitness. In profile, I still look more like a capital letter 'I' than a lower case letter 'd'. .

I've ridden bikes all my life. Usual utility stuff, paper round, youthful misadventures, girlfriends (amazing how far you can cycle when 'urged' ). But I've never been a strong cyclist and would often struggle and suffer against wind and on hills. When I moved to Ceredigion in 2000 the hills put an end to my leisure rides with the bikes only coming out a couple of times a year when we could take them somewhere flat.

In 2013 we got a Big Bear for the misses. At least we could now go out together, however on a holiday in Anglesea I was getting left behind by a woman in a summer dress and a straw hat. Frankly it was embarrassing. That's when I got my first Ezee kit.

Some 15k miles later I've now got a rear AKM and still going. Ghost pedaling ,when the knees are playing up, means I can still do the shopping and leisure rides and tackle some pretty stiff hills around here.

Hope to get the wife back on the Big Bear soon, after a hip replacement, as soon as she can handle the step through.

[mention=33660]guerney[/mention] -

p.s. Are you eating fewer cakes?

- now there's a question! The problem with riding faster and further is coffee and cake stops become more inviting (and self justified) and I'm no saint .

[mention=29130]Jodel[/mention]

In our case, we tend to go out more often and go further than we would have done otherwise. Not having to worry about headwinds / steep hills makes a big difference to the motivation needed to wheel the bike out of the garage.

That's it in a nutshell isn't it and it's good to hear your story, especially with regard to the tandem conversions. We too have a tandem (from the Dutch firm Santos) with the Rohloff IGH and I'm looking to convert it next, but what with? A TSDZ2 won't fit through either of the 2 eccentric bottom brackets due to the protrution of the BB retaining screws (see the pic in my post HERE about this and not wishing for this thread to go off topic, could I ask how you got on fitting the TSDZ2B to your Thorn tandem and maybe post your reply in that post I've link to please?)

girlfriends (amazing how far you can cycle when 'urged' )

Ha, I remember the man who taught me when I was an apprentice saying "your like a dog you'll travel miles to get it!"

Same here - 73 years old with AF. E power only used when absolutely needed and my fitness has greatly improved.