Heather Rawe, who lives in Newcastle, shares her story of how she narrowed down the wide choice of electric bikes on sale to purchase her first electric bike, a Smarta LX7 from the Electric Transport Shop.
Local 1 in 4 hills and keeping up with her mountain-biking son helped shape the shopping list; here she tells Pedelecs how her first taste of an electric bike opened up a new world that came with a vast choice and how she whittled the options down to her ideal electric bike.
Being fond of the ‘great outdoors’ and of travelling in general, Heather’s first experience of an electric bike came when she tried one at an exhibition in London. Shows and exhibitions are ideal places to give an electric bike a try, with electric bike retailers on hand to show you around the bike, with usually a short test track available to hop on one for a quick spin.
Heather’s experience sowed the seed for her future purchase; she explained: “A few years ago I visited the Travel, Bike and Boat show at the ExCel centre in London, being interested in travel rather than bikes or boats! One of the exhibitors was an electric bike company and I was encouraged to try one on the circuit. I loved it.” Although the experience was a positive one, Heather hadn’t cycled for years.
“I was never a confident, nor particularly competent cyclist, though both my brothers were,” she said.
A few months later her cycling abilities were put to the test when her son asked her to join him on a day out biking. While the scenery was beautiful, the cycle route demanded some serious legwork, being around part of Northern Europe’s largest man-made lake, a trip that left Heather feeling exhausted.
“Our grown up son, a keen mountain biker, asked us to celebrate his birthday by cycling around Kielder Reservoir, a ride of about 26 miles. I was reluctant to say the least, but with lots of support (& fair bit of cajoling) I made it. But.. I was wiped out afterwards. It was after that day that my mind wandered back to my day out at the exhibition in London… I began to think an electric bike could help me “keep up”!
So with her mind set on looking further into the idea of assisted cycling, Heather decided to undertake some research and test ride a few more models to see which might be right for her – and, crucially, the hilly landscape that surrounds where she lives.
“I did lots of research. I read online e-bike reviews. I booked demo rides on all the e-bikes I could find in my local area and I even persuaded a working friend to apply for a trial under the Cycle to Work scheme so I could try hers!”
None of the e-bikes she tried at that time felt quite right however, she summed up, saying: “nothing ticked all my boxes”.
So, widening her search saw Heather try another four models; she felt she was getting closer. However the price tag of some of the models she had tried had made her nervous of making what she calls an ‘expensive mistake’ in choosing the wrong model for her needs and wants.
Part of her continuing research took Heather to the Pedelecs’ Buyers’ Guide section and in particular to a guide on How to Choose an Electric Bike. Written by the Electric Transport Shop, Heather saw that they had a shop in York, “not too far away” she noted.
She had already decided from her test rides that she didn’t need a throttle, so a pedelec that assisted her own efforts pedalling was the focus of her search.
“I looked at the bikes the Electric Transport Shop had on offer and noted that their prices seemed more reasonable than some I’d tried. I then checked the reviews of a couple of their bikes and was pleased to notice the hill climbing ability of the Smarta range. The LX7 was on offer, it seemed too good to be true! I arranged to go to York and try the bike.”
After some time spent looking for her ideal electric bike, the demo ride at York saw all the pieces of the ‘wish list’ jigsaw drop into place. She said: “As soon as I began my demo, I felt very confident I’d found ‘the one’. Even though I was not able to really put it through its paces, as York is fairly flat, I went ahead with my purchase.”
“It took a few weeks, but eventually it was ready for me to collect. The manager talked me through the procedures and then took the bike onto their car park, where he adjusted the seat and checked the position of the handlebars. He then told me that they offer an ‘adjustment’ service; after a few months I am to take the bike back and any minor adjustments can be made.”
So, having spent time thinking about and researching her purchase, how have things turned out?
“I have now had my e-bike two weeks. I have only been out 4 times on it, but am getting more and more confident. It tackles our hill quite easily, though I need maximum assist as I approach the top. (More to do with my ability perhaps than the bike!)
“I have my own car and will continue to use that when carrying heavy loads, or when the weather is poor, but as a leisure activity my e-bike promises to deliver everything I’d hoped.”
Our thanks to Heather for this interview and sharing her story.
Editorial image of Kielder Reservoir courtesy of Richard Penn, Flickr
