70 year old rider

dwgrenda said:
Everyone seems to be fixated on 20mph or 28mph rides that get you from point A to point B fast. I am not looking for peppy. My main ride is gravel/paved trails where I want to look around and enjoy the scenery. I'm guessing I would like to move at 6-10mph. Can you slow down an Ebike to smoothly go at lower speeds with or without pedal assist? If so, what are your recommendations and are mid motor drives better than hub drives for this?
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Going on 67 and have had my Trek Allant+7 (mid-drive) since last May. Bought for exercise and light touring. No throttle desired or needed yet. Ride mostly paved but have done my share of crushed limestone, dirt and light gravel trails and the Allant handles them all well. I ride frequently with no power or Eco mode on flat or slight inclines and would guess I’m in the 8-16 mph at that point. Personally, I can get my exercise AND enjoy the scenery going fairly quickly. My workout rides are generally quite hilly and, while I wouldn’t say I’m “fixated” about any specific speed, I can easily go as fast as 30 downhill with no pedaling. Hydraulic disc brakes are fantastic. I hit the perfect bike for me the first time with my Trek and love it after 1000 miles!
If you haven’t been riding for a while, get a few test rides if possible. You might be surprised at what you like/dislike. Depending on the assist/gearing you can ride almost as slow as you want, I guess.
 

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EMGX said:
If your trails are relatively flat with only mild inclines then just about any assist option might work well for you. Personally I didn't like the cadence based assist bike that I rode, it didn't have the feel of riding a regular bike. I did like a throttle only bike because I could feather the throttle for assist just when I wanted it and that could make it feel like a natural pedal bike experience but with assist when wanted. Some riders seem to like to just throttle along without even pedaling, that isn't for me as I just don't get the point of recreational riding a bicycle that way. The most natural and intuitive to me is the torque sensor though. Just set the assist level desired and let the torque sensing function do the rest.

If you are a Costco member they are selling a Raleigh 250w hub motor bike with torque sensing for $1099. Nice thing about costco is if you find you don't like it you can just return it without questions, I think within 90 days for an ebike. If you don't have a Costco membership the same bike (as well as a low step model) is available from other sellers for a couple hundred dollars more but then you would lose the Costco return policy. I've never seen this bike in person but it has good reviews including a couple reviews on the Costco web site, here is one:

"Hello after my stroke in 2011 have been riding ebikes and even before. Have a electrical backround and very impressed with the smooth power and amazing range..about double my other ebike A Genze bought a few years back, also sold at Costco then. I'm in my 60's and need to stay healthy and active during these times with covid and restrictive contact with no gyms open...The perfect social distance machine...A smart ebike and it looks fantastic. Like the smooth almost auto transmission feel..Has 5 assist levels and three sensors for seamless use. Can turn off e-part and use as a bike or in eco-low to turbo mode mode and get 55-60 miles ( eco-mid level) really, even weighing at 235 lbs....Can't do that on my older genze....wow Rented a couple since then Raleigh is a great choice with rack and fenders and built in lights for any bike under 2100.00 . Get a pro bike shop to build...comes in 9 parts and need to know about wiring the lights...even with tax and pro bike build ( 169.00 local ) still under 2000.00 and Raleigh is quality stuff..Get out there and enjoy the outdoors, its the best free gym in the world and explore around you, and the Bay Area...no excuses now...anyone can ride it so, go for it...ride into 2021 Jay"

sounds impressive to me, has fenders and a rack, nice features at a bargain price with unbeatable Costco return policy.
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I see that although this bike is still listed on Costco clicking on it gives a "not found" message. So they might have just sold out. Anyone here bought one? It wouldn't have met my needs but it looked like a great deal for someone with the right use.
 
