To the Editor:
Yeah, I used to really dislike e-bikers .. until I got one.
It is truly unfortunate that Mr. Shepard has not adequately researched the e-bike benefits to people of all ages. There are generally five levels of support available, and I do not know many folks with e-bikes that use beyond Level 1. That helps you get to speed but then it is up to you to maintain that speed through working very hard. My experience is that, when compared to my Specialized Hybrid Bicycle, I can go 50 percent farther, keep my heart rate at an optimum, and burn 30 – 50 percnt more calories per ride. All within the same time frame as my regular bike.
My e-bike is e-governed to 20 mph. I can pedal faster and get it up to ~ 22 mph. That is my gearing. I generally average 18 mph on a 2-hour ride. I know a number of road bikers that routinely achieve/surpass these numbers. Their gearing is different, and the expenditure of energy is actually less than riding an e-bike hard.
The cost of good e-bikes has been reduced over the years. You can get a relatively good e-bike with 48v battery, 500 watt motor and Shimano gearing for less than $1,000. Most good road bikes cost more.
I have found the vast majority of golf cart owners and other bicyclists are very courteous. I move over to let faster folks through and announce my approach to slower riders.
Give an e-bike a shot, you may like it!
Ron Lynch
Village of Dunedin