ebike Adventures

What is an ebike?

ebikes are  bicycles with an integrated electric motor which can be used for propulsion. Many kinds of ebikes are available worldwide, from e-bikes that only have a small motor to assist the rider’s pedal-power to more powerful e-bikes which are closer to moped-style functionality.

When I was considering an ebike, I first checked out Seattle Electric Bike, but the idea of spending over $3-4K for a bike was out of my financial comfort zone. Then, I found Rad Power Bikes and learned that not only were they more affordable, but they were also based in Seattle. Better yet, I could get financing through Affirm. I applied for credit and was approved, but I immediately paid Affirm $1K (about 60% of the cost with the accessories).

Delivery & Maiden Ride

On March 28th, the RadRunner I ordered arrived, courtesy of their mobile service. Having the bike delivered meant that it was fully assembled and inspected (shipping would have required some assembly).

That afternoon, I took my maiden ride around Green Lake. William joined me on his bike, but he struggled to keep up on the hill, riding back home. Total distance was around four miles.

Second Ride

My second ride on my new bike was one hour in duration and 8.2 miles on streets and a partial Burke-Gilman Trail. When I got home, my poor legs felt like rubber! Not surprised. Until this bike, I haven’t ridden consistently since I was in my mid-30s (so almost half my life ago). I tried it after my knees were replaced, but the hills in Seattle kick my ass, so I always made excuses not to ride.

I was having a hard time finding a GPS app that had the functionality I wanted, so I drew my route using Google maps once I got back home.

Exploring Neighborhoods

A few days later, I did a five-mile ride with lots of hills, taking 32 minutes. I only rode on the streets since the park trails were too crowded). Riding like this made me feel so free! My confidence of riding on the streets around cars was improving, too.

On April 1st, I rode to the local pot shop to get something to help me sleep. Total distance was 4.5 miles.

I didn’t ride again until April 8th since the weather was really chilly with periods of rain. By this time, I finally found a GPS app that I really liked called RideWithGPS. This ride was 7.4 miles and I could now keep track of the time I rode and elevation gain/loss.

Crash and Smash

On April 10th, I got ambitious and thought to ride to Edmonds and back. But, I had a small crash trying to use a bike overpass and was too shaken to continue. Even so, I did 12.6 miles in not quite an hour.

When I crashed, I came down hard on my bottle holder, totally destroying it and sending the bottle flying. When I got home, my legs had bruises all over them, with a huge golf ball-sized lump on my right shin. I also had a lump on my butt from landing on the bottle holder.

I did 20 miles!

This past Tuesday, I was determined to do a longer ride, so I rode across the University Bridge, along Eastlake to Seattle Center, then down to Magnolia to Discovery Park, then home through Fremont. I didn’t record the first leg from home to the other side of the University Bridge, but adding in that mileage, I did 20 miles! I still had three bars left on my bike battery, too. I kept a decent charge since I had a lot of steep hills to go down and just like a hybrid car, the battery recharges while braking.

520 Floating Bridge

Since it was gorgeous outside today, I did a ride through the University of WA and across Lake Washington on the 520 trail. 12.8 miles within one hour. This time, I attached my GoPro to my helmet and did a few videos of my ride.

I joined a RadRunner group on Facebook so that I can connect to other riders (and hopefully ride together after the health crisis is over). I also joined the Cascade Bicycle Club for the same reason.

I may not be able to go hiking in the mountains during this Covid-19 pandemic, but I’m so glad I invested in this ebike and I’m still getting exercise!