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.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Jo, you are one of the old timers here; waaaay back when this ebike game was just starting to think about getting ramped up to what it is today. Back when Court was running this site, while living in his Toyota Prius. Yeah, time is moving quickly under our feet these days. Too fast.

"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." Yeah, as a cardiac patient myself with some cleared right coronary piping, one who was always active, to what your surgeon said is bollocks. Get a new surgeon.

My unsolicited advice? Adapt to the situation at hand. As a Yamaha PW mid drive owner myself, I watched with envy how succeeding generations of that drive as well as the Bosch & the one that Stefan swears to, increased their torque in addition to adding some giant pizza pie pan sized rear gear clusters. Consider that mid drive with super low gearing. And consider using your new truck as a means to transport your ebike to the cabin, where you can then ride trails at a pace that is easy on your heart while most importantly, keeping your head clear of doctors visits and EKG's, etc.

Adapt.....let the Ford do the heavy hauling and mileage. Let the bike get you back into nature a few miles at a time. That Ford is the means to new sites and rides you may never have contemplated before. We are not machines and our health and relatively young age cloud our thinking into that this will go on forever. Sooner or later, each one of us comes to that fork in the road where a health issue rears reality smack in our face. If there be any possibility, you move on, albeit in a modified, different way.

I hope you do consider this and sincerely hope this health issue means you are NOT done posting your adventures. Nor for that matter, your riding!

 

[harryS]

Haven't biked all month. Came down with Covid on 6-30. Too tired to do anything. Lot of sleep time. Maybe next week.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Haven't biked all month. Came down with Covid on 6-30. Too tired to do anything. Lot of sleep time. Maybe next week.

Was there this time last year.
Watch out for long covid as well. I felt better after a few days and was almost back to normal after 10 days or so. But bouts of extreme fatigue would randomly show up for the following 6 months. Usually just a one day event.

 

[Bicyclista]

@indianajo, sorry to hear about your health issues. @Mike TowpathTraveler has some good advice in post #29. I have a pacemaker myself, and I don't find that it hinders hill climbing. It's probable I have a rate-responsive pacemaker. It automatically adjusts to my exercise level. Pehaps you should ask about getting one.

At any rate, good luck and godspeed. As @Mike TowpathTraveler suggests, use your new truck as an opportunity to take your bike to a place you can ride, if only for recreation. Explore new places further afield.

 

[Catalyzt]

Really feeling all this, Indiana, sending positive vibes your way.

I had a terrible flu-- if it was COVID, it didn't show on any tests-- which recruited all my antibodies, so a minor flareup of diveriticulitus turned into a major one with high fever, heavy duty pain, the whole nine.

Different disorders, I know-- not cardiac. But I'm taking 10 minute weak-ass fitness rides only. They feel like sh*t, but are helping with digestion and other issues, clearly.

And this all happened, fortunately, when I was in the best shape for the entire year. So I had a lot of physical reserve, which is helping my recovery.

A balancing act, mad respect no matter how this works out, not giving advice here, just hope you can stay in, or near, the game, like the other folks posting here!

 

[indianajo]

I had another sessioh with cardio surgeon 7/8/25. He acknowledges slowing of my heart during exercise is messing up my Dr. Ken Cooper aerobics program. I started that program in the Army 1969, never stopped. He has no solution. There is a pacemaker that speeds up to 108 bpm for exercise, but it relies on accelerometer for indication of "exercise". Due to Army damaged knees, I bicycle as smoothly as possible on roads to prevent pain from shock. So that device probably will not work. There is no pacemaker that reads blood oxygen or CO2 levels to speed up pulse. I do not need a pacemaker to maintain pulse while I sleep or rest. I have never had that problem. I suggested a device that stimulates an extra beat when I move my ears: there is no such thing. Next appointment 3 months. I expect no improvement then either. By then my 240 watt capable heart (last fall, up to day of ablation procedure 5/14/25) will have deteriorated to chub.
BTW while covid MGD is in the news I have had a lung disease for 15 days. Much like covid19 in 2020, covid test was negative. Funny, I had 141 days of fever that time, what was that, the common cold? Whatever it was it increased my time to summer camp at pulse 120-144 40%.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I had another sessioh with cardio surgeon 7/8/25. He acknowledges slowing of my heart during exercise is messing up my Dr. Ken Cooper aerobics program. I started that program in the Army 1969, never stopped. He has no solution. There is a pacemaker that speeds up to 108 bpm for exercise, but it relies on accelerometer for indication of "exercise". Due to Army damaged knees, I bicycle as smoothly as possible on roads to prevent pain from shock. So that device probably will not work. There is no pacemaker that reads blood oxygen or CO2 levels to speed up pulse. I do not need a pacemaker to maintain pulse while I sleep or rest. I have never had that problem. I suggested a device that stimulates an extra beat when I move my ears: there is no such thing. Next appointment 3 months. I expect no improvement then either. By then my 240 watt capable heart (last fall, up to day of ablation procedure 5/14/25) will have deteriorated to chub.
BTW while covid MGD is in the news I have had a lung disease for 15 days. Much like covid19 in 2020, covid test was negative. Funny, I had 141 days of fever that time, what was that, the common cold? Whatever it was it increased my time to summer camp at pulse 120-144 40%.

All my mojo is sent your way mate!

 

[Bicyclista]

I had another sessioh with cardio surgeon 7/8/25. He acknowledges slowing of my heart during exercise is messing up my Dr. Ken Cooper aerobics program. I started that program in the Army 1969, never stopped. He has no solution. There is a pacemaker that speeds up to 108 bpm for exercise, but it relies on accelerometer for indication of "exercise". Due to Army damaged knees, I bicycle as smoothly as possible on roads to prevent pain from shock. So that device probably will not work. There is no pacemaker that reads blood oxygen or CO2 levels to speed up pulse. I do not need a pacemaker to maintain pulse while I sleep or rest. I have never had that problem. I suggested a device that stimulates an extra beat when I move my ears: there is no such thing. Next appointment 3 months. I expect no improvement then either. By then my 240 watt capable heart (last fall, up to day of ablation procedure 5/14/25) will have deteriorated to chub.
BTW while covid MGD is in the news I have had a lung disease for 15 days. Much like covid19 in 2020, covid test was negative. Funny, I had 141 days of fever that time, what was that, the common cold? Whatever it was it increased my time to summer camp at pulse 120-144 40%.

@indianajo, it's possible that your condition is different than mine, and that the kind of variable-rate pacemaker I wear would not be appropriate. Mine is a Biotronik Edora 8 DR-T, and it uses a closed-loop stimulation sensor to respond to physiological demands on a beat-to-beat basis. On my last bike ride, which included a long hill, my heart rate varied between 62 and 123 bpm. Plus, my Biotronik is MRI-compatible.

Best of luck!