JHutch
New Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific
Hi All, at 71 I've been riding bikes a long time. Since the late 60's I've ridden a Schwinn Varsity which I rode till I crashed and bent the frame, then a 1975 CCM branded aluminum frame touring bike which I rode till the frame cracked. I didn't replace that until 2012 with a Fuji Touring bike which is my current ride. In 1972 I did my first tour. After a three day weekend from Springfield MO to Lake Taneycomo on to Branson and Table Rock Lake (it was nothing like it is today) and back to Springfield I was hooked. But life got in the way and I didn't start touring again till I bought the Fuji. Since I've ridden the Katy Trail several times, the Natchez Trace Parkway, Washington DC to St Louis via the C & O towpath, GAP, Montour Trail, Panhandle Trail and surface roads from Wheeling WV.
My home is in the Missouri Ozarks so lots of hill climbing. At 71 with arthritis I've been considering an ebike for quite a while. I sometimes tour with a brother 2 years older than me. We have been trading links to different ebikes we find online, which we call ebike porn, for a few years now. I finally decided to take the plunge and am getting close to a decision.
The thing that's held me back is the general lack of availability of ebikes on dealer floors. Either the one you'd like to test ride isn't available locally or you find one in stock, but the wrong size frame. I ordered my Fuji Touring sight unseen from a LBS. But I has a standard old school diamond frame and I could easily compare the geometry to the old CCM frame I had been riding to feel confident it would be the right size and it has worked out great. Generally ebike frames are configured differently than the old Schwinn, CCM and the Fuji. Given that ebikes are much more expensive, particularly if you want a higher end model I've been hesitant to drop thousands of dollars on a bike I'd never sat on or ridden. Making the choice even harder I want a bike I can tour on. That means front and rear pannier racks, 3 water bottles, mud guard and a comfortable riding position. And I am not interested in a suspension fork. I have an aerobar on the Fuji for those days when you are bucking a headwind all day and to vary my position and get weight off my wrists. Plus I'd like to feel confident in being able to get in 60+ mile days.
Many ebikes are designed with flat or relatively straight bars and an upright riding position which I find uncomfortable. I prefer a drop bar, but most ebikes with drop bars are "go fast" road bikes and don't have all the attachment points I need. Those listed as gravel or adventure bikes. The bike I have found that looks like it's going to tic all the boxes is a Yamaha Wabash RT. The closest dealer to me with a variety of those on the floor is an hour's drive from me. I test rode a large with I believe will work fine. However I need to have a few changes to get is set up right. The biggest of which is switching the flaired, gravel bike drop bars for a standard drop bar. I won't be doing the kind of riding that requires the additional control afforded by the wider bars and I find the flaired wrist position on the drops uncomfortable. I also need to get the handlebar raised a bit from a little below the seat to a bit above. Plus have mudguards and a rear rack added.
Those should be straight forward changes and just a matter of cost. But, I'm not impressed with Yamaha's dealer network. The local dealer is a Yamaha Powersports place selling motorcycles, ATV's lawnmowers, and yes ebike. But the are not a bike shop. Having presta valves, I think it took them 20 minutes to figure out how to air up the tires for my test ride. That doesn't instill confidence. But they are working with a LBS to get all the changes done and say they are committed to get it set up the way I need. So, right now we're working through the detail and added costs. Assuming that it all comes together though I'll pull the trigger. And I'm pretty pumped.
The Wabash RT has a 500w 36v battery and a Yamaha 28mph motor. There are bikes with bigger batteries and dual batteries but after riding the bike I'm not too concerned about range. Although heavy, I rides really well with no assist on relatively flat ground. So I'll probably ride unassisted or in the lowest assist level a good deal of the time using more power for hills. I don't need to go fast. Plus, Yamaha is giving away a second battery with their current promotion. Of course you'd have carry it around with you to be able to use it to extend your range. This post is probably TMI but that's my story. Thanks to anyone who gets through it.
John Hutchins
Pacific, MO
My home is in the Missouri Ozarks so lots of hill climbing. At 71 with arthritis I've been considering an ebike for quite a while. I sometimes tour with a brother 2 years older than me. We have been trading links to different ebikes we find online, which we call ebike porn, for a few years now. I finally decided to take the plunge and am getting close to a decision.
The thing that's held me back is the general lack of availability of ebikes on dealer floors. Either the one you'd like to test ride isn't available locally or you find one in stock, but the wrong size frame. I ordered my Fuji Touring sight unseen from a LBS. But I has a standard old school diamond frame and I could easily compare the geometry to the old CCM frame I had been riding to feel confident it would be the right size and it has worked out great. Generally ebike frames are configured differently than the old Schwinn, CCM and the Fuji. Given that ebikes are much more expensive, particularly if you want a higher end model I've been hesitant to drop thousands of dollars on a bike I'd never sat on or ridden. Making the choice even harder I want a bike I can tour on. That means front and rear pannier racks, 3 water bottles, mud guard and a comfortable riding position. And I am not interested in a suspension fork. I have an aerobar on the Fuji for those days when you are bucking a headwind all day and to vary my position and get weight off my wrists. Plus I'd like to feel confident in being able to get in 60+ mile days.
Many ebikes are designed with flat or relatively straight bars and an upright riding position which I find uncomfortable. I prefer a drop bar, but most ebikes with drop bars are "go fast" road bikes and don't have all the attachment points I need. Those listed as gravel or adventure bikes. The bike I have found that looks like it's going to tic all the boxes is a Yamaha Wabash RT. The closest dealer to me with a variety of those on the floor is an hour's drive from me. I test rode a large with I believe will work fine. However I need to have a few changes to get is set up right. The biggest of which is switching the flaired, gravel bike drop bars for a standard drop bar. I won't be doing the kind of riding that requires the additional control afforded by the wider bars and I find the flaired wrist position on the drops uncomfortable. I also need to get the handlebar raised a bit from a little below the seat to a bit above. Plus have mudguards and a rear rack added.
Those should be straight forward changes and just a matter of cost. But, I'm not impressed with Yamaha's dealer network. The local dealer is a Yamaha Powersports place selling motorcycles, ATV's lawnmowers, and yes ebike. But the are not a bike shop. Having presta valves, I think it took them 20 minutes to figure out how to air up the tires for my test ride. That doesn't instill confidence. But they are working with a LBS to get all the changes done and say they are committed to get it set up the way I need. So, right now we're working through the detail and added costs. Assuming that it all comes together though I'll pull the trigger. And I'm pretty pumped.
The Wabash RT has a 500w 36v battery and a Yamaha 28mph motor. There are bikes with bigger batteries and dual batteries but after riding the bike I'm not too concerned about range. Although heavy, I rides really well with no assist on relatively flat ground. So I'll probably ride unassisted or in the lowest assist level a good deal of the time using more power for hills. I don't need to go fast. Plus, Yamaha is giving away a second battery with their current promotion. Of course you'd have carry it around with you to be able to use it to extend your range. This post is probably TMI but that's my story. Thanks to anyone who gets through it.
John Hutchins
Pacific, MO
