100 miles biking milestone
Ebiking is a pretty fantastic thing. Here's a quick overview of my first 100 miles.
Today I hit my first 100 miles on my still new RadCity from Rad Power Bikes. I got this bike in mid-February, and a couple of days after that I broke my stupid right leg at the knee. I was unable to stand on my own or walk without a walker until late April, and only in mid-May I was cleared to use my both legs for walking sans crutches. I still can’t really walk well or far: I limp heavily, I can only go really slowly, walking is still very difficult for me, and walking a mile is still out of the question (it gets better every week, though; I workout, do physical therapy and such).
So two weeks ago I decided to give biking a shot. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, amirite? :) Last week I managed to build on that initial success, and this week I took it all to a whole new level! Not only did I commute to work this week (once, but still), but I also overcame some of my fears and rode the bike to the nearby city to get it all tuned-up and adjusted — an almost 30-mile round trip. This is by far the farthest I’ve ever traveled by a bicycle in my entire life. It gave me this amazing sense of freedom, when you sorta “walk”-travel: you enjoy the scenery, all the forest smells, sunshine and rain (I’ve got both today!), you breathe fresh air, listen to you favorite podcasts, and workout, while actually going places at the same time! It’s just the absolutely best thing!
Now, my bike is an eBike. It has a battery, a motor and it has 5-level Pedal Assist Systems (PAS) along with a throttle. One can use this bike without pedaling at all, or without any assistance from the motor. I’m doing something in-between: I use PAS at about level 2, and I use throttle to start faster at traffic lights. It means, that while I pedal pretty hard, I get some help from the motor, especially going uphill, and I use the motor to start faster after I come to a complete stop at an intersection or such. In this mode, the battery lasts for about 40 miles, it seems. And since I track my rides with Apple Watch, I get a pretty accurate estimate of my physical effort (hint: it’s not insignificant)
So although, in a way, it is not a “pure” biking experience, I must say, if it wasn’t for the motor, I would probably never get into biking at all considering all the hills we have here and my poor physical shape. But with a little help here and there from the batter, I can now exercise outside as a normal human being.