ebikemom
Well-Known Member
On our family vacation to Anacortes and the San Juan Islands that involved three days of eBike daytripping, we saw a lot of ebikes. Not "a lot," but, I did see 2-3 or more ebikes per day.
One of these encounters stands out from all of the rest, and I thought I'd start this thread as a place to share ebiking stories you encounter, too.
This is the story of Tim and his business, San Juan Kayak Expeditions, a sea kayak outfitter in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington State. Here's a photo of one of Tim's company vehicles:

But what draw our family's attention to Tim, as he came down to the waterfront to deliver some inflatable pads to a departing kayaking group, was his other company vehicle:

It's a white ebike with a white battery. I recognized it as an older model. He started chatting with my husband, and, of course, talking ebikes. When I joined the conversation, I learned that Tim bought his bike in 2011. He said he has 20,000 (estimated) on his ebike, that he rides every kayaking season for his business. If you look at the picture, you'll see his business name is on the ebike. He's into the black-and-white theme and also has decorated his bike with black-and-white racing tape. I noticed his battery was color-matched to the bike, which isn't the case for more recent models--I asked "Is that the original battery?" "Yep!" he answered. He said that he plugs the bike in whenever it's in the office. While this isn't what I've heard to be the recommended practice these days, it sure has worked for him! Everything else on his bike is original, too--his original seat is in great condition, and his original grips just have a bit of fraying on the cording. He said he has replaced the tires, and is due to replace them again soon. He also said the first year he had the bike he was in a crash, and the frame broke where the rack connects to the main frame. The ebike company sent him a new bike when he showed them a photo of the frame break. I asked for a photo of his odometer and he said that 20,000 miles is an estimate because his display failed some time ago (I didn't get those details), so the mileage shown is not the total miles for the bike.
This is such a great story. Tim is enthusiastic about his bike, 7 years and still going strong. It was great to meet him.
Please share other stories of "ebike sightings in the wild" here!
another resource for kayaking in the area is https://naturesportcentral.com/kayaking/
One of these encounters stands out from all of the rest, and I thought I'd start this thread as a place to share ebiking stories you encounter, too.
This is the story of Tim and his business, San Juan Kayak Expeditions, a sea kayak outfitter in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington State. Here's a photo of one of Tim's company vehicles:

But what draw our family's attention to Tim, as he came down to the waterfront to deliver some inflatable pads to a departing kayaking group, was his other company vehicle:

It's a white ebike with a white battery. I recognized it as an older model. He started chatting with my husband, and, of course, talking ebikes. When I joined the conversation, I learned that Tim bought his bike in 2011. He said he has 20,000 (estimated) on his ebike, that he rides every kayaking season for his business. If you look at the picture, you'll see his business name is on the ebike. He's into the black-and-white theme and also has decorated his bike with black-and-white racing tape. I noticed his battery was color-matched to the bike, which isn't the case for more recent models--I asked "Is that the original battery?" "Yep!" he answered. He said that he plugs the bike in whenever it's in the office. While this isn't what I've heard to be the recommended practice these days, it sure has worked for him! Everything else on his bike is original, too--his original seat is in great condition, and his original grips just have a bit of fraying on the cording. He said he has replaced the tires, and is due to replace them again soon. He also said the first year he had the bike he was in a crash, and the frame broke where the rack connects to the main frame. The ebike company sent him a new bike when he showed them a photo of the frame break. I asked for a photo of his odometer and he said that 20,000 miles is an estimate because his display failed some time ago (I didn't get those details), so the mileage shown is not the total miles for the bike.
This is such a great story. Tim is enthusiastic about his bike, 7 years and still going strong. It was great to meet him.
Please share other stories of "ebike sightings in the wild" here!