I trip an e-bike. It allows me to go for longer rides and spend extra time outdoor getting contemporary air in my lungs than an everyday bike. It helps me to maintain up with biking companions who’re youthful, stronger or preferring driving sooner than I may on an everyday bike. The battery assists me in driving up hills that I might in any other case should dismount and stroll with the bike. I’ve MS and the e-bike helps me train despite fatigue, a frequent symptom of that illness.
And I’m a 68-year-old grandmother, not a terrorist wearing Lycra. Although there are some who trip unpredictably and don’t comply with the principles of the street, the vast majority of cyclists are affordable individuals who actually get pleasure from exercising whereas going locations. (I’ve just lately discovered that that is known as Active Transportation.) I am going out of my technique to sign my intentions to automobile drivers, to provide them room to go, and to thank them with a wave after they yield the precise of method. Although I’ve to muster the braveness of a warrior to trip assertively in site visitors at occasions when circumstances name for it, I do my finest to be an ambassador of goodwill and depart a superb impression.
Although some e-bikes have a throttle and don’t require any pedaling to maneuver ahead, I desire the “pedal-assist” variety that enables me to decide on what stage of help I would like. On stage terrain I typically flip the battery off solely. With some expertise I’ve discovered which mixture of gearing and battery help will get my coronary heart fee and respiration to the extent of train I would like.
So actually, an e-bike isn’t an alternative choice to working as onerous as I would like on the bike. It simply offers me choices for driving hills that I wouldn’t in any other case deal with, or driving longer distances to see extra fascinating surroundings. I haven’t given up my light-weight street bike, and I nonetheless desire that for solo rides the place I don’t should sustain with anybody. But I’ve much more decisions in the place to trip after I use my e-bike.
I really feel safer driving my e-bike than I do on my common bike, too, and right here’s why. Because I can simply increase my acceleration with the battery in response to site visitors conditions, I can safely trip on metropolis streets in addition to on devoted bike trails. And the battery helps maintain tempo higher on streets with bike lanes, the place the one separation between bikes and automobiles is a stripe of paint on the roadway.
An instance of a tough intersection that used to scare me crossing on my common bike is the place 76th Avenue West crosses State Route 104 and turns into Meridian Avenue North, heading southbound into Shoreline. The Interurban Trail places cyclists into a motorcycle lane on 76th going up a steep hill. Then simply earlier than the intersection with SR 104, the bike lane disappears! Cyclists have two authorized choices: 1) dtopping on the site visitors mild within the through lane, inevitably holding up automobiles whereas struggling to get going as soon as the sunshine turns inexperienced; or 2) driving on the sidewalk when the bike lane ends, dismounting on the intersection, and crossing on foot as a pedestrian. The problem with possibility 2 is mounting the bike as soon as throughout, and trying with no momentum to trip up the steep half block of sidewalk earlier than the bike lane reappears, or else strolling the bike up the whole hill to the highest at 2 hundredth and Meridian.
Neither possibility is sweet for cyclists. But with my e-bike I can now confidently pedal up the through lane together with automobiles, increase the battery energy whereas stopped in anticipation of the inexperienced mild, and be nicely on my method throughout the intersection and up the hill with out aggravating drivers behind me.
Because bicycling has been so essential to my very own well being and well-being, I joined the Edmonds Bicycle Advocacy Group (EBAG) just a few years in the past. EBAG has performed super work in previous years to assist educate youngsters learn how to trip bikes and learn how to trip safely; it continues to work for safer and extra accessible biking for riders of all ages and every kind of bikes. With transportation funding now obtainable, EBAG is working with different companies to deal with the issue intersection at 76th throughout SR 104 to scale back or get rid of battle between motor automobiles and bicycles. EBAG additionally helps with bike rodeos, Bike Month (developing in May), and plenty of different actions to advertise secure biking for recreation, transportation, and good well being.
Keep in thoughts I’m only one form of e-bike rider. E-bikes now have such broad enchantment that there are as many sorts of riders as there are sorts of e-bikes. Prices have come down and chances are you’ll wish to test them out at your native bike retailer. I’m definitely not an skilled within the decisions of e-bikes, however joyful to share my expertise as a senior bicyclist on one.
One thing more that this grandma is anticipating with pleasure: including a motorcycle trailer and utilizing the e-bike to take my little granddaughter on bike rides with me! Pulling a toddler in a trailer uphill shouldn’t be an issue.
Do you’ve gotten questions on e-bike driving or the Edmonds Bicycle Advocacy Group? Contact me at margo.elwood@gmail.com.
— By Margaret Elwood