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I have decided that I am getting old. So I need some help climbing the hills while pedaling. I am hoping to use much less time driving my old 1996 car. Simply because it is easier than getting breathless at 6mph climbing the local hills.
The effort required to regain my former cycling fitness is a hurdle to further riding for pleasure. I will still get a good workout. Because I will need to pedal to move forwards. It will just be so much easier to climb hills and my comfortable riding range should extend enormously.
The bike is heavy but claimed to be all-terrain and has long [but unspecified] range. It can easily handle mild, off-road excursions. For when curiosity gets the better of me. Jumping off banks on mountain bike parks may be pushing it a little too far. Not that this inhibited certain people on YouTube! Effortlessly climbing a 1-in-4 on cobbles was also noteworthy! On road tires too!
I have ordered the E-bike online. After failing to find the model I wanted at any of the dealers. There was a massive discount online for last year's model. This year's prices were well beyond my pocket! I believe bike sales were very disappointing last year. Following considerable enthusiasm during Covid. So large discounts are likely on 2022 models if you look around.
I quickly dropped any hope of buying an E-MTB. [Electric mountain bike.] Gorgeous as they are and I'd love to own one. Sadly they are completely unsuitable for my mostly, road-going needs. Electric Mountain bikes [MTBs] are legally limited to 25kph or 15mph motor assisted, pedal driven speed. The pedals must turn to allow the motor to assist. This is the legal difference between an e-bike and an e-motorcycle.
E-MTBs
are intended for controlled off-road riding with lots of grip for
climbing steep inclines at low speeds. Descending is another matter and one can freewheel above the legal motor assisted speed. However, the low maximum [legal] speed on the flat would
make longer road trips achingly slow. I can still average 10-12mph on my
loaded trike on slick high pressures. Even when badly out of form.
So after much online "homework" I had a rather fixed "shopping list." For all the things I really wanted in my first new bike since I was a teenager. The trike was my only new machine since my parents bought me a racing bike at 16. Almost exactly 60 years ago.
Now I wanted full suspension front and back. For greater comfort on today's potholed lanes and roads. 200mm/8" disk brakes. To ensure I had enough power to stop safely from these higher speeds. I rarely manage 30mph on the trike. Not even on big descents while pedaling furiously in top gear. Axle bearing friction, I suppose. I never discovered why old ladies could simply ride away from me going downhill. While they were sitting bolt upright in a flapping coat on fat, low pressure tires. While I was hiding behind the handlebar stem on aero [triathlon] extensions. I never made any sense but probably meant I must be working much harder on the flat too.
I really wanted MTB styling in my new e-bike. With fat, but much smoother, road tyres. Knobbly MTB tyres are soon uncomfortable on smooth tarmac. As are narrow high pressures!
A powerful Bosch performance motor would be needed for the "45km/t" [kph] higher speed standard.
The "45kph" [28mph] maximum legal speed bike is called a Speed-Pedelec in Denmark. It is basically an electric moped. With much tighter restrictions on build quality and very strict rules against modification. An approved "45" helmet MUST be worn at all times. These helmets are pricey [ABUS are £150+ equivalent] but have much higher safety standards over typically cheap bicycle helmets.
The e-bike is not in stock at the online dealer despite claims to the contrary on their website. The bike should be delivered in within a couple of weeks from "remote storage." It will be fully set up in the delivery box. So should be fully rideable from scratch. Though I will need a lot of practice riding up and down my 200m, of potholed and rough gravel drive. Before venturing onto the busy "main" road.
Casualty rates are much too high for the elderly moving onto these e-bikes from slow pedal powered bikes. Which is probably why the rules are so strict. France is setting vast fines [€30k!] for riding "tuned" [i.e.De-restricted] e-bikes.
I am hoping my enthusiastic riding style on the trike will equip me with suitably fast reaction times. I am already aware of the countless risks from wet roads and poor road craft. I see it in countless other cyclists every single day.
The complex levers on the straight MTB style handlebars are completely new to me. There are even handlebar remote control levers for the suspension. As well as several modes for motor assistance. Plus the very different brake and gear change levers. I wonder if there are e-bike classes for beginners? There are classes for everything else in Denmark.
Dinner was poached eggs on toast. I ate lunch very late after my long outing. So had no real appetite. The yolks looked a bit odd but were perfect. Just runny, as I like them.
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