It's Electric! My Dad and His E-Bike
My sister and I bought and assembled an electric motor for my dad’s bike this Christmas. It was the first gift he’s ever enjoyed from us.
Recently retired and now living in a suburb of St. Louis, we knew he’d never take to biking as there were a number of screw-this(!) sized hills all throughout his town. Through ten years of teaching I know that adults are far less resilient than children and often times need but one excuse to say “screw this” and go back , in this case, to a steady diet of TV watching. But we were elated to see how much he enjoyed his juiced up Electra Townie! Whether it’s riding with my mom (another proud new owner of an electric bike–she had to keep up), biking to the store for groceries, or putting it on the bike rack and hitting the Katy Trail, few days go by that he’s not on his electric bike.
This began my love affair with electric bikes.
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My dad used to be a very active man, his entire life was spent, running, biking, bowling, playing baseball, football, volleyball, racquetball, and golf. However, two very bad knees made even walking a pain, and for the last 15 years all of the activities listed above were whittled down to one–golf, and always with a cart. But now he has his bike and is as enthusiastic as ever to get out and feel the wind whipping through what’s left of his hair (I can say that because he has MORE hair than me!).
As an avid bike commuter, my stance on the electric bike is as follows: it’s not for me–atleast not yet anyway * But it is for all the people who:
+ Can’t (or don’t want to) arrive to work sweaty
+ Have too many hills keeping them from enjoying a regular bike ride
+ Have bad knees
+ Want to enjoy a quiet peaceful relaxing ride without much physical exertion
+ Want to drive less
+ Can’t afford gas
+ Want to help the environment
+ Want a scooter and a bike but only have money for one
+ Want a little exercise
+ Like to avoid traffic
+ Like to take shortcuts
+ Don’t like searching for parking spots
+ Want to have more freedom and more fun!
Here and here are two pretty informative electric bike websites. A browse through these will leave you more informed as to which e-bike may be best for you. Or, one glance at the Rolls Royce of electric bikes may be all you need…
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Beer, Water, Big, Small–the Good Old Bike Can do it All!
*The hills in my new neighborhood have kept me from enjoying my skateboard–so this electric skateboard may very well be in my future.
image credit: Hammacher.com
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