Warner
Member
I took my first long ride today - I went out about 10 miles from my house and back - 20 miles total; part of the route to my work. Impressions?
1 - Traffic is an issue, and I wasn't in that heavy of traffic really. Definitely something to think about and definitely be aware of. More than once as I was approaching an intersection the car misjudged my speed and thought about pulling out in front of me.
2 - The bike kicks booty! For the most part I was cruising around 30, plus or minus 3 mph. I think I got as high as 35 once. Bike feels fine at this speed. On my commute to work, I'll pretty much keep the thing wide open most of the time.
3 - I think it's totally feasible to ride this 40 miles round trip.....from a capability standpoint, meaning the bike will do it without any problem. Riding in rush-hour traffic will be interesting. There are really only 3 high traffic areas that I'll have to ride on, and each one is less than a mile long. 3 miles out of my 20 isn't too bad I think.
4 - People don't know what to think! The cars don't understand how I could be going 30 mph while pedaling so little! Haha. Ghost pedaling at 30 sure feels strange! As much as the hard core cyclists probably hate these things, I had more than 1 wave to me.....not realizing I was under power other than my own. My cammo job is REAL good. Once I get the engine noise lower I don't think anyone will know what the heck is going on.
5 - While I didn't see any cops, I didn't get pulled over, either. One ride certainly isn't a litmus test, but it made me feel good at least!
6 - Even though it's motor assisted, there still is some work involved in riding! Esp with my gearing where I pedal up to at least 10mph before hitting the gas.
7 - I could probably fit both of my dogs in my panniers! Those things are freakin' HUGE! I'm happy I bought them! I only have a handful of tools in them for now, but I WILL use this bike as a grocery getter for sure!
So there's my report after my first long ride,
Warner
1 - Traffic is an issue, and I wasn't in that heavy of traffic really. Definitely something to think about and definitely be aware of. More than once as I was approaching an intersection the car misjudged my speed and thought about pulling out in front of me.
2 - The bike kicks booty! For the most part I was cruising around 30, plus or minus 3 mph. I think I got as high as 35 once. Bike feels fine at this speed. On my commute to work, I'll pretty much keep the thing wide open most of the time.
3 - I think it's totally feasible to ride this 40 miles round trip.....from a capability standpoint, meaning the bike will do it without any problem. Riding in rush-hour traffic will be interesting. There are really only 3 high traffic areas that I'll have to ride on, and each one is less than a mile long. 3 miles out of my 20 isn't too bad I think.
4 - People don't know what to think! The cars don't understand how I could be going 30 mph while pedaling so little! Haha. Ghost pedaling at 30 sure feels strange! As much as the hard core cyclists probably hate these things, I had more than 1 wave to me.....not realizing I was under power other than my own. My cammo job is REAL good. Once I get the engine noise lower I don't think anyone will know what the heck is going on.
5 - While I didn't see any cops, I didn't get pulled over, either. One ride certainly isn't a litmus test, but it made me feel good at least!
6 - Even though it's motor assisted, there still is some work involved in riding! Esp with my gearing where I pedal up to at least 10mph before hitting the gas.
7 - I could probably fit both of my dogs in my panniers! Those things are freakin' HUGE! I'm happy I bought them! I only have a handful of tools in them for now, but I WILL use this bike as a grocery getter for sure!
So there's my report after my first long ride,
Warner