The e-Bike Time of Life

[Templogin]

I am not suggesting that it is the norm.  It is what suits me, what will improve my fitness and reduce my burden on health providers.  I don't have a car.  This bike and a trailer have replaced that.  This morning there was a >40mph headwind so I took the bus.

If you should buy your motorcycle it will be fuelled by polluting stuff from the ground that kills people.

Andy

[leftpoole]

I am not suggesting that it is the norm.  It is what suits me, what will improve my fitness and reduce my burden on health providers.  I don't have a car.  This bike and a trailer have replaced that.  This morning there was a >40mph headwind so I took the bus.

If you should buy your motorcycle it will be fuelled by polluting stuff from the ground that kills people.

Andy

Ah but at least its not a compromise. Its a real moped which is what E bikes are in correct terms.
John
PS I use the Bus a great deal.

[alfie1952]

Hi Andy,

Well done on your purchase, and it's grand that it's getting you out and about. Also that it's not a total replacement for your cracking exp. I remember your last tour that was posted here , did you ever get your hat back ?...... Stay safe.

Alfie

[alfie1952]

😡😡 must have tried posting reply twice.

[Templogin]

No, I was just about getting over that hat, like a long lost relative, and you had to mention it 

[alfie1952]

  Sorry !

[jags]

i lost a hat once 

[Bill C]

hi Andy
i tried to read about your new ebike but only got to page 5, did you buy that new smart phone in the end? you do know you can use them for lot's of other things besides just being a phone, and you could condense and rationalise all your must have gizmos into one super gizmo, lol
how you didn't rip d8veh a new one i'll never know, or did you lose it in the end? ill summon up the will power to read the rest of it later

John
i still have no idea why you are so against ebikes, i'm not ready for one yet but when i am i'm going to pick Andre's brain and convert one of the thorns, tbh if it means i can keep up with the little old ladies i sometimes see whizzing through town i'll be well chuffed
as for you'd rather use the bus than have a bit of electrical assistance, your bus services must be a lot better than here
every time i have used the bus i end up sat next to 3 types of people the drunk/drug addict, the stinking of B.O fat bloke in jogging bottoms and usually some type of crazy bint screaming into her phone a running commentary of what stop we are at

also you say you'd ride a moped but not an ebike, a moped precludes you from using cycle trails or shared cycle/pedestrian paths, why would you be happy on a chicken chaser and not an ebike at least the ebike is a bike and you can cycle on it, mopeds can't be pedaled i know i've had a casal 50, a gilera 50, and a honda ss50, they met the law in as much as you could propel yourself by pedals but you couldn't actually get more than a few yards, last thing you'd want with a dodgy ticker is trying to pedal a moped

btw i know its a couple of month old thread but i ain't been about so am catching up

[Andre Jute]

I don't know how I missed this thread...

Congratulations, Andy. I agree about the health benefits; most of my doctors are cyclists. Like you, I don't own a car, and haven't since 1992 when I decided people who want to see me can come to me.

I would say, Bill, that if you make a conversion on a Thorn bike, you can get the best of both worlds, as readymade e-bikes of good quality can be a bit stodgy (at present) while you can build something quite exciting if you start with the right frame and motor kit. (But note the implications of the word kit. Most failed DIY projects fall down at the non-availability of some ten quid control component.) I've done it twice now and both results have been eminently satisfactory because I plotted the easiest and safest path rather than the cheapest.

[Templogin]

Hi Folks

I have had a cough since October and had to give up cycling just before Xmas as it became so bad that there was no way I could cycle if breathing was required at the same time!  I am still at work but feeling miserable due to no cycling.

Still no smartphone!  There are many reasons why one wouldn't suit me.  I must admit that I worry about single points of failure, but if I had mentioned that in the post on the other forum I am sure that I would have been burnt at the stake!

It's funny what people get away with saying to me on the net.  When I say anything there always seems to be someone who wants to do me down.  In the latest incident there was a post on a forum here in Shetland from a woman bemoaning how bad women have it in life.  I wrote a post in reply saying that it's not all fun being a bloke, retiring later, dying earlier, in industrial accidents the death rate is 95% men, men take on the worst jobs and die on the front lines of war.  Women aren't troubled by these things.

A week later I had my usual catch-up meeting with my line manager who told me that there had been an unofficial complaint made against me, due to my post.  Bearing in mind that when I wrote that post I was in my own time, on my own computer, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the job I do, I also never mentioned who my employer is.  Needless to say I have booked a meeting with HR.  It's amazing how free speech is being limited.

We nearly bought a replacement for the car, but in the end I just couldn't justify the never ending costs, so it's public transport for me at the moment, until the lungs get back to normal.

[Andre Jute]

Man, I hope you're back on the bike soon. It would be just too awful to have to go back to the stress of a car in traffic.

[Danneaux]

I have had a cough since October and had to give up cycling just before Xmas as it became so bad that there was no way I could cycle if breathing was required at the same time!  I am still at work but feeling miserable due to no cycling.

Oh! I am sorry you're having to deal with this, Andy.

That's a long time for a severe cough -- so wearing! 

All best wishes you'll soon be feeling better.

The idea of an e-bike/conversion for you sounds like a grand way to still get outside and enjoy cycling, albeit in a slightly different manner. I remember zipping along on a bike path in Austria with a full touring load when I was surprised to find an elderly lady pacing me at 28kmh. I did a double-take and she engaged me in conversation (a bit breathless on my end). Turned out she was 84, loved her e-Bike, and heartily recommended I get one "if you want to keep up"...before moving briskly past me. I have no idea if her model was "legal" or not, but it sure had speed in reserve, unlike my legs.

I think you're in for some enjoyable times (trolling solely human-powered cylclists, if nothing else!  )

Best,

Dan.

[rualexander]

Man, I hope you're back on the bike soon. It would be just too awful to have to go back to the stress of a car in traffic.

In Shetland?!

[alfie1952]

Andy,
Hope you're feeling better soon and out and about on your bike again. Stay safe and  try to keep smiling.
Regards Alfie

[jags]

Andy that sounds terrible  hope your better very soon

anto