“I might be a cheater, but I’m not a liar,” I’ve heard myself say this a zillion times since I started riding an electric bike four years ago.
This is the response to the 40 questions I receive from gaulkers of the electric motor which is silhouetted on front hub of my bike wheel. Inevitably, the inquiries include how it works, how much it weighs, how fast it goes, and then . . . “Do you feel like you’re cheating?”
Many times I’ve explained why I got the motor installed mere days before a 350 mile cycling trip along the Finger Lakes of New York. Not long before the trip, I had a slippery fallen down the front steps of my house with a beloved dog in my arms. To avoid falling on top of her, I contorted hips, knees and feet to unnatural angles. The dog lived many years after the fall while I received loads of physical therapy. My Achilles and hip recovered with time for the trip, but my knee still pained me. Any torque beyond a casual spin of the bicycle crank caused pain and power loss. So if I wanted to go on the trip and hope to experience any of the vistas from outside a SAG vehicle, I had to ----- CHEAT.
Was I cheating? The ride was carefully planned around the most scenic vistas of the Finger Lakes and their laterally-running ridges. Unfortunately, many of the ridges must be conquered by riding the steep inclines that run east to west. The climbs matched those of the 3 Gaps in North Georgia
The E-Bike version of the electric bike is sleek and unrecognizable to the untrained eye. The motor silhouettes the front hub like a pancake. Other riders on the trip kept mistaking it for a generator. The nickel-ion battery sits on a double-decker pannier rack so it can be camouflaged by rear trunks or cargo. The wire from the throttle or crank set to the battery is zipped tied to the frame. I owned up to the motor every time I was questioned. “Would I be drug tested too.” But remember, I am a cheater but not a liar.
On one several mile climb, a woman, who kept a strong pace, commented on my climbing ability. I told her I had a motor in the front. She thought I was joking. I repeated myself, “There's a motor on my bike.” and I pointed to the front hub. She laughed again and complimented my climb. I juiced the throttle to show her the power. She never heard the motor nor recognized its components. I simply hummed on ahead of her taking pride in the streamline appearance of my stealth 50 pound bike.
The interest in the E-Bike motor on my TREK 520 persisted throughout the entire trip. Many shook their heads in disdain. Many swore they'd buy one as soon as they got home. I never imagined the motor would cause such a stir, but either way, I enjoyed the Finger Lakes ride without stressing my leg.
When we returned from the Ride, the E-Bike kit was transferred to a Cannodale commuter bike. Fully decked with panniers, handlebar bag, I can cruise around Atlanta with the confidence that comes from a quick acceleration and a steady pace. I hardly ever build up a sweat so the little bike has become my second car. .
Am I a cheater? Maybe so, but I'm not a liar and I'm still riding.
. After a slippery fall down my front steps, my leg could no longer torque the pedal of a bike. I was scheduled to ride the Bon Ton Roulett, a 350 mile group bicycle ride in the Finger Lakes of New York. What was I to do? What would any passionate cyclist do? Buy an electric bike.
Actually, four years ago, you had to assemble your own electric bike. The industry was still in its infancy and most electric bikes on the market were big toys. To ride the 350 miles of the Bon Ton Roulett required the technology of the tried and true E-Bike. My husband and I jumped into action installilng the small E-Bike motor on to the sturdy frame of my Trek 520 touring bike. I might be cheating, but I wasn’t going to miss the ride.
Weighing in at 50 plus pounds, we weren’t very popular with our cycling comrades. The bike took up twice the space of the sleek road bikes it traveled next to in a U-Haul trailer.
