Goodbye to biking

[stompandgo]

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

An F-150 is on the order of three tons

 

[CanNik]

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.

Typical american attitude

 

[indianajo]

An F-150 is on the order of three tons

bing says "

4,021-5,014lbs​

The curb weight of a 2022 Ford F150 4WD with a 3.5L engine is within the range of 4,021-5,014lbs, with a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 6,010-7,150lbs"
EPA rating is 19 to 24 mpg. I was first offered a 11-18 mpg 6.8 L F250. When I complained about the mileage they found a 3.5 L at another dealer. I do not tow monster house trailers or 6 horse trailers. I do move building materials, pianos and organs, a bed. Engines for classic cars. Mine is an 8' bed to carry 10' roofing sheets.
I can no longer rent U-haul trucks. The agency is the other side of an underpass with no sidewalks. I would have to push the bike out of the underpass, which is dark, narrow, and much too dangerous. U-haul trucks would not allow me to reach my summer camp in unplowed snow. There is a flood risk to my superior pianos in town, see news about floods in Kentucky this spring. Replacement pianos are not available. The import consoles sound like garbage to people who have not destroyed their ears. Also moving dirty car engines in a U-haul truck buys U-haul a new floor at my expense.
The price of F150 will go up in future. The 3.5 L motor was made in Mexico, which will incur tarriffs in future. CNN says many models will be difficult to produce due to the shortage of neodynium magnets made only in China. Ford was offering employee pricing (A-plan) through July 8.

 

[harryS]

Bummer on the AFib, Indianajo. It's starting to hit a few of my peers. At least the ablation worked.

 

[stompandgo]

My 2021 5' bed Ranger weighs 5300# with a full tank on the town scrap scale. You think your F-150 is lighter?

 

[Catalyzt]

bing says "

4,021-5,014lbs​

The curb weight of a 2022 Ford F150 4WD with a 3.5L engine is within the range of 4,021-5,014lbs, with a GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) of 6,010-7,150lbs"
EPA rating is 19 to 24 mpg. I was first offered a 11-18 mpg 6.8 L F250. When I complained about the mileage they found a 3.5 L at another dealer. I do not tow monster house trailers or 6 horse trailers. I do move building materials, pianos and organs, a bed. Engines for classic cars. Mine is an 8' bed to carry 10' roofing sheets.
I can no longer rent U-haul trucks. The agency is the other side of an underpass with no sidewalks. I would have to push the bike out of the underpass, which is dark, narrow, and much too dangerous. U-haul trucks would not allow me to reach my summer camp in unplowed snow. There is a flood risk to my superior pianos in town, see news about floods in Kentucky this spring. Replacement pianos are not available. The import consoles sound like garbage to people who have not destroyed their ears. Also moving dirty car engines in a U-haul truck buys U-haul a new floor at my expense.
The price of F150 will go up in future. The 3.5 L motor was made in Mexico, which will incur tarriffs in future. CNN says many models will be difficult to produce due to the shortage of neodynium magnets made only in China. Ford was offering employee pricing (A-plan) through July 8.

The F150 sounds like a fine choice in your situation. 3.5 L definitely the way to go.

What are you gonna do? Sucks about the health situation. Could happen to any of us anytime.

I can see why it doesn't look good for you for eBiking moving forward. Maybe that's it for you; you have to play the hand you're dealt. Not advising you to cling to false hope. At the same time...

All I can say is... I've quite body boarding skiing twice-- sawed up my board and stuffed it in the bin-- skiing twice, and rock and roll more times than I can count. All for health reasons. Father Time is an abusive parent, he'll come for me, too... but... my theory is you never really know you're done until it's been a few years. Your commuting and hauling days may be done, but there might be some kind of fitness riding which could become technically possible, like Stomp says, if the motor arms race catches up.

One of the most uncomfortable places to be is, "Done for now, likely forever, but haven't given up hope completely," but that's a place where I spend a lot of time.

For me, bodyboarding is a sport I could not continue without intense study, mostly of weather and surf websites, but I also read books, jawbone with the old dogs on the lineup, lots of plotting and scheming. These years, a good season, I can get out maybe eight times, a bad season only three. I spend hours tracking weather, tide and wind, choosing the right day-- with my own physical condition on any given days a complete wild card. Twice last season, everything looked good, I went out, looked at the conditions, and was like, "Nope. Too dangerous." I have to be in a place mentally where I can pull out a book and chill on the beach for an hour or two without feeling like I've wasted the whole day.

Typical american attitude

I wouldn't paint us all with such a broad brush.

We all have VERY different, and firmly held, beliefs about which laws we should obey or disobey... our favorite blood sport seems to be arguing that very topic...

...when we can even keep track of, or interpret correctly, what the rules and laws are in each state!

 

[fooferdoggie]

time to bite the bullet and buy the right to for the job a mid drive.

 

[Art Deco]

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.

I am so sorry @indianajo . We have all benefited from your experience and hope you can hang around and help some others as you have done so often in the past. Thanks.