I have two bikes one with throttle one without.
I use them for two very different reasons, but sometimes they cross over.
If I'm riding the throttle bike with friends the throttle RARELY gets used. If I use it, I get ahead and then I just have to coast and and let them catch up. So it's this kind of constant speed up slow down thing. So I rarely use it when riding with others.
BUT if I'm hauling, in the woods, by myself, etc. I love the throttle! Use it all the time!

The bike without the throttle is used offroad on single track mountain bike trails. I would never want a throttle on that as I want as close to a normal mtb bike experience as I can get. When I ride that one with friends on tar trails etc. It's much more "natural" I set an assist level, pick a gear and ride along.

Just my opinion, and I know it's been beaten to death. When I was first shopping and new to the ebike game I had to have a throttle.
Now after riding both for about a year, a throttle for me would no longer be a deal breaker. If the bike I really wanted didn't have one, I'd get the bike.
 
dwgrenda said:
I'm guessing I would like to move at 6-10mph. Can you slow down an Ebike to smoothly go at lower speeds with or without pedal assist? If so, what are your recommendations and are mid motor drives better than hub drives for this?
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Yes, most models can go slow and easy. See if you can find out what the lowest pedal-assist wattage is. For instance, on rad power bikes it is about 50w, which works very well for the speed range you mentioned. Also look for a big granny cog. Mid-drive vs hub has nothing to do with it, either the bike has a low speed power setting and appropriate cogs or it doesn't. You'll also be a range champion at those speeds.

While the throttle is nice to have, I almost never use it, but it came in handy the week I had a twisted ankle and just wanted to get around the lazy way. At your age, you may also want to look at the listed weight of the bike you're considering, and be sure you can wrestle a 70 lb bike in and out of the house/condo or onto the car rack. You can usally dismount the battery for about an 8 lb reduction in weight, if necessary.
 
legsofbeer said:
Yes, most models can go slow and easy. See if you can find out what the lowest pedal-assist wattage is. For instance, on rad power bikes it is about 50w, which works very well for the speed range you mentioned. Also look for a big granny cog. Mid-drive vs hub has nothing to do with it, either the bike has a low speed power setting and appropriate cogs or it doesn't. You'll also be a range champion at those speeds.

While the throttle is nice to have, I almost never use it, but it came in handy the week I had a twisted ankle and just wanted to get around the lazy way. At your age, you may also want to look at the listed weight of the bike you're considering, and be sure you can wrestle a 70 lb bike in and out of the house/condo or onto the car rack. You can usally dismount the battery for about an 8 lb reduction in weight, if necessary.
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Weight is a consideration, but not all bikes weigh 70lbs. My La Free weighs 56 with battery, about 51 without 😉.
 
dwgrenda said:
Everyone seems to be fixated on 20mph or 28mph rides that get you from point A to point B fast. I am not looking for peppy. My main ride is gravel/paved trails where I want to look around and enjoy the scenery. I'm guessing I would like to move at 6-10mph. Can you slow down an Ebike to smoothly go at lower speeds with or without pedal assist? If so, what are your recommendations and are mid motor drives better than hub drives for this?
Click to expand...
Hello everyone just joined, first post, and new to E-Bikes. We have Magnum Classics. I am 74 going on 75, and agree with AHicks and Jangles the throttle is a must at our age . We use it mostly for start up and when we have to stop at a street crossing on a trail ride. Easier to use the throttle then switch to pedals trying to get up to speed crossing the street. If we turn off PAS we can go as slow as we want. I went into settings and adjust my wife's PAS to go slower than as the bike was delivered, because it was too fast for her (hoping to increase it when she gets used to this level). I would guess we avg. around 12 mph.
 
EMGX said:
If your trails are relatively flat with only mild inclines then just about any assist option might work well for you. Personally I didn't like the cadence based assist bike that I rode, it didn't have the feel of riding a regular bike. I did like a throttle only bike because I could feather the throttle for assist just when I wanted it and that could make it feel like a natural pedal bike experience but with assist when wanted. Some riders seem to like to just throttle along without even pedaling, that isn't for me as I just don't get the point of recreational riding a bicycle that way. The most natural and intuitive to me is the torque sensor though. Just set the assist level desired and let the torque sensing function do the rest.

