Gufazi
New Member
Hello everyone. Here is my eBike story.
It was late May 2020 in the USA, and the country was opening up a bit. So I plan a road trip. Normally, my road trips are on a a motorcycle - a Triumph Explorer 1200. I love being on two wheels, but this time I had a partner who wanted to come along. I rented a Jeep instead.
We planned to hit the west coast and the desert southwest, a mix on national parks and cities. Some camping, hiking and light off-roading, but also some city bars and sightseeing. Our itinerary in no particular order: Grand Canyon, Sedona, Death Valley, Lassen Volcanic, Lake Tahoe, Channel Islands, Redwoods, San Francisco.
All in all, it went well. We were physical distancing and wearing masks in public, but our first weeks or so were spent in the forest and in the desert. We were pretty much disconnected from the world. It was great. Off-roading in the sand was amazing, the camping weather as perfect and the hikes were spectacular.
By the time we reconnected to family, friends and the interwebs toward the end of June, COVID was surging again. We were San Francisco for a few days and everything was closed, including the bars, restaurants and our Alcatraz tour. I was already missing my Triumph after carving the curves Pacific Coast Highway and the hills of SF in the cagey Jeep. To satiate my desire of centrifugal force, I decided to rent a bicycle to explore the city - an eBike.
Pedal-assisted biking in SF was an eye opener. I haven't felt that way about two wheels since I first jumped on a motorcycle 20 years ago and had abandoned self-propelled two-wheeling. It was liberating. I was working out, but not so hard that it took away from enjoying the moment or scenery. Feeling the battery/motor kick in as I pedaled was exhilarating at first, but then it just became natural - until the battery ran out.
As one would suspect, the eBike I rented kinda sucked. I don't remember the brand or model or anything, but I instinctually knew the eBike concept was sound and that I would eventually get one. For the rest of my road trip, I spent any connected time researching eBike technology, brands and reviews (thank you, EBR). Before I got home, I had already arranged to buy a hitch for my car and a bike rack to attach to it.
I'm very fortunate back home in the Washington, D.C. area to have a supportive biking culture. There are plenty of LBS to try out bikes and I took full advantage of them. Eventually, I settled on a Specialized Vado 4.0, bought one in silver / black and put 50 miles on it in two days!
Now, I'm already thinking about upgrades and personalization, but mostly I'm just enjoying this new hobby and the world it has opened up to me. I'm looking forward to learning from this forum it's members!
TLDR: I messed up and took a road trip during a pandemic. I rented an eBike in San Francisco because everything was closed and ended up buying a Specialized Vado 4.0 when I got back home in the Washington D.C. area.
It was late May 2020 in the USA, and the country was opening up a bit. So I plan a road trip. Normally, my road trips are on a a motorcycle - a Triumph Explorer 1200. I love being on two wheels, but this time I had a partner who wanted to come along. I rented a Jeep instead.
We planned to hit the west coast and the desert southwest, a mix on national parks and cities. Some camping, hiking and light off-roading, but also some city bars and sightseeing. Our itinerary in no particular order: Grand Canyon, Sedona, Death Valley, Lassen Volcanic, Lake Tahoe, Channel Islands, Redwoods, San Francisco.
All in all, it went well. We were physical distancing and wearing masks in public, but our first weeks or so were spent in the forest and in the desert. We were pretty much disconnected from the world. It was great. Off-roading in the sand was amazing, the camping weather as perfect and the hikes were spectacular.
By the time we reconnected to family, friends and the interwebs toward the end of June, COVID was surging again. We were San Francisco for a few days and everything was closed, including the bars, restaurants and our Alcatraz tour. I was already missing my Triumph after carving the curves Pacific Coast Highway and the hills of SF in the cagey Jeep. To satiate my desire of centrifugal force, I decided to rent a bicycle to explore the city - an eBike.
Pedal-assisted biking in SF was an eye opener. I haven't felt that way about two wheels since I first jumped on a motorcycle 20 years ago and had abandoned self-propelled two-wheeling. It was liberating. I was working out, but not so hard that it took away from enjoying the moment or scenery. Feeling the battery/motor kick in as I pedaled was exhilarating at first, but then it just became natural - until the battery ran out.
As one would suspect, the eBike I rented kinda sucked. I don't remember the brand or model or anything, but I instinctually knew the eBike concept was sound and that I would eventually get one. For the rest of my road trip, I spent any connected time researching eBike technology, brands and reviews (thank you, EBR). Before I got home, I had already arranged to buy a hitch for my car and a bike rack to attach to it.
I'm very fortunate back home in the Washington, D.C. area to have a supportive biking culture. There are plenty of LBS to try out bikes and I took full advantage of them. Eventually, I settled on a Specialized Vado 4.0, bought one in silver / black and put 50 miles on it in two days!
Now, I'm already thinking about upgrades and personalization, but mostly I'm just enjoying this new hobby and the world it has opened up to me. I'm looking forward to learning from this forum it's members!
TLDR: I messed up and took a road trip during a pandemic. I rented an eBike in San Francisco because everything was closed and ended up buying a Specialized Vado 4.0 when I got back home in the Washington D.C. area.
