I ride conventional MTBs at every opportunity, I do at least 4 hours a week on a turbo trainer averaging a cadence of 85rpm. I have a number of Retro - mod bikes which are a fusion of late 90s/early 00s standards combined with modern suspension & brakes.
I am pretty fit, although beer keeps me overweight. I do though have a dodgy knee and live in a hilly area and eBikes looked like the perfect solution to allow me to challenge the hills with a confidence I currently lack.
Yesterday I had a brace of eBikes delivered, unfortunately I have had to put one straight up for sale but the other went straight to work and what a confusing situation it is!
Hills I used to grind up on the granny ring I can now crest at approaching 15mph, downhills are at or around the same speed as my conventional MTBs but on the flats I am slower. As it is a hilly area my typical journey times are reduced but how I hanker for my lightweigh MTBs as I approach 20mph on the flat. What a shame the assistance falls off at 15mph, if only you could keep a base level of assistance to counter the weight at higher speeds then an eBike would be perfect for me.
Everything considerd it will allow me to expand my range dramatically without having to worry about my knee on the hills but possibly rob me of that delight only a lightweight bike can deliver on the flat at higher speeds, where you can roll along in the high teens with a good cadence in relative ease.
So day two what bike am I on? Well the weather forecast isn't good and I didn't want to get my 1 day old bike dirty so I did an hour on the Turbo Trainer and am now out on my circa 2k Marin Full Suspension and it is a delight to handle after yesterday on the Cude SUV but I m not looking forward to that final hill on the way home!
When I get that rear pannier rack on the Cube and get it loaded up I know there will be no doubt in my mind as to what I want to ride
. Ultimately that is what I want from all my bikes, to have a purpose that is unique within my stable and I am confident the Cube SUV is the right bike for me - although I keep looking at the Cube Nutrail I have up for sale and wondering....
I am pretty fit, although beer keeps me overweight. I do though have a dodgy knee and live in a hilly area and eBikes looked like the perfect solution to allow me to challenge the hills with a confidence I currently lack.
Yesterday I had a brace of eBikes delivered, unfortunately I have had to put one straight up for sale but the other went straight to work and what a confusing situation it is!
Hills I used to grind up on the granny ring I can now crest at approaching 15mph, downhills are at or around the same speed as my conventional MTBs but on the flats I am slower. As it is a hilly area my typical journey times are reduced but how I hanker for my lightweigh MTBs as I approach 20mph on the flat. What a shame the assistance falls off at 15mph, if only you could keep a base level of assistance to counter the weight at higher speeds then an eBike would be perfect for me.
Everything considerd it will allow me to expand my range dramatically without having to worry about my knee on the hills but possibly rob me of that delight only a lightweight bike can deliver on the flat at higher speeds, where you can roll along in the high teens with a good cadence in relative ease.
So day two what bike am I on? Well the weather forecast isn't good and I didn't want to get my 1 day old bike dirty so I did an hour on the Turbo Trainer and am now out on my circa 2k Marin Full Suspension and it is a delight to handle after yesterday on the Cude SUV but I m not looking forward to that final hill on the way home!
When I get that rear pannier rack on the Cube and get it loaded up I know there will be no doubt in my mind as to what I want to ride
. Ultimately that is what I want from all my bikes, to have a purpose that is unique within my stable and I am confident the Cube SUV is the right bike for me - although I keep looking at the Cube Nutrail I have up for sale and wondering....
