I just ordered a $330 eBike accessory
Even tho it is 70 degrees in Minnesota today, Winter is coming! I really don't want to go back to driving every day and my old road bike just isn't in a condition it can go another winter.
I mentioned previously considering a fat tire bike for winter commuting. The Rad Mini and Voltbike Mariner looked like nice options. But when I thought about it seriously, the number of days when roads in my area are too dangerous to ride are few. Maybe 30-50 days out of the year. Even in winter, there are a number of days the roads are plowed and ice-free enough to take the Turbo. So do I really want to spend $1500+ on a bike I only ride 30 days a year?
A big problem is keeping the bike clean. I don't have a garage, so any cleaning needs to be done inside. The only area suitable for that on the main level is my kitchen. I've thought about getting a kids plastic snow sled to set under the rear wheel and drive train so I could clean it during the winter. But then I have to clean that too. Maybe once in a while, but not regularly. This is probably one of my biggest reasons for not wanting to ride my Turbo X in the winter. Keeping my $3,000 investment in clean working condition is a big deal to me.
Next, I considered my plans to eventually get rid of my car...or rather, not to replace it when it dies. I still have a number of trips that are out of my Turbos reach. Buses in my immediate area are very infrequent. But only 2 miles away, I have access to a very frequent (every 10 minute pickup) rapid transit system—it even has heaters in the winter! Two miles is an easy bike ride to me (even without an e-bike), but a bit much in the winter to walk. Plus the buses and trains don't get me quite close enough to my frequent destinations. So there is a 1-3 mile last-leg trip I would need to make.
I could certainly take my Turbo on the bus. I've done it before:
(listen to bus driver's comment @ 1m45s)
But a Turbo X or any 50lb e-bike is not a great experience mounting and un-mounting on a bus bike rack. For the above video, I actually took the battery off the bike and put it in my backpack. A lot of fuss and muss during the freezing cold months in Minnesota.
What I really wanted was a really light weight version of a Rad Mini or Voltbike Mariner. Well light weight means, not an e-bike—even some of the smaller 16" folding e-bikes are nearly 50lbs. But the idea of a folding bike really appealed to me. So I decided on a folding pedal bike.
At ~$330, the
Citizen Bike Seoul, doesn't break the bank. I can easily justify the cost for an infrequently used bike. It folds up small, so I can even take it inside the bus, if I wanted to, and store it in a closet when not in use. It is only 26 pounds, so I can drag it to my basement where there is a sink with a floor drain for cleaning. I will probably buy some winter studded tires for it, so it is safer on freshly plowed roads.
Anyway, my plan is to use my folding bike this winter, when the salt hits the roads, in combination with busses. Even if it doesn't work out as great as I planned, I still think having a little folding bike for throwing in the car on vacations or last-leg transportation on bus trips in the summer, would be a nice thing to have. I could even put it in my cargo trailer and use it in case of a flat...haha.
Still trying to figure out this (eventual) car-free life I've dreamed of. Hopefully this will be a significant piece of the puzzle.
