Congratulations and welcome!
I know it was a typo -- 'c' and 'v' are right next to each other on the keyboard -- but in the 1970s, I was sometimes an 'acid rider' myself!
I hear you r.e. altitude. I live in the eastern Hollywood Hills, and even when I was in my 40s, it was really tough to ride around here, so unpleasant that I only rode once or twice a week. (8 miles here involves about 800 to 1,000 feet of vertical, and it ain't a slow, steady climb, either!) What's more, the quality of the exercise, I think, was not that healthy just because the climbs were SO intense, and I was wheezing and gasping even in granny gear.
I started with my first eBike -- a front-hub conversion -- during the pandemic, and now I'm riding about four times a week, same as you, typically 8 to 20 miles, but it feels much healthier, a more steady kind of exercise. Yeah, I get sweaty and short of breath, but that's at the END of the ride. I just need to rest for 10 minutes or so, it's not totally debilitating, and the feeling I get from riding is more of endorphin rush that's similar to swimming (which I also enjoy.)
I also nearly died in July from a catastrophic medical problem, (I was in the ICU for 5 weeks) and I know that being in good cardiovascular health was one of the critical factors that saved my life and helped me make a full recovery, or pretty close. I've probably spent close to 10 grand on eBikes since 2020 (only two are still running, though those are both in great shape) and maintenance, but it was worth every dime.
Glad you can ride with your wife, Vado's a fine bike, and hope you enjoy the forum! I learned a LOT here, people are super helpful and supportive.
