Credible Hulk
Active Member
I have bipolar disorder, lower back problems and arthritis in my knees and hips. I haven't been able to work since 2010.
The combination of stigma around my mental illness (family and friends deserted me when they found out about my diagnosis) and pain from my back and joints caused me to isolate myself. I started to need a walker when I went out, which was humiliating to me (I'm only in my mid fifties) and people would stare. I slowly stopped going out and only went out to buy groceries if I couldn't afford to get them delivered. I started ordering everything else online. I sat at home with only my cats, my TV and my computer for company.
Then back in 2015 I saw an indiegogo ad for a low cost ebike. I had never heard of ebikes. When I was in my teens and twenties I was an avid cyclist and used to go on long tours and road races. Then life got in the way and I ended up selling my racing bike for food. I hadn't been on a bike since my mid twenties, and with my knee and back pain I didn't think I'd ever ride again. I decided to buy one of these ebikes because I thought it would allow me to ride a bike again without the pain. There were some delays with the ebike and I was convinced I'd never see it, so I bought an e-scooter instead.
Now three years later, the scooter's lead acid batteries died last year and it's sitting in my living room gathering dust. It was going to cost more than the scooter is now worth to get it back on the road. Another issue for me is that as my lower back gets worse it becomes more painful to move the scooter around. I did eventually receive the other ebike 6 months late, but the frame was far too big for me and after a couple of months I sold it.
This morning I ordered another bicycle e-bike. I made sure to find the correct frame size. Now I'm really looking forward to the spring so I can take it out on park trails and other places I couldn't go on my scooter. And as I'm writing this, they just sent me an email with the tracking number! Here's the bike, they ship to the US as well.
To sum up, these are the benefits I've enjoyed since I started riding ebikes:
- Getting out more, exploring the city. Being more open to going to events and attractions because it's faster and easier.
- Confidence to ride in traffic, at big intersections, especially making left turns. When I started riding my scooter I would walk it through the intersection on the crosswalks because I was afraid to turn left. I also used to panic if a vehicle came up too close along my left side.
- Human contact. Both the scooter and the ebike attracted a lot of positive attention and people asking questions. Isolation caused me to lose confidence to talk to strangers, now I'm more comfortable talking with strangers.
- Saving money. I don't have a car so I have to spend money on public transit. I live on the border of three municipalities, so I often have to take trips using multiple transit agencies/fares. I also save money on delivery and shipping charges when I go out to buy things instead of ordering them.
- Saving time. Riding an ebike directly to a destination saves time wasted on slow, overcrowded transit vehicles that don't go where I need to go.
- Physical fitness. Moving a heavy scooter around exercises core muscles. Riding a pedelec ebike moves my knee and hip joints and I can choose how much motor assist I need based on how my knees feel that day. Overall, riding ebikes has helped my balance a lot, and I've found I don't need the walker as much during the riding season, and I can get by with a cane.
The combination of stigma around my mental illness (family and friends deserted me when they found out about my diagnosis) and pain from my back and joints caused me to isolate myself. I started to need a walker when I went out, which was humiliating to me (I'm only in my mid fifties) and people would stare. I slowly stopped going out and only went out to buy groceries if I couldn't afford to get them delivered. I started ordering everything else online. I sat at home with only my cats, my TV and my computer for company.
Then back in 2015 I saw an indiegogo ad for a low cost ebike. I had never heard of ebikes. When I was in my teens and twenties I was an avid cyclist and used to go on long tours and road races. Then life got in the way and I ended up selling my racing bike for food. I hadn't been on a bike since my mid twenties, and with my knee and back pain I didn't think I'd ever ride again. I decided to buy one of these ebikes because I thought it would allow me to ride a bike again without the pain. There were some delays with the ebike and I was convinced I'd never see it, so I bought an e-scooter instead.
Now three years later, the scooter's lead acid batteries died last year and it's sitting in my living room gathering dust. It was going to cost more than the scooter is now worth to get it back on the road. Another issue for me is that as my lower back gets worse it becomes more painful to move the scooter around. I did eventually receive the other ebike 6 months late, but the frame was far too big for me and after a couple of months I sold it.
This morning I ordered another bicycle e-bike. I made sure to find the correct frame size. Now I'm really looking forward to the spring so I can take it out on park trails and other places I couldn't go on my scooter. And as I'm writing this, they just sent me an email with the tracking number! Here's the bike, they ship to the US as well.
To sum up, these are the benefits I've enjoyed since I started riding ebikes:
- Getting out more, exploring the city. Being more open to going to events and attractions because it's faster and easier.
- Confidence to ride in traffic, at big intersections, especially making left turns. When I started riding my scooter I would walk it through the intersection on the crosswalks because I was afraid to turn left. I also used to panic if a vehicle came up too close along my left side.
- Human contact. Both the scooter and the ebike attracted a lot of positive attention and people asking questions. Isolation caused me to lose confidence to talk to strangers, now I'm more comfortable talking with strangers.
- Saving money. I don't have a car so I have to spend money on public transit. I live on the border of three municipalities, so I often have to take trips using multiple transit agencies/fares. I also save money on delivery and shipping charges when I go out to buy things instead of ordering them.
- Saving time. Riding an ebike directly to a destination saves time wasted on slow, overcrowded transit vehicles that don't go where I need to go.
- Physical fitness. Moving a heavy scooter around exercises core muscles. Riding a pedelec ebike moves my knee and hip joints and I can choose how much motor assist I need based on how my knees feel that day. Overall, riding ebikes has helped my balance a lot, and I've found I don't need the walker as much during the riding season, and I can get by with a cane.
