Hello from Northern Virginia

Readytoride

Readytoride

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Virginia
Glad to become a member. This forum looks like fun, and seems to have lots of good advice.:)

I'm in my mid 60s, a former competitor in other sports but biking has always just been a recreational hobby. My bikes range from road bikes to hybrids to beach cruisers to electric bikes. I own two ebikes currently: one is a converted (4 years ago) 1997 21 speed hybrid with a throttle power "Hilltopper" 250w front hub drive, and the other a new Giant LaFree E+1 pedal assist carbon belt drive 8 speed.

Most of my rides are relaxed solo outings in the countryside, but I also enjoy organized charity rides when the weather permits.

Looking forward to posting reviews of my bikes, plus gaining insights, tips and tricks.
 
@Readytoride - welcome I don't know what the age profile of the EBR forums is, but based upon the March 2018 report North American Survey of Electric Bicycle Owners, I suspect most of the members are young/middle age e-Bike commuters, and older folks getting back into recreational cycling.

This report (PDF file) is downloadable from the people for bikes advocacy group website here . It's worth a read for an update to where e-Bikes on this Continent, are in the 2017-2018 timeframe. They have been booming in Europe and Asia.

Sounds like you're not new to e-Bikes and actually did a conversion, so you're not a novice. Welcome! Ride safe!
 
Welcome to the forum. Arlington here. Curious, do you use the auto mode on your LaFree? What does it do? Maintain PAS/power appropriate to your pedal effort?
 
Dewey said:
Welcome to the forum. Arlington here. Curious, do you use the auto mode on your LaFree? What does it do? Maintain PAS/power appropriate to your pedal effort?
Click to expand...

I have tried it twice, and didn't like the lag time it took to "decide" what level of assist I needed, and when to start giving the assist. I did given it a fair trial, but ended up not being a fan of it at all.

I found I prefer to set my own power level, and run through the gears depending upon the terrain. Sometimes I do the opposite - set the gear I want, and run through the power levels as needed. This way I get immediate assistance with the power level I want.
 
Dewey said:
No. But watch this space, the Park Service are working on an ebike policy
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What they probably will put in place is a Class 1 and 2 ebike only policy. Pretty much the enlightened policy everywhere else given that ebikes are becoming very popular with the older crowd, and more manufactures are coming out with models that look like the classic bike and are perfectly suitable for the bike trails.

I'd been riding my converted vintage bike on the (western end of the) W&OD for 4 years, completely unaware (until today!) there had been a no ebike policy for that trail up until March of this year. No one ever said a word to me about my bike in all those 4 years, probably because I was the epitome of the classic recreational rider on the classic hybrid bike being passed by every lycra clad wanna-be-a-racer-in-the-TDF speeding past like I was pedaling backward.

My personal feelings are: as long as an e-cyclist is being courteous, not speeding down the trail like a demon, or riding a bike that looks more like a motorcycle than a bike or has a massive hub motor that screams "I'm electric", nobody is going to give them a second glance.
 
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I was delighted to read this earlier, and hope the quiet entry of the noiseless, zero emission, electrically assisted, limited speed and power bicycles will eventually educate the haters that Class 1 and 3 ebikes are not motorcycles, and ebike riders aren't wackos.
 
Readytoride said:
What they probably will put in place is a Class 1 and 2 ebike only policy. Pretty much the enlightened policy everywhere else given that ebikes are becoming very popular with the older crowd, and more manufactures are coming out with models that look like the classic bike and are perfectly suitable for the bike trails.

I'd been riding my converted vintage bike on the (western end of the) W&OD for 4 years, completely unaware (until today!) there had been a no ebike policy for that trail up until March of this year. No one ever said a word to me about my bike in all those 4 years, probably because I was the epitome of the classic recreational rider on the classic hybrid bike being passed by every lycra clad wanna-be-a-racer-in-the-TDF speeding past like I was pedaling backward.

My personal feelings are: as long as an e-cyclist is being courteous, not speeding down the trail like a demon, or riding a bike that looks more like a motorcycle than a bike or has a massive hub motor that screams "I'm electric", nobody is going to give them a second glance.
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i have a Biktrix Juggernaught and with the saddle backs it's a tank. Last week I rode a trail marked "no motorized vehicles" and nobody said a word. Ebikes are still so rare in this country hardly anyone knows about them.
 
As long as an ebiker doesn't ride "stupid", nobody cares what kind of bike one is pedaling. Being considerate, being polite, and riding within the bounds of common sense are far more important to being acceptable and being left alone to enjoy the trails than whether a sticker is displayed on your bike...or not.

