New E-biker from the prairies of Canada

[PVW]

Hello from Regina. Bought a used Townie 8i in mid July, my 1st ever E-bike and love it! I'm 64 and my previous rider was a 40 year old Supercycle mountain bike. This is such an upgrade in so many ways. My rides are between 15 - 45Kms most every day since I got it. I used to avoid riding on windy days, but not any more! I ride more often, further, and don't care about wind. I do need to respect the heat though. This week we had 34C and I rode 45Kms in it and decided after that isn't too smart so will do less distance on those hot days. The bike is an Electra Townie 8i, bought used with 60Kms on it so it's like new really and less than half the price of a new one. I consider it an excellent buy. I've put 500Kms on it in 3 weeks riding the bike paths in my city of which are fantastic. I love this bike for it's comfort, it's power, it's looks. I've added some storage in the front and back and new locks. Now that is a whole other subject! I can't bring myself to leave it anywhere in public with any lock and bought a OKG 12mm chain lock to lock it up in my garage. Along with that I use the Abus ring lock it came with and a cable lock on the front wheel. And an alarm I bought on Amazon for $23 which I really like. I'd love to hear from other Townie owners and security measures E-bike owners take. I will be out there enjoying this summer like never before and am now a huge E-bike fan!

 

[Prairie Dog]

Welcome to the forums from a fellow flatlander. Nice lookin’ Townie and what a great score. Here’s hoping that you get plenty of more miles out it.

 

[JGcycle]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[RandallS]

Welcome to the forums from another prairie person (although perhaps more a foothills person).

A BionX e-bike kitted Townie was my first foray into e-bikes and it was a revelation. Great bikes for tootling about.
Now, two more e-bikes later, both MTB, I love them more than ever.

 

[Dmac]

Congratulations on your Townie! I bought a Townie Go 10d at the end of March & I have put over 1200 km on it.

 

[PVW]

Congratulations on your Townie! I bought a Townie Go 10d at the end of March & I have put over 1200 km on it.View attachment 159733

Dmac, that's a beauty!

 

[mmp65]

Hello from Regina. Bought a used Townie 8i in mid July, my 1st ever E-bike and love it! I'm 64 and my previous rider was a 40 year old Supercycle mountain bike. This is such an upgrade in so many ways. My rides are between 15 - 45Kms most every day since I got it. I used to avoid riding on windy days, but not any more! I ride more often, further, and don't care about wind. I do need to respect the heat though. This week we had 34C and I rode 45Kms in it and decided after that isn't too smart so will do less distance on those hot days. The bike is an Electra Townie 8i, bought used with 60Kms on it so it's like new really and less than half the price of a new one. I consider it an excellent buy. I've put 500Kms on it in 3 weeks riding the bike paths in my city of which are fantastic. I love this bike for it's comfort, it's power, it's looks. I've added some storage in the front and back and new locks. Now that is a whole other subject! I can't bring myself to leave it anywhere in public with any lock and bought a OKG 12mm chain lock to lock it up in my garage. Along with that I use the Abus ring lock it came with and a cable lock on the front wheel. And an alarm I bought on Amazon for $23 which I really like. I'd love to hear from other Townie owners and security measures E-bike owners take. I will be out there enjoying this summer like never before and am now a huge E-bike fan!

Awesome bike and great write up! We are looking for e-bikes for the same reason, wind and here in Prince Albert hills. Please keep us posted on the bike and your thoughts and I am particularly interested n how you like the IGH on the bike. Great find, great bike, enjoy!

 

[PVW]

Awesome bike and great write up! We are looking for e-bikes for the same reason, wind and here in Prince Albert hills. Please keep us posted on the bike and your thoughts and I am particularly interested n how you like the IGH on the bike. Great find, great bike, enjoy!

You will enjoy Ebikes and good luck with your purchase whatever they may be. My Townie now has almost been through it's 2nd summer and has 4200 km on it. My last ride in 2023 was Oct 22 and my first in 2024 was March 18. It's a fantastic bike and have had no issues except I had to replace the charger since it wasn't charging the battery to 100%. I did take the bike to the dealer and had the firmware updated but all other maintenance has been done by me. Changed the chain at about 2500 km but everything else is good. Brake pads are still good. The bike was stored in my basement over the winter and the battery was at about 60% for 5 months and had no issues. The original Schwalbe Fat Frank tires were getting a bit low on tread especially the back one so I replaced them with Schwalbe Super Moto X in the spring and they are so much better. I have never had a flat on either tires since I've owned the bike. The townies are the perfect bike for older folks (I'm 65), for the comfort and safety. Being able to be stopped, feet on the ground and still sitting on the seat is great. I hear a lot about bikes with throttles but have never needed one or wanted one. I can see they might be fun but I like the pedal assist for the fun and exercise. It feels like a regular bike except you can have super legs when needed or wanted. I see plenty of throttle types on the path I frequent and see that many of the riders do not pedal much. The IGH, internal gear hub is nice because you can shift while stopped. But while riding you do need to ease up or stop pedaling when shifting and this has become second nature for me. I would take a IGH over a derailleur any day now that I've had both. I highly recommend the Townies but only ones with the Bosch mid drive system. The cheaper models use a Hyena hub motor and a very small battery.

 

[mmp65]

You will enjoy Ebikes and good luck with your purchase whatever they may be. My Townie now has almost been through it's 2nd summer and has 4200 km on it. My last ride in 2023 was Oct 22 and my first in 2024 was March 18. It's a fantastic bike and have had no issues except I had to replace the charger since it wasn't charging the battery to 100%. I did take the bike to the dealer and had the firmware updated but all other maintenance has been done by me. Changed the chain at about 2500 km but everything else is good. Brake pads are still good. The bike was stored in my basement over the winter and the battery was at about 60% for 5 months and had no issues. The original Schwalbe Fat Frank tires were getting a bit low on tread especially the back one so I replaced them with Schwalbe Super Moto X in the spring and they are so much better. I have never had a flat on either tires since I've owned the bike. The townies are the perfect bike for older folks (I'm 65), for the comfort and safety. Being able to be stopped, feet on the ground and still sitting on the seat is great. I hear a lot about bikes with throttles but have never needed one or wanted one. I can see they might be fun but I like the pedal assist for the fun and exercise. It feels like a regular bike except you can have super legs when needed or wanted. I see plenty of throttle types on the path I frequent and see that many of the riders do not pedal much. The IGH, internal gear hub is nice because you can shift while stopped. But while riding you do need to ease up or stop pedaling when shifting and this has become second nature for me. I would take a IGH over a derailleur any day now that I've had both. I highly recommend the Townies but only ones with the Bosch mid drive system. The cheaper models use a Hyena hub motor and a very small battery.

Thank you for the comprehensive reply. Basically exactly what we are wanting and why. Good to know about the over winter storage. The new version is the 5i and I think it is the bike for my wife. I may go with a Specialized Como or Vado. Will be a game time decision in the spring. Good to know not to be wary of buying used if there is a deal in the spring.