Cycling "midlife" crisis

[CorpusLuteum]

Hi everyone,

I haven't been on here for quite a while but now that I'm back, I have yet another "situation". I quit cycling back in July last year and sold my e-co bike a couple of months ago. The last time I posted here I was looking to buy the Kalkhoff Sahel but my circumstances changed and I no longer needed to make the purchase.

Anyway, I began to miss the feeling of freedom a bicycle provides and decided to get back into it. My health has further deteriorated so buying a normal bicycle was out of the question. And so my search for the perfect electric bike began... I had my heart set on the Kalkhoff Sahel but the fear of having such an expensive bike stolen got the better of me. I started looking at cheaper alternatives and ended up purchasing the Woosh Petite. On paper this seemed like the perfect bike for my needs. Anyway I had the bike assembled yesterday and took it for a ride today. Compared to the e-co, it felt so much more stable especially on potholes. But it's also extremely heavy and hard to control. I cycled for half an hour and couldn't signal once as any time I attempted to take one of my hands off the handlebars, I'd lose my balance. My journey was beyond hazardous and I consider myself lucky to have returned home in one piece.

I returned home feeling rather upset about not being able to enjoy something that means a lot to me. I owned a Brompton not long ago and I remember how happy it made me feel for the brief period when I was able to ride it. I don't know what came over me but around half an hour ago, I placed an order for a H6R Brompton and I have no idea what I intend to do with it.

Rant over...

 

[selrahc1992]

Hi everyone,

I haven't been on here for quite a while but now that I'm back, I have yet another "situation". I quit cycling back in July last year and sold my e-co bike a couple of months ago. The last time I posted here I was looking to buy the Kalkhoff Sahel but my circumstances changed and I no longer needed to make the purchase.

Anyway, I began to miss the feeling of freedom a bicycle provides and decided to get back into it. My health has further deteriorated so buying a normal bicycle was out of the question. And so my search for the perfect electric bike began... I had my heart set on the Kalkhoff Sahel but the fear of having such an expensive bike stolen got the better of me. I started looking at cheaper alternatives and ended up purchasing the Woosh Petite. On paper this seemed like the perfect bike for my needs. Anyway I had the bike assembled yesterday and took it for a ride today. Compared to the e-co, it felt so much more stable especially on potholes. But it's also extremely heavy and hard to control. I cycled for half an hour and couldn't signal once as any time I attempted to take one of my hands off the handlebars, I'd lose my balance. My journey was beyond hazardous and I consider myself lucky to have returned home in one piece.

I returned home feeling rather upset about not being able to enjoy something that means a lot to me. I owned a Brompton not long ago and I remember how happy it made me feel for the brief period when I was able to ride it. I don't know what came over me but around half an hour ago, I placed an order for a H6R Brompton and I have no idea what I intend to do with it.

Rant over...

it's never a bad idea to get a Brompton, it's one object where the question "what to do with it" can create indefinite numbers of answers (after a few years of owning one I'd feel amputated if I didn't have mine), welcome back, I always find habituation is a big part of things - a few months back I restarted using a racer and couldn't let go of one hand the first few weeks, now I can text and indicate simultaneously

 

[CorpusLuteum]

it's never a bad idea to get a Brompton, it's one object where the question "what to do with it" can create indefinite numbers of answers (after a few years of owning one I'd feel amputated if I didn't have mine), welcome back, I always find habituation is a big part of things - a few months back I restarted using a racer and couldn't let go of one hand the first few weeks, now I can text and indicate simultaneously

Thank you! Your comment has made me feel so much better and I hope I get used to it soon as I definitely like my new Woosh bike. Despite being an affordable bicycle, it feels sturdy and I like the stability it offers. I just hope I don't end up getting killed on the road before I can actually get used to it.

I'm not able to ride a regular bike due to health reasons and lack of leg muscle so I honestly don't know how I'll make use of my new Brompton.

 

[selrahc1992]

Thank you! Your comment has made me feel so much better and I hope I get used to it soon as I definitely like my new Woosh bike. Despite being an affordable bicycle, it feels sturdy and I like the stability it offers. I just hope I don't end up getting killed on the road before I can actually get used to it.

I'm not able to ride a regular bike due to health reasons and lack of leg muscle so I honestly don't know how I'll make use of my new Brompton.

it's a pleasure, a good thing about bromptons are that they inspire a kind of relaxed type of unstressful cycling, if you're feeling very flush there is a company in Scotland called kinetics run by a guy called ben who does a rohloff conversion for bromptons with deeply impressive levels of craftsmanship, I did this a few years ago (and felt much like you "what have I done") but now am very attached to it and think it will last forever, much like a brompton

 

[RobF]

Nice to hear from you again, Corpus.

I'm a Brompton fan, but it seems odd to buy one if you cannot ride it.

They can, of course, be converted.

I was out on my Nano today, and it still brings a smile to my face.

Hacking through town on it was great fun.

Bromptons can go anywhere, but they are really in their element in an urban environment.

 

[trex]

...
I cycled for half an hour and couldn't signal once as any time I attempted to take one of my hands off the handlebars, I'd lose my balance. My journey was beyond hazardous and I consider myself lucky to have returned home in one piece.

I returned home feeling rather upset about not being able to enjoy something that means a lot to me. I owned a Brompton not long ago and I remember how happy it made me feel for the brief period when I was able to ride it. I don't know what came over me but around half an hour ago, I placed an order for a H6R Brompton and I have no idea what I intend to do with it.

Rant over...

this is one occasion where the throttle can be very useful. It lets you concentrate on the steering.
It seems to me that you'd need a more sit up position with the handlebars a little nearer to your shoulders.

 

[hoppy]

Hi CL,
Welcome back! Great to hear from you again. Often wondered how you got on.You just need to get used slowly to the Woosh.Plan some routes with all left turns and very short.10 minutes is enough. Gradually your strength will improve. With the Brompton you could just enjoy having it until you are strong enough; or get a friend to ride it with you on the Woosh; or return it in 7 days under the distance selling rules.
Best wishes and keep posting!

 

[CorpusLuteum]

Nice to hear from you again, Corpus.

I'm a Brompton fan, but it seems odd to buy one if you cannot ride it.

They can, of course, be converted.

I was out on my Nano today, and it still brings a smile to my face.

Hacking through town on it was great fun.

Bromptons can go anywhere, but they are really in their element in an urban environment.

Hi, thank you for your reply! I bought the 6 speed Brompton hoping that I might actually be able to ride it on the highest gear, or is that not how gears work?

Also, yesterday I was riding my Woosh on pedal assist speed 3 but the LCD display said that I was going at 30kph which I believe is 18mph. How is that possible when the limit is 15mph or am I having a dumb moment? I wonder how fast it would go at the highest speed.

this is one occasion where the throttle can be very useful. It lets you concentrate on the steering.
It seems to me that you'd need a more sit up position with the handlebars a little nearer to your shoulders.

Good idea. Thank you! I'll have to try that once I get used to the bicycle but for now I'm afraid of using the throttle as I fear it may throw me off balance.

Hi CL,
Welcome back! Great to hear from you again. Often wondered how you got on.You just need to get used slowly to the Woosh.Plan some routes with all left turns and very short.10 minutes is enough. Gradually your strength will improve. With the Brompton you could just enjoy having it until you are strong enough; or get a friend to ride it with you on the Woosh; or return it in 7 days under the distance selling rules.
Best wishes and keep posting!

Thank you hoppy for your kind words as always I think I'm just going to have to gradually build the leg strength to be able to ride the Brompton. If that doesn't work, then I plan to do an electric conversion in a few months.

 

[Nealh]

With the 10% leeway the pas may be set to allow 17mph then any extra input you give will go faster.

 

[CorpusLuteum]

With the 10% leeway the pas may be set to allow 17mph then any extra input you give will go faster.

Oh okay thanks for that. It was going at a constant speed of 30kph on flat which is just over 18mph and to be honest with you, I wasn't putting much effort into pedalling. Bearing in mind, this was on speed 3, does that mean it would go even fast at speed 5? When I tried speed 4 for a brief moment, it definitely felt faster. I didn't get a chance to look at the display but the speed increase made me panic so I switched back to 3.

 

[D8ve]

Wind is the biggest factor on the flat.
The motor will get you up to around 16 mph then you put in the extra.
With the wind behind you need very little effort to cruse at 20 mph.
Facing the wind it can be hard to do 10 mph.

Enjoy the bromton. Perhaps sell the woosh and use the money to electrify it?

 

[RobF]

Hi, thank you for your reply! I bought the 6 speed Brompton hoping that I might actually be able to ride it on the highest gear, or is that not how gears work?

I get the point, although it's the lowest gears that are easiest to pedal.

You are having a six speed, but within that Brompton offer a choice of gearing.

They are quite high geared bikes, so it would make sense to spec the lower gears.

All they do is put a smaller chain ring on the pedals, which makes all the gears a bit easier.

Mine is a six speed with the lower gears.

A Brompton dealer can change the ring later on easily enough, it's a standard part which only takes a few minutes change over.

Cost about £35 - it's a Brompton, nothing is cheap as you know.

 

[hoppy]

I looked up the Woosh Petite online. It looks great and super value at £649 delivered. Great choice! If you are brave enough to try the throttle (gently!) without pedalling at first I think you'll be amazed how controllable it is and how slow you can go! You can then add pedalling as much or little as you like. I ride all my bikes like this. It's great!