eBikes

When I first heard of ebikes, my immediate thought was “they are not for me.” I loved riding my bicycle with that rush of adrenaline after completing a ride. Maybe it is the realization that I’m a geezer and haven’t the stamina of my younger adulthood, but the ebike gives me the ability to go farther and see more without having to worry about getting back.

Tom initially suggested getting ebikes back when we were biking Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, struggling up those brutal hills. He envisioned using them to access some of the more remote sites that we want to see. Instead of hiking twenty miles, or driving the truck over boulder fields, the ebikes might get us there and back more efficiently and with less risk of damaging the truck. Sure, we might have to walk some of the trail, or lift and carry them over the worst of the obstacles, but it will make the trek more doable, plus these have a walk feature that, with the press a button, the ebike will keep pace as you walk with it, like a self-propelled mower.

An advantage of them is for use as another mode of transportation. We added baskets and a soft sided cooler for the racks, enabling us to run small errands with them. With the pedal assist, it is no trouble to ride to the grocery or hardware store to pick up a few things, saving miles on the truck or our feet.

Amongst these other things, we hope to use them to secure boondocking sites. They fold up to make it easier to transport them in the back of the truck or an SUV, although they are still heavy and a little awkward to lift alone. This allows us to take the truck with the ebikes to search for the perfect spot to park the motorhome. Once we find the spot, we can leave the truck to “save” the spot and ride an ebike back to get the motorhome. Scouting has gotten us into some predicaments with the motorhome and the ebikes could have eliminated those situations.

So far, they have been fun, sporty and a good source of exercise. We can ride them as a regular bike or use the battery power with pedal assist or as a throttle. They let us get as much of a workout as we want and then twist the grip and give our legs a rest. While he hasn’t yet, it’ll make it easier on Tom not to worry about overdoing it with his ankle, having enough battery power to get back home if needed.

Climbing hills is much easier with pedal assist, with five levels from which to choose. You have to manually select which level you want. With the solar power system we have, it costs us nothing to charge them and be ready to ride. Each charge is good for a range of 50-100 miles, depending on terrain and how much assist we use. I am excited about the possibilities, which seem endless. We will see where they take us.

My exercises were good this week. I didn’t miss a day, but I did have to be reminded a couple nights that the day was almost over. I am proud that I am sticking with it and doing them everyday. The eBikes will help get more aerobic exercise going forward.

Yesterday, we went to Phoenix to exchange one of the eBikes. The original one didn’t have any keys to remove the batteries, and were not available. Lectric eBike offered to swap it for a new one if we would bring it to their showroom. As part of the exchange, they gave us several accessories for our troubles. Lexie was very accommodating, making sure we were satisfied with the transaction.

After the eBike swap, we stopped to get some gochujang (fermented red pepper paste) from the Asian Supermarket. While we were there we had fun walking the aisles and looking at the variety of fresh fruits and meats that we don’t normally see, as well as all the sauces and snacks. We had just rewatched YouTube videos of the Try Channel tasting durian fruit products with Lynn. They say the fresh fruit smells awful, like a sewer or rotting flesh, so we were looking for something containing durians we could try. There wasn’t any in the first market, but they suggested we try another store. We did find fresh frozen durian there, but did not buy any, instead opting for pia cakes with durian as an ingredient. We haven’t tried them yet, but we will let you know what we think of them when we do.

Lynn had mentioned a special Polish pastry that they make for Fat Tuesday, so the next stop was a Polish Market to look for them. They are called paczki (I think it’s pronounced “push-ke”) and are like a bismark, but the dough is more egg based. We bought a few raspberry and bavarian creme filled ones. I think they were delicious. With all these international goodies loaded up, we made our last stop at Costco, buying more than enough to fill the fridge, freezer, and cupboards. Traffic was horrible on the interstate coming back to Quartzsite. Speeds constantly varied from 15 to 45 miles per hour almost the entire way.

We rode the bikes this afternoon, trying out some of the features we don’t normally use. Last week, I mentioned the need for balance. I have to practice more of that, as I took a spill on the bike after hitting a big rock. I’m okay, only a couple bumps and scrapes on the knees. Cassie was riding with me in her front pack and she took a tumble too. She yiped, and then walked it off like a pro. Suki took a tumble out of her basket today too, but did not hurt herself. We are glad both of them are okay.

Tonight we went to the lighted RC Air Show. We really enjoyed watching the small planes lit up with LED lights along their wings and bodies as they glided through the air, doing some zippy spins and loops. I tried taking a video of the air show, but they were hard to follow and the light quality was poor, so I will spare sharing them. Tonight’s sunset was another stunning display of light: it was big, bold, and colorful... one of the best we have seen here. Despite our initial hesitance, I think we are liking the “wintering” here in Quartzsite.

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