Sometimes you just have to admit when it’s time for a change. Age and limitations are factors that come into play when deciding if it’s time. These two things played a big role in the decision I recently made. I’d been kicking this change around for a while, and I finally decided it was time.
New career? New phone? New husband?
No, not a new husband! I’m talking about a new bike.
My Trusty Pearl
I’ve had my Pearl for years (and over 2,000 memorable miles), and while she has served me well, I just wasn’t able to ride her for as long or keep up with my husband on our rides.
We would start out together, but then he’d start coasting as I was struggling to keep up. His bike made this clicking sound when he was coasting, and when I was trying hard to keep up, this was the “most annoying sound in the world.”
Eventually, I would send him off to ride on his own so he could get in a good workout while I kept my own pace.
This was fine for trails we rode a lot, but once we would move to a new location in our RV, I didn’t want to ride unfamiliar trails alone. I wanted to ride with him so we could experience new places together.
My Hesitation
I’m going to confess that for many years I was one of those people who said that anyone with an e-bike was cheating. I would see these people go past me coasting while I was struggling.
Then I started investigating the different types of e-bikes. There are basically two types:
- Pedal-assist requires that you actually pedal in order for the bike to move and you have different speeds to help you along (I’ll get into those in a minute.); or
- the other kind (where you have a throttle that you can turn and the bike will start moving even if you aren’t peddling).
Don’t get me wrong—both of these are great options depending on your needs. I needed to be able to get a good workout in, burn some serious calories, and keep up with my husband.
My New Bike
I chose to go with the pedal-assist model. As I said, I still have to pedal this bike, but I do have four “speeds” to help me.
- Eco – I use this the most because it saves battery, and so far we’ve been on relatively flat trails
- Touring – When I have a small incline, I switch to this mode. We were on a trail that had switchbacks and this mode worked great.
- Sport – When the incline is a little longer, and when Mike is pulling away from me, I switch to this and catch up quickly
- Turbo – I’m going to call this “getting away from the chasing dog” mode because that is when I used it and it worked great!
My Wins
For a 25-mile ride, I’ve burned over 800 calories, so I call that a win. (I’ve already logged over 80 miles in 3 rides)
I can ride longer and more comfortably, so I call that a win.
The biggest win is that I can keep up with Mike, he gets his good workout in, and we enjoy riding together.
Conclusion
No matter what type of exercise you choose, the important thing is to choose something you’ll enjoy for years to come.
Kudos to the team at three different Bike World locations in San Antonio who helped me get the right bike for me. Also, thank you Trek for designing such a great line of e-bikes for every rider.
