fitness

Testing My E-Bike: Whee!

Diane Harper

I have dreamt of owning a Brompton since Sam bought hers. It turns out Catherine has owned one even longer. I have also wanted an e-bike for a year or so. My plan (eventually) is to replace my car with an e-cargo bike.

So last December when someone in my circle of cycling acquaintances posted about a Brompton e-bike for sale I jumped on the opportunity. It’s not a cargo bike, but I plan to buy a trailer that will make it very handy for shopping.

I made the purchase during the first big storm of the winter, so my first chance to play with it came during false spring in early March. My friend Florence invited me to join her for dinner at a restaurant about 6 km away. I was tired after a busy week so decided to test the Brompton. Did I mention whee?

I was easily able to keep up with Florence, my knees didn’t hurt, I could tuck it under the table so no worry about theft, and it was a fun conversation starter with others waiting for a seat.

People sometimes try to claim that riding an e-bike is “cheating”. Alisa Joy wrote about some great reasons to use an e-bike back in 2018. All those reasons are still valid. Plus it’s fair to ask the question”cheating compared to what? Driving a car?”.

Diane wearing a beige coat and head scarf. She is carrying her folded up Brompton in one hand and her battery and helmet in the other. She is standing in front of a restaurant where two cute dogs are sitting on a bench. Inset, the Brompton folded out and propped up against a brick wall.

Published by Diane Harper

Diane Harper is a retired former public servant who lives and swims (and bikes) in Ottawa. In her hobby life, she is Siglinde Harfnerstochter, a 6th C Merovingian housewife from the city of Metz. Her primary interests are cooking, textile arts and bonecarving. Siglinde lives in the canton of Caldrithig, Barony of Skraeling Althing, Kingdom of Ealdormere.

One thought on “Testing My E-Bike: Whee!”

  1. Cheating? Seems sort of silly. I live in a retirement community in a scenic, hilly area. Lots of people here who have been serious riders have switched over to e-bikes. They can go farther and up steeper hills that way. I followed someone on my regular bike on one of the hilly rides & actually had to walk one hill (I can ride – for a short distance – a 20+% hill). Even on an e-bike, which I also have, some of those hills are a lot of work. Besides, some people have watt meters on their e-bikes to be sure they are still getting the cardio exercise they want. They just get there faster.

    I got mine, not to replace my car, but to keep it off the road a lot more often. I still get groceries in the car when the weather is too wet & windy. I am small and would not be able to ride up the hill I live on with a load of groceries, so when the weather is good, the e-bike solves the problem. I can also get to a visit with friends who live farther away with the e-bike. Mine doesn’t fold, though, so theft is still a concern at some destinations. I also still prefer my regular bike for most rides, though, and usually ride it 10+ hours each week.

    So if e-bikes get more cars off the road and allow more people to enjoy the exercise, e-bikes are great!

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