Recent content by Beardystarstuff

Ha! I’m somewhat convinced that the reason I enjoy riding so much is that it means I get to eat more! I’ve added a thousand calories to my daily intake and am still maintaining my weight thanks to the long rides.

A couple days ago I set out on a ride of my usual loop of around 40 miles. It’s a ride that traverses a mix of blacktop and gravel through two counties, both of which are currently doing a lot of spring maintenance on the gravel roads. It’s been an adventure with portions of the road changing...

Funny how our perspective of riding changes. Back in January, just three months ago, my first rides in 20 years, I thought my 10 mile rides were great and in those moments they were. But then I started riding 15, then 20 miles, then 25. With each week or two I would tend to add to my ride...

Yes, bliss is exactly the right word! I’m not sure what it is about riding on gravel that is so relaxing. Partly it seems to just be the sound it makes under the tires. And I suppose it’s also the slower speed that is likely when riding on gravel rather than pavement. I know, for myself, that...

One of the reasons I love being on a bike is the pace. I’m never in a hurry on a bike as it’s already a step up from walking and I really do enjoy experiencing the environment I’m in. Slow is fine with me especially on these rural Missouri gravel roads. My current route is really two parts. The...

I tend to ride on back country county roads, some of which are nice black top and on those I tend to ride at PAS 2 or 3 at about 16 mph. But I also do a lot of riding on dirt and gravel roads that are more enclosed with woodland scenery and on those I tend to ride much more slowly, typically...

How are these on gravel? Much of my ride is pavement but a good bit is gravel which ranges from mostly dirt to actual 1” gravel road. The stock Rad Rover tires by Kenda are pretty loud with the knobs. I’m wearing them down and looking for replacements.

My regular ride around Madison County Missouri now ranges from 30 to 40 miles. It’s mostly quiet back-country county roads, a mix of new, smooth blacktop, rough blacktop and gravel. I’m finding the gravel, especially when it’s mostly compacted dirt, is the most enjoyable to ride on. Even better...

Oh, yeah, I’ll add those variables to my original questions... probably important to consider than information!

Agreed Stefan! Yes, very active cyclists are riding that. And you’re right, it’s not simple. I’m sure we could go to great lengths coming up with all sorts of scenarios. Also very much agreed that it’s easier to cover far more ground with an e-bike in a shorter span of time. That’s what I’m...

There’s another thread on the forums discussing the expected lifespan of e-bikes, particularly the motors. Given most e-bikes are, at the core, just bikes with regular bike parts, the real question is motor and battery replacement. When I ordered my Rover a month ago I did so expecting to ride...

When I was an active cyclist 20 years ago I regularly rode 4,000 to 6,000 miles a year. Then a knee injury and no bike at all until recently. But a lot of active (non E-bike) cyclists ride those kinds of miles. I guess the deal we make when we ride e-bikes is dependency on the assist. Of course...

I can’t compare as I’ve not ridden a mid-drive. I have several 10 to 11 degree hills on my daily ride and the Rover has no problem at all with them. I like exercise so I tend to keep it in PAS 2 and the granny gear but I could pretty easily bump it to PAS 3 or 4 and top the hill with little...

It seems like I see the mid-drive motors, especially those brands like Bosch, being referred to in the forums as the higher end motors associated with the far more expensive bikes and the geared hub motors as being cheaper and associated with cheaper, entry level bikes. I’m on pace to ride...

I bought a Lectric XP back in December and love it but after 6 weeks riding I realized I wanted more range and front shocks. I ended up buying a Rover and have been riding it now for just under 3 weeks. As of this morning I’ve got 394 miles on it and after today’s ride I’ll be up around 424...