Goodbye to biking

[indianajo]

I burned up three legal motors (750 w) last 2 years trying to climb the 12% hills near my summer place. 1300 w and 1000 w geared hubs are no longer for sale in USA. those would do the job without help, but legislatures are terrified of old men carrying groceries up hills at 8 mph. At least we are supposed buy the regulation amount of tax paid motor fuel to do that. I was cranking with the feet up to May 14, up to 240 w over 2 minutes. 80 feet rise, 320 lb gross, 2 minutes. Heart was fine in the day and excercising, but losing rhythm in my sleep. I rode 7 miles into a 30 mph headwind Apr 18, while on a heart monitor. Performance was fine at 120 to 144 bpm. That night in my sleep the pulse went down to 50 with lots of PVCs, out of rhythm left ventricle only false beats. Surgery 5/14 fixed that problem, ablation of the bad rhythm spots. I will now not die in my sleep. But now when I try to climb a 3 % grade, breath goes up to 72, the heart slows down to 60 bpm, vision begins to dim. The surgeon says that is totally normal. Heart muscle is still there, but electric circuits will no longer support climbing hills over 1% or into a headwind. Takes 120-144 bpm to do that. I gave up and bought a new Ford F150 today. I have been living without a motor vehicle since 2008. Bike will no longer be the grocery getter, nor be ridden on grades over 2% or headwinds over 8 mph. As winds are totally unpredictable around here, that means the bike will now mostly stay parked. You all have fun on 2 wheels. I will have to make do with walking in my woods out at the summer place, that I drive to instead of biking to.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I burned up three legal motors (750 w) last 2 years trying to climb the 12% hills near my summer place. 1300 w and 1000 w geared hubs are no longer for sale in USA. those would do the job without help, but legislatures are terrified of old men carrying groceries up hills at 8 mph. At least we are supposed buy the regulation amount of tax paid motor fuel to do that. I was cranking with the feet up to May 14, up to 240 w over 2 minutes. 80 feet rise, 320 lb gross, 2 minutes. Heart was fine in the day and excercising, but losing rhythm in my sleep. I rode 7 miles into a 30 mph headwind Apr 18, while on a heart monitor. Performance was fine at 120 to 144 bpm. That night in my sleep the pulse went down to 50 with lots of PVCs, out of rhythm left ventricle only false beats. Surgery 5/14 fixed that problem, ablation of the bad rhythm spots. I will now not die in my sleep. But now when I try to climb a 3 % grade, breath goes up to 72, the heart slows down to 60 bpm, vision begins to dim. The surgeon says that is totally normal. Heart muscle is still there, but electric circuits will no longer support climbing hills over 1% or into a headwind. Takes 120-144 bpm to do that. I gave up and bought a new Ford F150 today. I have been living without a motor vehicle since 2008. Bike will no longer be the grocery getter, nor be ridden on grades over 2% or headwinds over 8 mph. As winds are totally unpredictable around here, that means the bike will now mostly stay parked. You all have fun on 2 wheels. I will have to make do with walking in my woods out at the summer place, that I drive to instead of biking to.

So sorry to hear that your days of cycling in lieu of driving have come to an end. Valiant effort considering your transportation needs with your 2 places.

Hope you can still manage to get in some bicycling fun now and then.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Well @indianajo you've been a freakin' hero for a helluva long time mate.
Stay healthy, and maybe you can come back to a little more pleasure riding as @Jeremy McCreary says.
Stiff upper lip mate!

 

[6zfshdb]

I'm sorry to hear this @indianajo ! I suppose all of us will face this situation eventually.
Hopefully, you'll stick around and continue to share your valuable insights!

 

[Chargeride]

Thats a bummer, no interest in a motorbike?

 

[stompandgo]

Man, that's terrible. Maybe the eMTB arms race will eventually catch up to you and provide something that will work down the road.

 

[Extreme1]

How about something with a throttle and pedals so you can keep bike riding?

I know guys, I know, but that’s my plan for when I can’t pedal much anymore. I love cycling too much to ever give it up.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Super sorry to hear this, Indianajo. I don’t know what the hell I would do with myself without the ebike anymore. Maybe the throttle idea would be a way to stay in the game along with that F150? Aventon, Velotrix (did I spell that right?) are making some pretty good bikes these days, though perhaps not strong enough to get up that hill with all those groceries.

On the other hand, now you’re a pickup guy with a new F150! Cue the country music, get a new cowboy hat!

Hope you still hang around here, you’re damn near an OG.

 

[stompandgo]

I was thinking a high powered e-MTB with a Topeak Terra Rack and panniers.

