Ender
Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minneapolis, MN
About me:
I’m just an ordinary average guy in Minneapolis, hitting mid-life, but with no interest in a convertible. However, I do enjoy toys. For about 15 years I’ve been an avid N-scale model railroader, turning half the basement into a model of a fictional small town in Minnesota’s “iron range.”
I took up kayaking about 8 years ago and enjoy paddling some of our beautiful Minnesota lakes, especially up in northern Minnesota where my sisters and I have a family cabin. I also have been doing photography for many years; I’m pretty good at portraits and casual in-the-moment shots, so I get snagged to take pics at family and work events all the time.
With our long winters here in Minnesota, I seem to have plenty of time to fantasize about all the great things I want to do when the warm weather returns. Things to do at the cabin, various lakes to kayak on, trails in the woods to hike, or maybe places to camp if I can find someone who’s not afraid of mosquitoes. This year I decided I wanted an e-bike.
Why an e-bike?
As a boy, a teen, and through college, the bus or my bike was my primary transportation. And I hated the bus. Being in the city, I’d cycle year-round as long as the distance was within about 10 miles. Groceries, work, whatever. Sadly, this came to an end once college was done. I had to get a driver’s license and car and drive to work. It was just a bit too far to comfortably cycle to without arriving as a ball of sweat. And it’s been that way for 25 years. So my cycling stamina and interest faded.
I’m also a type 1 diabetic. This has caused some challenges to staying fit. Heavy physical exertion is something that can really drop my blood sugar in a hurry, so I have to plan such things with care and always have emergency candy nearby. This may be one of the things that’s kept me from getting back into analog biking; by the time I get to nice bike trails around the lakes, I’m already sapped.
Anyway, I think it was back in January when I first stumbled across a youtube video of someone zipping down streets and trails on their e-bike, and the joy on their face and in their voice struck me. It was the joy of cycling I remember as a teen (mostly on the downhills.) And it wasn’t just one guy, it seemed everyone getting into e-biking was loving it. Here, while I wasn’t paying attention, technology had brought that joy of flying downhill to cycling without having to first struggle up an incline! I really wanted to be part of this.
What to get?
I knew I wanted something that could handle city riding comfortably but also do gravel roads and ATV trails in the hinterlands up north. This would increase the range of my explorations in the woods around the cabin, and hopefully help get me back in shape. I didn’t really want to go fat tire as that seems like more tire than I need and a lot more weight. But I did want a decent tread. Also needed a rack for around town grocery errands or possibly bike camping in the future. Maybe some small packs for tools and snacks. A decent lock in case I need to park it. Anyway, you know how it goes…
So after plenty of research I ended up buying a Magnum Peak T7. This is well-equipped full-size class 3 e-bike with 27.5” x 2.8” knobby tires, 750W rear-hub motor, torque sensor, throttle, front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, and large 20Ah battery. This thing is a beast. Lots of fun even using the lower PAS settings most of the time, and I love the throttle for going up hills. But it is fairly heavy. I’ll try to give a more detailed review of this bike later.
Although I enjoy the power and range of this Magnum Peak, the weight of it has already got me wishing for something lighter, just for loading it on the car or into the house. More on this in another thread.
Anyway, it's great to be here. I've been lurking and learning from you all since January, so thanks.
I’m just an ordinary average guy in Minneapolis, hitting mid-life, but with no interest in a convertible. However, I do enjoy toys. For about 15 years I’ve been an avid N-scale model railroader, turning half the basement into a model of a fictional small town in Minnesota’s “iron range.”
I took up kayaking about 8 years ago and enjoy paddling some of our beautiful Minnesota lakes, especially up in northern Minnesota where my sisters and I have a family cabin. I also have been doing photography for many years; I’m pretty good at portraits and casual in-the-moment shots, so I get snagged to take pics at family and work events all the time.
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With our long winters here in Minnesota, I seem to have plenty of time to fantasize about all the great things I want to do when the warm weather returns. Things to do at the cabin, various lakes to kayak on, trails in the woods to hike, or maybe places to camp if I can find someone who’s not afraid of mosquitoes. This year I decided I wanted an e-bike.
Why an e-bike?
As a boy, a teen, and through college, the bus or my bike was my primary transportation. And I hated the bus. Being in the city, I’d cycle year-round as long as the distance was within about 10 miles. Groceries, work, whatever. Sadly, this came to an end once college was done. I had to get a driver’s license and car and drive to work. It was just a bit too far to comfortably cycle to without arriving as a ball of sweat. And it’s been that way for 25 years. So my cycling stamina and interest faded.
I’m also a type 1 diabetic. This has caused some challenges to staying fit. Heavy physical exertion is something that can really drop my blood sugar in a hurry, so I have to plan such things with care and always have emergency candy nearby. This may be one of the things that’s kept me from getting back into analog biking; by the time I get to nice bike trails around the lakes, I’m already sapped.
Anyway, I think it was back in January when I first stumbled across a youtube video of someone zipping down streets and trails on their e-bike, and the joy on their face and in their voice struck me. It was the joy of cycling I remember as a teen (mostly on the downhills.) And it wasn’t just one guy, it seemed everyone getting into e-biking was loving it. Here, while I wasn’t paying attention, technology had brought that joy of flying downhill to cycling without having to first struggle up an incline! I really wanted to be part of this.
What to get?
I knew I wanted something that could handle city riding comfortably but also do gravel roads and ATV trails in the hinterlands up north. This would increase the range of my explorations in the woods around the cabin, and hopefully help get me back in shape. I didn’t really want to go fat tire as that seems like more tire than I need and a lot more weight. But I did want a decent tread. Also needed a rack for around town grocery errands or possibly bike camping in the future. Maybe some small packs for tools and snacks. A decent lock in case I need to park it. Anyway, you know how it goes…
So after plenty of research I ended up buying a Magnum Peak T7. This is well-equipped full-size class 3 e-bike with 27.5” x 2.8” knobby tires, 750W rear-hub motor, torque sensor, throttle, front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, and large 20Ah battery. This thing is a beast. Lots of fun even using the lower PAS settings most of the time, and I love the throttle for going up hills. But it is fairly heavy. I’ll try to give a more detailed review of this bike later.
Although I enjoy the power and range of this Magnum Peak, the weight of it has already got me wishing for something lighter, just for loading it on the car or into the house. More on this in another thread.
Anyway, it's great to be here. I've been lurking and learning from you all since January, so thanks.
