Jboz
New Member
- Region
- USA
Not a total newbie to the e-bike world, but new to the forum. Just wanted to say a quick hello. Here's abridged cycling life story, and how it eventually brought me to an e-bike...if you are interested.
Kid chapter. Loved bikes from that moment in 1963 when my dad who was running behind me holding the seat of my old brown hand-me-down bike let go, and I experienced a feeling I have never forgotten. A five year old boy's first taste of freedom, and it tasted fantastic! Over the years flowed a series of kid bikes, including one purple "Grape Crate" Sting Ray as a reward for straight A's. Geez, I wish I still had that bike. I finally graduated to a real 10 speed road bike in 1975, a silver Nishiki International, bought with grocery bagging money. My best friend took one look at it and bought the identical bike, and we started doing some serious riding. Our first big ride was probably 70 miles, and wasn't planned...we just started riding one morning and realized by noon we were pretty far from home, so we turned around and came back. Loved that bike. I took it apart and put it back together a few times, kept the chain lube, pampered it, changed the cloth bar tape about a dozen times (always red). But my pride and joy was stolen in college a couple of years later and didn't have the money to replace it. The next thing I knew, my kid life was complete and I had embarked on adult life.
Grown up chapter. Life happened. Jobs, bills, obligations, relocations, climbing the corporate ladder, wife #1, wife #2, and kids. Cycling was not in my life, but never forgotten. Fast forward about 30 years thru all that life crap to the year 2009, my 10 year old was doing a bucket list project for school. And he asked me what was on my bucket list. I had to think for a minute, but I had heard about a ride called RAGBRAI several years earlier and I threw it out there. He asked me questions about it, but mostly he wanted to know why I hadn't done it yet. So I made up some BS about being too busy, but the real reason was that I was about 70 pounds overweight at that point and hopelessly out of shape. But he kept it up and I resolved to him that he and I would ride it someday. He decided that 2012 was the year...he would be 13. So went out and bought a carbon frame Giant Defy road bike. One big problem, I was the 70 pounds of extra baggage pressing down on my sit bones. Probably wasn't fit properly either. Couldn't go more than 6 miles before pain kicked in. Then I discovered recumbents, and rode those religiously for the next 6 or so years, including RAGBRAI 4 times, and managed to drop the 70 pounds. At that point, I figured I would try regular road bikes again. Went out and got a really nice Lynskey, raw Ti so it's the same color as the one I had stolen back in college...and yes, red bar tape. Got it professionally fitted, along with a proper saddle...and voila, no pain. So I've been enjoying the hell out of that bike. But at 60-something, speed was pretty much a distant memory, and I'm pretty bushed at the 50 mile mark.
The AARP chapter. I had a great job and a great boss. Finest exec I've ever worked with, but she retired. Company brought a young gun in, "smartest guy in the room" type. We clashed. I lost, but I really won. As in retired...peace, OUT! My son has become an avid and very strong cyclist by now, and we wanted to do some rides together. We did some moderate distances of 30'ish miles. Riding together is great father/son time, but I could tell it was frustrating for him to plod along at my speed. We tried having him ride at his own pace, but pull over every 10 miles or so to wait for me, but that wasn't fun for him either and it kind of defeated the purpose of riding together. So I took the plunge and added an Orbea Gain e-bike to my stable. The bike is beautiful and looks just like a road bike...you really can't tell by looking at it. In fact, I told my son I got a new bike but didn't tell him it had pedal assist. We did 35 miles that first day I kept pace easily, and took my turn pulling into a headwind. Even when he was drafting me, he still didn't catch on that it wasn't 100% me. He just kept saying "Damn, Dad!" I finally let him in on the joke and we had a good laugh. Anyway, I promised myself I would reserve the e-bike for rides with him, and I've kept that promise. When I ride solo, I ride non-powered. I know that will eventually give way though...time waits for no man.
Next chapter. With my newfound freedom, my bucket list can become a reality. I find that the list is almost exclusively multi-day cycling tours. Portugal, Turkey, Hungary, and many others including a whole bunch of US rides. Going to try my hand at mountain biking, maybe some rugged bikepacking, and for that I will skip ahead right to an e-MTB. As for my touring plans, I expect that for the next few years it will consist of some on e-bike, and some non-powered. I'm toying with a 7 week Coast-to-Coast next summer...e-bike would really enhance the experience, but I'm struggling with the logistics of charging, especially on the more remote stretches out west.
