E-bike as mobility aid - advice please

[theWoosh]

An update...
Nearly 7 years on and this bike and kit is still working flawlessly!
Had to replace the 24v/30AH LifePO4 Ping battery last year as it went way out of whack (I don't think we'd had anywhere near 8,000 charges!) - possibly due to being stored in low temperatures and gradual imbalance leading to overcharging of some cells (which slowly grew and burst!). On our second Ping battery (notably lighter and smaller than the first) and all going well - a testament to the Cyclone kit. Admittedly this gets fairly low use during warmer/drier months each year but still good...

 

[Lyme Disease]

Lyme disease

Wait, wait, wait, so people here are looking into ebikes because they use to be avid bikers and walkers (out in the country, forest) and they all came down with ME/CFS, and no one batted an eye? Come on people, this should be obvious.

They got bitten by a tick and got Lyme disease.

What it is known for, one of the most common symptoms, is fatigue.

There are treatments.

I signed up for this website, just so that I could help these people, by replying to posts they made over 10 years ago, because no one else could see it? I am sure you are all nice people, but you have got to be more on top of things.

Hopefully this post helps:
theWoosh
Artstu

Tell your doctor what you've been doing and where you've been doing it.
He can help, if he knows.

 

[Lyme Disease]

I have CFS/ME too
This thread saves me asking the same question.I also have ME, I have had it for a few years now, I used to be a very active walker/cyclist, four years ago I was a club level cyclist.

You very, very probably have Lime Disease, if you were an active cyclist/walker and came down with fatigue for no reason.
Tell your doctor what you've been doing. You probably missed seeing the tick bite.

 

[Artstu]

You very, very probably have Lime Disease, if you were an active cyclist/walker and came down with fatigue for no reason.
Tell your doctor what you've been doing. You probably missed seeing the tick bite.

I did have contact with ticks in Northumberland and the Lakes, my dog certainly did get bitten. I did also look into Lyme disease years ago, but wasn't convinced it fitted fully, I'm 13 years into illness now.

I seem to remember talking to my doctor about Lyme but can't remember if I was actually tested. Perhaps I'll see if I can be tested once Covid-19 has eased a bit.

Lyme disease

Read NHS information on Lyme disease, which is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks.

www.nhs.uk

 

[UrbanPuma]

I read your post with interest because I am in a similar situation.I purchased an electric folding bike in march of this year while I was in relatively good health.My health has deteriated considerably since then,(diabetes and siatica and my left leg is pretty much useless,I walk with a cane and am capable of about 300 meters before I have to sit down.
I now consider my ebike as my salvation,I can go just about anywhere in montreal within a 20km radius.
I do not have a throttle on my bike and am able to climb
many hills hills with minimal pressure on the pedels with ease.
My only concern is reliabity as I had a flat 1 km from home and the walk was made acceptable because of the folding pedals,using my bike as a walker.
Please consider a folding ebike because if you get stuck
you can easily fold your bike and take a taxi.
thanks,Jan

I second this. I have a Powacycle Puma folding bike which has a throttle and it is a godsend when unable to peddle.

 

[UrbanPuma]

I agree that this is a tall order. I think the bike that will closest match what you are looking for is the Ezee Chopper. see OnBike Electric Bikes UK - The Electric Bicycle Specialist . It has amazing hill climbing ability but is limited to 12-13mph. It all depends on the weight of the rider. If you wire parallel batteries its hill climbing is even better. You would be welcome to come and try one out.

Andy

I agree Ezee Chopper is a powerful bike - do they still make them?

 

[Artstu]

I second this. I have a Powacycle Puma folding bike which has a throttle and it is a godsend when unable to peddle.

Be interesting to see if they come back to you after 11 years.

 

[UrbanPuma]

Be interesting to see if they come back to you after 11 years.

I don't quite follow, who? Lol

 

[Artstu]

I don't quite follow, who? Lol

They've not logged in for nearly 11 years.

 

[UrbanPuma]

They've not logged in for nearly 11 years.

Oh really lol. Ah old thread resurrected lol. Hope they got their bike in the end.

 

[Artstu]

Oh really lol. How come everyone is replying now then?

Lyme Disease brought the thread back from the dead not to say that the thread shouldn't carry on though, as most is just as relevant now as back when the thread was started, the bikes might have changed a little bit though.

 

[Andy52]

Lyme Disease brought the thread back from the dead not to say that the thread shouldn't carry on though, as most is just as relevant now as back when the thread was started, the bikes might have changed a little bit though.

I have also been diagnosed with ME/CFS and I have disputed this diagnosis for the last 15 years. I worked in forestry and was bitten hundreds of times by ticks but all tests still come back negative for this. My doctor agrees that the only difference between the two is a positive blood test, ME/CFS is given as a fallback when all else is negative.
I too bought an ebike hoping I could use it to get around and get some exercise. I needed the throttle option as I could end up stranded if I had a breathing attack through also having COPD.
After modifying the seat and suspension, I am now ready to get out but am stranded through self-isolation.
The bike is not a road legal one but there are hundreds of miles of forest tracks around here where I can use the bike. It is 2000W and has a top speed of 46mph although I would never even contemplate using it over 15mph, that's fast enough so I have restricted the max. speed, but it can tackle any hill no matter how steep. I have been up one so steep that the front wheel of the bike lifted off the ground and it just kept going up.
I've not tried yet to test the range of this setup but I'm told by the maker that I should get 30 miles out of it. Roll on summer and the lifting of the restrictions on going out.

 

[Artstu]

I have also been diagnosed with ME/CFS and I have disputed this diagnosis for the last 15 years. I worked in forestry and was bitten hundreds of times by ticks but all tests still come back negative for this. My doctor agrees that the only difference between the two is a positive blood test, ME/CFS is given as a fallback when all else is negative.

As you say ME/CFS is a waste bin diagnosis, and if your test is negative I expect mine will be too, I found one tick on my leg which didn't look to have bitten and one crawling across my clothes.