I am seeing a lot more ebikes (those that have the battery located on the downtube and visually scream "I'm an E-bike!") than before, especially at the charity rides. Lots of husband and wife pairs have them, which I find really sweet. They've found a way of riding together, which is nice. Lots of e-trikes, too. I habe to look carefully, however, to find the stealth ebikes like mine. They certainly blend in with the crowd.
 
@DaveinMtAiry just drive on down one day -- you can park in plenty of places near (or even adjacent to) the trail...
It is a nice, albeit popular trail, so it can be crowded in stretches (wish it would get repaved a few feet wider than now!) during nice weather. South of the beltway, it tends to get quieter, and more nature-scenic too. Though throughout a lot of the trail, tree root heaves in the asphalt are a recurring nuisance!
Until the park service memo came out (about allowing ebikes) I was a scofflaw, it turned out! (I tend to ride a stretch of MVT as part of my extended route home from the office.)
 
christob said:
@DaveinMtAiry just drive on down one day -- you can park in plenty of places near (or even adjacent to) the trail...
It is a nice, albeit popular trail, so it can be crowded in stretches (wish it would get repaved a few feet wider than now!) during nice weather. South of the beltway, it tends to get quieter, and more nature-scenic too. Though throughout a lot of the trail, tree root heaves in the asphalt are a recurring nuisance!
Until the park service memo came out (about allowing ebikes) I was a scofflaw, it turned out! (I tend to ride a stretch of MVT as part of my extended route home from the office.)
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Thanks for the info. Sounds like the Mt. Vernon trail would be a pleasant weekday ride for my calendar now that most of the big charity bike rides are over for the season. Have you ridden the entire 18 miles? The Bike Washington site says a section of the trail is confusing where it goes through Alexandra.
 
Hi @DaveinMtAiry. Yes, I've ridden the length of it, down to George's estate and back. (There's a killer little hill at the VERY end just before the estate, that comes as a bit of a surprise!)
It does get a little un-intuitive (but straight forward) as it goes through Old Town Alexandria -- you leave the dedicated trail just north of Old Town and then ride on the streets headed south for about a dozen blocks, then rejoin dedicated MV trail at Jones Point Park, almost under the beltway as it starts the Wilson Bridge section. Here's my normal route:
{edited to change map image with notes}
 

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Readytoride said:
Thanks for the info. Sounds like the Mt. Vernon trail would be a pleasant weekday ride for my calendar now that most of the big charity bike rides are over for the season. Have you ridden the entire 18 miles? The Bike Washington site says a section of the trail is confusing where it goes through Alexandra.
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Yes I've ridden the full length once, and on sections south of Alexandria several times, you're on city streets when the trail hits Pendleton Street at the north end of Alexandria, taking a left right jog to continue through Old Town on Union Street which parallels the Potomac waterfront but it's a low speed road and fine for cycling on. South of Alexandria some of the scenic parts are:
- when the path goes under the 495 Capital Beltway take a detour to sit on the bench outside Jones Pt Lighthouse,
- back on the trail the boardwalk bridge crossing Dyke Marsh is nice for bird watching,
- when the trail meets Northdown road you can cross the GW Parkway to continue South on the Mt Vernon Trail, or turn left and take the local roads to River Farm which is the HQ of the American Horticultural Society which have nice gardens free to walk around,
- back on the trail when you reach Ft Hunt Road you can turn left and cross back under the GW Parkway - the stretch of riverside path from here to where the trail crosses Little Hunting Creek has some of the nicest views along the trail and a great place to stop for a picnic. Alternatively turn right and visit Ft Hunt Park which has the remains of an artillery battery defensive work, and is where one of the professors I worked with for a short time at GWU Medical School, now deceased, would interrogate German U-Boat crew during WWII
- There is a good flat paved section of trail crossing Little Hunting Creek the first time, but then you're in among the trees and from the second crossing of an inlet of Little Hunting Creek to Mt Vernon there is a steep climb and the boardwalk bridge here gets notoriously slippery in wet weather especially with the fall leaves adding to a biofilm of algae and it's best to get off and walk so you don't have your bike slip out from under you particularly if you're coming down hill coming back from Mt Vernon, I recommend turning back at the first crossing of Little Hunting Creek here unless you plan on visiting the Mt Vernon estate.

The Mt Vernon trail is my favorite ride in the DC area, I'd be happy to join forum members for an ebike ride if planned ahead.
 
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