 

[CanNik]

What are you talking about

I live in Wales ( and 68), the REAL and ORIGINAL one, UK.

I ride to Aberystwyth, the hills are 12% and we only have 250 watt motors (mid drive) and I have NO problem

 

[CanNik]

Thats a bummer, no interest in a motorbike?

A bike with a motor IS a motorbike lOL

 

[CanNik]

Wales

 

[teskow]

I'm sorry to hear this @indianajo ! I suppose all of us will face this situation eventually.
Hopefully, you'll stick around and continue to share your valuable insights!

Motor bike. No need to run a 2 ton auto.

 

[Gionnirocket]

f*ck!!! what's legal and get yourself something that will do the job and even better yet, get you outside doing what you enjoy.
My experience is law enforcement will turn a blind eye and could care less about a grocery hauling elder gentleman.
There's lots of options from mid drives to trikes and in your case a throttle should be mandatory. It'll get you home or to safety if you start feeling weak.

 

[indianajo]

I have always had the throttle due to the Army damaged knees locking up for a week if I twist one. But geared hubs that won't burn out on the hills of north Clark county are now outlawed. I could buy a mid-drive with a 48 tooth rear sprocket which would climb, but 1 mph up 20 hills would make my commute 5 hours. Exceeds my pain in the ass time limit. Besides no-exercise biking would do nothing to maintain my heart muscle. I do not think medicare will pay for some click to speed up pacemaker just to keep my heart healthy. They are in the business of keeping patients from dying. My heart runs fine at 66 bpm, but will only speed up to 96 before further stress drops it to 60. I bet my rest pulse will be up to 84 in a couple of months.
As for the cowboy hat, I am a former maintenance man, truck & bus driver, engineer. A full brim hardhat is my style for sunny days. Cool wind under the gap and full brim to keep the sun off my ears. I already have 3 and wore one yesterday to wait for the bus to the Ford dealer. My brother employs 6 civil engineers to inspect bridges in orange full brim hardhat, vest, and 4 Ford 4WD pickup trucks. One Chevy, but it refused to start after 140000 miles, 9 years, and 3 trips to the dealer. Result I did not price a Silverado.
The wife raised hell when I asked her to pick me & bike up in May after I got tired of pushing the bike at the 11 miles point. "This is not a truck" she yelled. I did scratch the door putting the bike in. Well, now I have a truck. Plenty of new roof metal, security doors, window bars units to carry out there besides the groceries. I have a house out there now, and people out there steal the copper wire out of vacant houses. I need to replace the door to the trailer that was kicked in last winter, and the door under the trailer where the coyote lives now when I am not there. My first night out he howled at me. With a 4WD truck I will be out there more often in the winter. They do not plow the roads.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I can personally vouch for this motor, as can many others on here.
It's a workhorse.

 

[Roamers]

I do not think medicare will pay for some click to speed up pacemaker just to keep my heart healthy. They are in the business of keeping patients from dying

Perhaps check, rather than speculate. My Cardiologists and my brother (a cardiologist) told me I have a pacer in my future. My mom got one at 85, pretty sure on Medicare's dime.

If your cardiologist shows it is "medically necessary" it should be covered.

 

[indianajo]

Perhaps check, rather than speculate. My Cardiologists and my brother (a cardiologist) told me I have a pacer in my future. My mom got one at 85, pretty sure on Medicare's dime.
If your cardiologist shows it is "medically necessary" it should be covered.

I complained to cadio surgeon in early June, got the response "pulse 60 while exercising is totally normal". One more try at begging after recording 2 episodes July 8. He prescribed a defilabrator vest in late April while I waited 3 weeks for ablation surgery. Insurance denied it. Insurance was right this time, I did not die.
Click to exercise faster pacemaker is something I do not know if it exists. Base rate pacemaker, I do not have a problem with that.

 

[Roamers]

Base rate pacemaker, I do not have a problem with that

Correct, i don't know of a "give me more bpm when I exercise" pacer. I thought I read you had a low resting rate at night.

My resting is currently low 50s, during the winter in hangs around low 40s. Upper limit, regardless of exercise is 128 (meds), which is fine for me these days. When I go into a-fib, 155 to 160 sucks.

I disagree 60 is normal while exercising.

 

[indianajo]

I thought I read you had a low resting rate at night.

I had 55 at night while the vfib was occuring. That has totally cleared up after the ablation surgery. 66 minimum. I have an implanted monitor that checks for that, afib, vfib. Not for CO2 poisoning while exercising because heart slows down to 60 past 96 bpm.