Afternoon Ride - Taking it e-zee

I just finished a 17.022km cycling that lasted about 0hh:51mm:29ss !

First of all, this was an e-bike ride, so I will not claim any personal records. I was in the office for the first time this year and I thought I would try using this bike that belongs to my neighbour. He kindly lets me use it. I had previously done a shorter ride and was interested to see how viable it would be for commuting.

If you have not ridden a bike like this then it can be strange to start with. The power cuts in when you start pedalling, so you can accelerate quite quickly. I actually forgot to turn it on when I set off from home this morning and it felt okay as a regular bike, but then I turned it on and things got easier. You still have to put in some effort if you want to get up to the top speed of about 15mph. It is possible to go quicker if you pedal fast enough. You appreciate the power assist when it comes to hills. You can adjust how much power you get from the handlebar controls. Low power is useful when you have to do tricky manoeuvres, as I did on some of the Greenway where there are tight corners. You do not want the bike to race away then. The nettles and brambles are encroaching on some of the paths and I was in shorts.

So I did ride both ways, but only logged the return journey. I could do it almost as quick on a regular bike, but I would have been a lot sweatier after that. It was strange being in the office again and there were very few people there.

The bike performed well apart from when the chain came off the front sprocket as I left Stevenage. It took me a few minutes to get it back on and lifting the bike upside down for that was not easy. That was when it started to rain a bit, but it was not too bad. I think an e-bike could be a good alternative to a car for shorter commutes as long as you have somewhere safe to ride. My journey was mostly off the roads and those were not too busy.

I did not get my run today, but this cycling was a fairly good workout. I also swam a bit last night for general fitness.

Ride free and stay well.