Sunday, January 10, 2010

 

My new bike is here!

I have decided to change my green and white Honda Metropolitan II moped into an electric bicycle. The ebike will get even better mileage and also give me some exercise while riding it. I did a lot of looking on the Internet at ebikes and found there is an amazing range of them out there. Apparently in most of the rest of the world they are pretty commonplace, especially in China where most of them are built. There is also a big price range from the cheapest to the most expensive, although it does look like you are getting more for your money with the higher priced units, at least for the most part.

There are two basic types and not are legal in all locations, at least if you want to retain the classification of it being a bicycle. The types are those that are controlled with a throttle, usually a twist grip on the handle bars, or those controlled by the rider pedaling. Some jurisdictions call the throttle controlled units mopeds and require licensing and treatment as a motorcycle. The pedal controlled units are an electric assist to the rider's pedaling- no pedaling, no electric power applied to the motor.

I had pretty much settled on one of two bikes and they represented both types. I finally decided on the pedal operated type for a couple of reasons. I want to get exercise and feel that I'll get more of that with this type and the range they will go on a charge is farther since there is some human power involved, too. My bike is a eMoto Velocity 2.0 that was made in England by the Urban Mover company and is imported here by eMoto of Kent, Washington. I bought it through Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) in Bellingham, WA. It arrived in their store last Wednesday and they called me yesterday about 13:30 saying that it was ready to pick up. I went right up there.

My eBike 00
I wasn't sure that it would fit inside the Prius and it just does. This picture shows it in the Prius, with the back seats folded down.

My eBike 01
This is a little closer view of the bike in the car. The thingy on the floor near it is a part of the lock system that is built into the bike.

I'll post more about it in another post as this one is getting about long enough with these two photos. I have more photos of it and can talk about my first (and now my second) rides. It is fun!

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Comments:
That is a very cool looking bike I hope you have a lot of fun with it. Did your wife get one too.
 
Can it run on only the motor if you get too tired to pedal and need a rest? That might be okay, but there's no way I could ride a regular bicycle very far these days without stopping to rest my poor knees.

Hope you enjoy it and get some health benefit from it as well.

Have a great new week, Dick.

Love and hugs,

Diane
 
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