If you are a Costco member they are selling a Raleigh 250w hub motor bike with torque sensing for $1099. Nice thing about costco is if you find you don't like it you can just return it without questions, I think within 90 days for an ebike. If you don't have a Costco membership the same bike (as well as a low step model) is available from other sellers for a couple hundred dollars more but then you would lose the Costco return policy. I've never seen this bike in person but it has good reviews including a couple reviews on the Costco web site, here is one:

"Hello after my stroke in 2011 have been riding ebikes and even before. Have a electrical backround and very impressed with the smooth power and amazing range..about double my other ebike A Genze bought a few years back, also sold at Costco then. I'm in my 60's and need to stay healthy and active during these times with covid and restrictive contact with no gyms open...iRaleigh is quality stuff..with unbeatable Costco return policy.
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I have the same basic bike, but with a 40cc belt drive. I´m seriously considering a front whl. e-kit to have a
truly hybrid hybrid. As it stands, I can get 65 mi. on a liter of fuel by mushing it pedal assist at 13 mph. it
can carry an additional 3 liters in a 3 liter plastic jerry can on the right. I rarely ride it; my ebike is quite adequate for local rides, but it´s nice having something for long distance touring that doesn´t need solar panels & a cumbersome trailer. A large pannier fits on the left rear rail, two small ones one the front rack, bivvy
on the bars. With 32/11 rear & a 42/34/24 in front it pedals fairly well without power & can be fitted with
a small single wheel trailer if needs be. The rim brakes work better than the discs on my ebike, but i have
a hydraulic I could mount up front.
 

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rich c said:
Do you really need an eBike to go less than 10mph?
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Unless you want to cancel any ride that might require you do that (thinking busy MUT here, but Im sure there are other examples), even temporarily.....
Stefan Mikes said:
Do you really need an e-bike that requires a throttle to start riding? There are many septuagenarian in this Forum who ride mid-drive, non-throttle e-bikes.
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And there are those spoiled rotten by the luxury of having something like that available. Further, there are some that may not be as fit as others, that want to ride a bike. If that feature enables them, or attracts them to a purchase, who the heck do you think you are poo pooing the validity of throttles? If you don't want want one fine. That DOES NOT give you the right to condemn them..... Get over it!
 
rustydusty said:
Some folks just have to comment every time throttles are mentioned. I wouldn't be able to ride without mine... 10 fused vertebrae in my back and arthritic knees, is not going to stop me. Just can't pedal very far...
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Personally, I don’t care if it’s a throttle or pedaling on a bike/walk trail as long as speed is kept down for the safety of others.
 
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Just a note to encourage you. I turn 71 next month and have two eBikes. I put over 800 miles on my first one in the first year. My new bike is so much fun I’m riding more and longer than ever. Both are rear hub drives and both can go as slow as 12 mph and as fast as 28 mph. I tend to average 16 to 20. I’m in no hurry and not going anywhere in particular but just for fun.
 
rustydusty said:
Some folks just have to comment every time throttles are mentioned. I wouldn't be able to ride without mine... 10 fused vertebrae in my back and arthritic knees, is not going to stop me. Just can't pedal very far...
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Don´t have 10 fused vertibra, But i´ve fractures lumbar, thorasic, & cervical (twice). I´ll keep on riding
even if they have to duct tape my feet to the pedals & bungee me onto the saddle.🤪
 
john peck said:
Don´t have 10 fused vertibra, But i´ve fractures lumbar, thorasic, & cervical (twice). I´ll keep on riding
even if they have to duct tape my feet to the pedals & bungee me onto the saddle.🤪
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I heard Velcro works better than bungee cords when securing your butt to a saddle.....
 
Thank you for that mental image....
 
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