Anyway, hello forum members. I just found this site a few days ago, so I will be reading lots and and posting a bit going forward. And sorry, I'm usually not this long-winded. Stay well!
Kid chapter. Loved bikes from that moment in 1963 when my dad who was running behind me holding the seat of my old brown hand-me-down bike let go, and I experienced a feeling I have never forgotten. A five year old boy's first taste of freedom, and it tasted fantastic! Over the years flowed a series of kid bikes, including one purple "Grape Crate" Sting Ray as a reward for straight A's. Geez, I wish I still had that bike. I finally graduated to a real 10 speed road bike in 1975, a silver Nishiki International, bought with grocery bagging money. My best friend took one look at it and bought the identical bike, and we started doing some serious riding. Our first big ride was probably 70 miles, and wasn't planned...we just started riding one morning and realized by noon we were pretty far from home, so we turned around and came back. Loved that bike. I took it apart and put it back together a few times, kept the chain lube, pampered it, changed the cloth bar tape about a dozen times (always red). But my pride and joy was stolen in college a couple of years later and didn't have the money to replace it. The next thing I knew, my kid life was complete and I had embarked on adult life.
Grown up chapter. Life happened. Jobs, bills, obligations, relocations, climbing the corporate ladder, wife #1, wife #2, and kids. Cycling was not in my life, but never forgotten. Fast forward about 30 years thru all that life crap to the year 2009, my 10 year old was doing a bucket list project for school. And he asked me what was on my bucket list. I had to think for a minute, but I had heard about a ride called RAGBRAI several years earlier and I threw it out there. He asked me questions about it, but mostly he wanted to know why I hadn't done it yet. So I made up some BS about being too busy, but the real reason was that I was about 70 pounds overweight at that point and hopelessly out of shape. But he kept it up and I resolved to him that he and I would ride it someday. He decided that 2012 was the year...he would be 13. So went out and bought a carbon frame Giant Defy road bike. One big problem, I was the 70 pounds of extra baggage pressing down on my sit bones. Probably wasn't fit properly either. Couldn't go more than 6 miles before pain kicked in. Then I discovered recumbents, and rode those religiously for the next 6 or so years, including RAGBRAI 4 times, and managed to drop the 70 pounds. At that point, I figured I would try regular road bikes again. Went out and got a really nice Lynskey, raw Ti so it's the same color as the one I had stolen back in college...and yes, red bar tape. Got it professionally fitted, along with a proper saddle...and voila, no pain. So I've been enjoying the hell out of that bike. But at 60-something, speed was pretty much a distant memory, and I'm pretty bushed at the 50 mile mark.
The AARP chapter. I had a great job and a great boss. Finest exec I've ever worked with, but she retired. Company brought a young gun in, "smartest guy in the room" type. We clashed. I lost, but I really won. As in retired...peace, OUT! My son has become an avid and very strong cyclist by now, and we wanted to do some rides together. We did some moderate distances of 30'ish miles. Riding together is great father/son time, but I could tell it was frustrating for him to plod along at my speed. We tried having him ride at his own pace, but pull over every 10 miles or so to wait for me, but that wasn't fun for him either and it kind of defeated the purpose of riding together. So I took the plunge and added an Orbea Gain e-bike to my stable. The bike is beautiful and looks just like a road bike...you really can't tell by looking at it. In fact, I told my son I got a new bike but didn't tell him it had pedal assist. We did 35 miles that first day I kept pace easily, and took my turn pulling into a headwind. Even when he was drafting me, he still didn't catch on that it wasn't 100% me. He just kept saying "Damn, Dad!" I finally let him in on the joke and we had a good laugh. Anyway, I promised myself I would reserve the e-bike for rides with him, and I've kept that promise. When I ride solo, I ride non-powered. I know that will eventually give way though...time waits for no man.
Next chapter. With my newfound freedom, my bucket list can become a reality. I find that the list is almost exclusively multi-day cycling tours. Portugal, Turkey, Hungary, and many others including a whole bunch of US rides. Going to try my hand at mountain biking, maybe some rugged bikepacking, and for that I will skip ahead right to an e-MTB. As for my touring plans, I expect that for the next few years it will consist of some on e-bike, and some non-powered. I'm toying with a 7 week Coast-to-Coast next summer...e-bike would really enhance the experience, but I'm struggling with the logistics of charging, especially on the more remote stretches out west.
Anyway, hello forum members. I just found this site a few days ago, so I will be reading lots and and posting a bit going forward. And sorry, I'm usually not this long-winded. Stay well!
Last edited:
