As some of ya'll might know I don't drive a car for medical reasons (lame seizures!) but love to ride my bike the 'cajun knuckle' in search of some freedom. Only problem is my health doesn't really lend to making long distance trips up steep hills here in the mountains... usually I can make it to the Big Sandy Mush Community Center and back for some WWF style wrestling (about 3 miles round trip) and I am exhausted! I have saved up money to buy a riding donkey, but will have to be getting a new place to live where I can put it first... (that would be one eco friendly ride-No gas just grass!)
During the limbo period of not being mobile my mom kindly offered to purchase an electric bike she saw in the Real Goods catalog as a super thoughtful and generous holiday gift!!! WOO-hooo! (((My lucky month!))) I contacted Real Goods right away but found out the bike they sell called the Urban Mover was not suitable for my size or needs.
After scouring the interwebs I learned that not all electric bikes are created equal- just like a scooter, car or regular bike each one has a specific purpose, terrain and size person it is made to fit. I decided to write several companies and find out what electric bike could handle a steep ride and small person. Only one company wrote me back so far this week (if others finally do I will post it here in the comments section.)
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"My mom has offered to buy me an electric bike for the holidays, but I don't know much about them.
My question would be this:::
What kind of electric bike would i need to get to travel in the mountains. I would not be taking it off road much (possibly will have to get down a gravel driveway to get to a road) - but the hills here are intense and steep! I live in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina.
Also I am tiny, about 5 ft 3inches tall and 100 pounds, so i want to make sure the model bike i choose isn't too huge for me.
Thanks so much for ya'lls help!
Leslie "
www.oko-organic-clothing.blogspot.com
My question would be this:::
What kind of electric bike would i need to get to travel in the mountains. I would not be taking it off road much (possibly will have to get down a gravel driveway to get to a road) - but the hills here are intense and steep! I live in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina.
Also I am tiny, about 5 ft 3inches tall and 100 pounds, so i want to make sure the model bike i choose isn't too huge for me.
Thanks so much for ya'lls help!
Leslie "
www.oko-organic-clothing.blogspot.com
"Hi Leslie,
We have a couple of bikes that will do the job. Our best hill climber is the Bionx kit. We install this on the Montague/Swiss folding mountain bikes but they might be too large for you (5"4" to 6'4"). If you have a mountain bike that fits you, it isn't hard to install at Bionx kit on it.
However, being tiny is a plus when it comes to electric bikes. You will go faster and further than larger folks. I think a good option would be the Ecobike Vitavio EBFOLD. This is a smaller bike but it has a pretty beefy motor. The tires should handle gravel fine. If not, the tires are standard 20" so you could put some knobbys on it. The smaller wheels also give you better tourqe and hill climbing power, plus at 100 pounds, you will fly up the hills.
Best,
Kevin
Electric Cyclery
949 715 2345"
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If any of my readers out there know anything about electric bikes, I really would love to hear some thoughts, reviews, and see some links to more info about them. Everything I have read makes them sound like a dream come true for anyone who has transportation limitations like I do, to people who want to zoom past morning traffic, don't wanna pump gas (that's you MCS'ers), and to those who simply want a more environmentally friendly set of wheels. Oh, and all ya' naughty peeps who got DUI's and got your license to drive taken away... an electric bike might be the answer for all of us... that is if you can't have a donkey. :)***
XoXo
