riding my e-bike, especially living in downtown sacramento’s flat easy-to-navigate grid with increasing bike paths, combines relatively easy transportation with knee rehab, actual exercise and pure joy.
i’ve had a high end e-bike for years. i took over our son’s ginormous pedigo when he left home in 2014 and last christmas my husband gave me a trek verve+ 2.
on and off for years, i’ve gone through periods where my right knee aches and isn’t super happy when i walk miles (although i am). i had meniscus repair surgery years ago; the recovery from it was rough. the physical therapist suggested riding an exercise bike to build up strength in the knee. not having had one, i moved quickly to the pedigo which while containing the risk of having to fall and catch myself with the knee had the distinct advantage of allowing me to actually use it for transportation (or just fun) and pedal for miles or not; as well as the protection to use power for any stretches that i felt i couldn’t manage.
in recent months, as i’ve been rehabbing my knee again, the trek verve has proven perfect. like most e-bikes these days it is “pedal assist” (rather than having a throttle as the pedigo did). that means i have to pedal to go anywhere but i can adjust the power assist so that it either provides a little boost or a lot. i can attest that i definitely get real exercise even on the highest “turbo” level (which, i admit, i do favor).
i see e-bikes as more of a substitute for a car than they are for a bike, because they allow me to go much further much quicker than i would have on a regular bike, and with less need for a shower. i can use my e-bike to get me around to lots of places that i would have only previously used a car for. because it gives my improving knee ideal adjustable assistance and feels so good to ride, i never have to worry that i’m going to run out of energy before the bike does.
top of my list of reasons i love the bike though is endorphins and joy. i cannot tell you how happy i feel when i ride it. i have always loved the combination of exercise and transportation, with no need of parking. and a few weeks ago when i put giant saddle bags on the back of the bike i solved the problem of how to get stuff around. i now treat those bags like i would a car trunk or backseat. i throw in stuff that i will or might need later in the day and that stuff comes around with me on the bike. these bags are so large that i can actually pack 3-4 bags of groceries in them as well.
at this point i commute to work, to church and do most of my grocery shopping on the verve. admittedly i have many elements to my life that make this easier for me than it would for most californians:
i live downtown on a bikeable grid.
i work 12 blocks from my home.
at work i have a bike cage in which i park my bike at work so i can a) be sure it won’t be stolen and b) leave stuff in my saddle bags.
all that being said, i have parked the verve with the saddle bags firmly attached to it many places that are not bike cages and have had no problems yet (knock on everything). i just have the stuff in a removable bag within the saddle bag and bring that smaller bag into the building with me. the saddle bags themselves are so intricately attached to the bike that it would be clear that it would take someone a long time to remove them. if they even thought to cut them off, it would be clear that they would be unusable. i also have a really strong bike lock and take care not to leave the bike on the street for more than an hour or in a deserted area.