Paul H.
New Member
Hey everyone. I've been loving EBR and the forums for the past several weeks, but I haven't made an official appearance yet. I guess I was waiting to get my bike from the shop, so I could be an official e-bike owner before I said hello.
A few days ago, I became the proud owner of a 2016 Haibike Xduro Trekking RX. I bought it from the The New Wheel, an incredibly awesome e-bike specialty shop, with lots of support and guidance. Brett and Karin, the owners of The New Wheel, are incredible people with a great vision. They started the shop several years ago in San Francisco, and recently opened a new branch in Marin County. Just had to sign their praises for a moment.
I haven't ridden bikes much as an adult, so I started out with a simple goal by looking for something I could ride locally to go get groceries and run light errands. (Unfortunately, the bulk of the driving I do is shuttling my teenage twins around to various practices and events.) I fell in love with the Stromer line and took home a Stromer ST1 T to test for a day. It was transformative. I live in Mill Valley, which is in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais, and suddenly I was able to ride around in the hills in a way I've never been able to do on my regular bike. I was hooked.
(I guess I could mention here the reason I was looking for an e-bike the in the first place was because my husband and I were traveling in Switzerland this summer and we rented e-bikes in Zurich and it rocked my world. So Stromer, being Swiss, and from Bern no less, was very appealing. Bern is awesome.)
I watched Court's videos over and over and over as I tried to decide what to do. The problem was I started wanting the best I could get, and I made the mistake of taking the Stromer ST2 home to test for a day. That really spoiled me. But I couldn't justify the $7,000 price tag given that this was a new experiment. I have a history of getting excited about things and then letting them slip, and I knew my husband would roll his eyes and think I was crazy if I bought a bike for that much.
So I'm "settling" for the Haibike Xduro Trekking, which is fantastic. I'm actually really curious to find out more (from those who go to Interbike) about the Stromer STX, which might end up being the right mix of features and price for me. If it's as good as it looks, I think I might sell the Haibike and switch brands. On the other hand, I rode the new bike today for 20 miles without breaking a sweat (just kidding, I was sweating like a pig when I got home), and it's a sweet ride. I might forget about the Stromer in a few months. Especially if it doesn't hit the US until March or later.
I've been reading through the Forums. It seems like a very nice, friendly, and supportive community. Looking forward to being a part of the discussion.
Oh, and Court, if you see this: we have a nice guest cottage that's always available for you if you're coming to the North Bay and ever need a place to crash. It has its own entrance and is very private. I'd love it if you could make use of it sometime. And we can go on a ride up Mt. Tam.
A few days ago, I became the proud owner of a 2016 Haibike Xduro Trekking RX. I bought it from the The New Wheel, an incredibly awesome e-bike specialty shop, with lots of support and guidance. Brett and Karin, the owners of The New Wheel, are incredible people with a great vision. They started the shop several years ago in San Francisco, and recently opened a new branch in Marin County. Just had to sign their praises for a moment.
I haven't ridden bikes much as an adult, so I started out with a simple goal by looking for something I could ride locally to go get groceries and run light errands. (Unfortunately, the bulk of the driving I do is shuttling my teenage twins around to various practices and events.) I fell in love with the Stromer line and took home a Stromer ST1 T to test for a day. It was transformative. I live in Mill Valley, which is in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais, and suddenly I was able to ride around in the hills in a way I've never been able to do on my regular bike. I was hooked.
(I guess I could mention here the reason I was looking for an e-bike the in the first place was because my husband and I were traveling in Switzerland this summer and we rented e-bikes in Zurich and it rocked my world. So Stromer, being Swiss, and from Bern no less, was very appealing. Bern is awesome.)
I watched Court's videos over and over and over as I tried to decide what to do. The problem was I started wanting the best I could get, and I made the mistake of taking the Stromer ST2 home to test for a day. That really spoiled me. But I couldn't justify the $7,000 price tag given that this was a new experiment. I have a history of getting excited about things and then letting them slip, and I knew my husband would roll his eyes and think I was crazy if I bought a bike for that much.
So I'm "settling" for the Haibike Xduro Trekking, which is fantastic. I'm actually really curious to find out more (from those who go to Interbike) about the Stromer STX, which might end up being the right mix of features and price for me. If it's as good as it looks, I think I might sell the Haibike and switch brands. On the other hand, I rode the new bike today for 20 miles without breaking a sweat (just kidding, I was sweating like a pig when I got home), and it's a sweet ride. I might forget about the Stromer in a few months. Especially if it doesn't hit the US until March or later.
I've been reading through the Forums. It seems like a very nice, friendly, and supportive community. Looking forward to being a part of the discussion.
Oh, and Court, if you see this: we have a nice guest cottage that's always available for you if you're coming to the North Bay and ever need a place to crash. It has its own entrance and is very private. I'd love it if you could make use of it sometime. And we can go on a ride up Mt. Tam.
