About 10 years ago I had a near fatal accident that resulted in 7 broken bones and extensive muscle damage. Before that I loved to hike and ride my bicycle. It has been very hard for me to find any kind of exercise that does not cause pain to my back and legs or deplete my stamina very quickly.
Well, two weeks ago I bought an electric bike hoping this would get me to start exercising again (knowing that should I become exhausted or experience pain, I had battery backup to get me home).
WOW! I love this bike! I have completed trails that I could never have walked or bicycled on my own. I have gotten a lot of exercise I would never have gotten before. I have enjoyed nature like I couldn't have before!
Two other huge bonuses: I've had a ton of fun - and I lost 5 pounds in two weeks!!
ABOUT THE BICYCLE:
The bike I chose was a Prodecotech Mariner 500 V6 Folding Travel Electric Bicycle.
This bike has folding handlebars and also folds in half, which then fits easily into the back of my Honda Pilot.
BATTERY:
The bike comes with a Samsung SDi 36V 10.4ah battery.
This is so awesome because I can very easily detach the battery from the bike (leaving the bike in my car) and charge the battery inside my house.
Also when I take the battery off, the bike weighs less, making it easier for a weakling like me to lift the bike into my car.
POWER:
The awesome thing about an electric bike is you can ride it three ways:
The old fashioned way - doing all the pedaling yourself
Pedal and use the battery power assist. This is particularly useful when pedaling on inclines, up hills or just when you get tired. You still pedal the bike, but with a slight flick of the wrist the battery power gives you either a power boost, or a steady assist to help you continue on your way
Use the battery power and let the bike do all the work.
NOTE TO PREPPERS:
Not only is any type of bike a good thing to have in case things go south and gasoline may be hard to acquire; but with this electric bike, not only can I recharge the battery on a regular outlet, I am able to recharge the battery pack on a solar generator. It only takes about 103 watts and a couple of hours to charge the battery pack on my Goal Zero Yeti 400 solar generator.
I have ridden the bike about 5 miles each day for a week, using all three methods (pedaling myself, using power assist and letting the bike do all the work), and still have not needed to charge the battery.
The advantages to an electric bike are numerous:
First off, the bike is just plain old fun to ride!
It also allows you to cover distances that most riders could not accomplish on their own
It also allows you to ride on a little more difficult terrain (like grass or bumpy dirt roads)
And even with the battery power assist, you still will get any level of exercise that you want or can tolerate.
So, consider an electric bike as either a pathway to adventure, fun, better health and even an awesome back up mode of transportation for preppers.