In early 2020, I went for a bike ride along the old Scarborough to Whitby railway track as far as Ravenscar - a distance of about 7 miles each way. At the end of this ride I was exhausted and very “saddle sore” because my old 21 gear Raleigh had no suspension and only two of the gears worked. Those who know this route, known locally as the Cinder Track or Sustrans Route 1, will also know how unforgivingly bumpy it is in places. I was toying with the idea of hanging up my bike clips and giving up cycling altogether.
I’m 71 years old and I had an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) fitted following a cardiac arrest half way up a Scottish mountain in 2014. Very few people live to tell the tale, but I was fortunate because there was an American paramedic following me who administered expert external heart massage. A motorcycle paramedic administered drugs and used a defibrillator to restore my heart rhythm and a team of Edinburgh police carried me down the mountain. An extraordinary amount of good luck and care for which my wife and I will remain eternally grateful. Apart from that, I’m reasonably fit for a septuagenarian and I’ve made a good recovery from my cardiac arrest. I’ve got the normal clicking knees, my stamina and strength aren’t what they used to be and I take a collection of tablets daily for high blood pressure, low thyroid activity and other age related ailments. Clearly, exercise outside such as walking and cycling are of benefit and should be carried on if I can.
I wanted a bike that I could use to explore the hills and tracks of my part of Yorkshire, which is the coastal region between Scarborough and Whitby with an inland radius of about 20 miles. I had absolutely no idea about electric bikes and I had never ridden one. My research was carried out online during the lockdown resulting from the Covid19 pandemic. Clearly, these were not ideal circumstances to make a rational decision!
My essential requirements was for a bike that would enable me to ride in comfort to Ravenscar with sufficient battery power for the journey. However, my ideal bike would allow longer journeys to Robin Hoods Bay, or even Whitby with, of course, sufficient battery capacity for the return. An even better bike would allow me to escape the railway track and enable assisted ascents of the steep hills surrounding my house. I also decided that a step through frame might be advantageous in the long term, given my age. Tracks and bridleways abound in this area so an ability to cope with muddy conditions and stony surfaces was an essential requirement, although I wasn’t needing pure mountain bike specifications.
Somehow, I found the Pedelecs forums and read as much as I could to help me decide whether or not I should continue with what, to me, is a major purchase. This was very useful reading especially the advice to try before you buy. This would be very difficult during a lockdown when the nearest electric bike retailer is 40 miles away and the rules said that my journey would be classed as non-essential travel and therefore not permitted. Thank goodness I stumbled upon Citrus Cycles at Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. They have comprehensive range of no holds barred videos of a wide range of ebikes showing their true capabilities. One video showed a Riese and Müller Homage being taken along just the sort of tracks and paths that I wanted my ebike to cope with. The bike coped with steep ascents and the rain and mud made me feel at home. I was sold.
To cut a long story short, I ordered a Riese and Müller Homage bike which was delivered in May 2020. This bike has a step through frame, front and rear suspension and came with an Enviolo variable gear with belt drive. I also opted for the GX version with bigger wheels and wider tyres as I wanted the bike to cope with the muddy and stony tracks that abound in this area. My battery was 500 Whr although there was a two battery version available and today the specifications include one or two 625 Whr batteries.
So, back to the question: How has an electric bike changed my life? Well, I’m now able to ride to Whitby and back - a distance of 40 miles, so that is really good as my old bike prevented journeys beyond Ravenscar. I’ve also been able to get up the steep ascents and onto the Tabular Hills that surround my house and which have previously been impassable to me. This has allowed access to virtually anywhere within a twenty mile radius although, obviously, not to the East! A typical ride is one that I did yesterday which lasted 3 hours and covered 38.7 km (24 miles) and total ascent of 724 m (7793 ft). The 500 Whr battery would have given a couple of miles on top of that but it was used throughout, often at the highest power for the steepest hills. My rule of thumb is that my bike can get me up four steep hills with some in reserve if need be. This has enabled me to reach as far as the Hole of Horcum using the prehistoric routes of the Tabular Hills. Look at a map - it’s a long way. This is how an electric bike has changed my life. I’m discovering parts of Yorkshire that I’ve never been to before and benefiting from the exercise that gets me there. Since getting the bike in May, I have covered nearly 700 miles with about 40 journeys ranging between 10 and 40 miles. Who could ask for more?The psychological benefits of being in the countryside, especially during these pandemic times, are immeasurable. I have an interest in the numerous prehistoric artefacts that we have here such as tumuli, earthworks and ancient tracks. Being able to visit them by bike enables me to see much more than I ever could during a walk. All in all, this bike has been perfect for me.
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If you wanted to make a caricature of a couple of Guardian workers, the first and last pictures say it all.
