Three Years Riding an Electric Bike
The joys of pedaling around town with the help of a battery
I bought a used electric bike just weeks before the pandemic hit. The timing was perfect and horrible at the same time.
My Old Commute
On one hand, I had been making a 20-minute commute on my previous bike (before it was stolen out of my locked basement.) This commute was pleasant but had a few unavoidable gnarly hills. I would arrive at work feeling energized mentally but drained physically. No matter how hard I attempted to get my layering right, there were parts of the ride that were freezing cold and yet I’d arrive at the office drenched in sweat.
When I didn’t ride my bike, it was a short drive that often had me spending more time looking for parking than it took to drive from home to the neighborhood. With no direct public transit options, my other choice was to roll the dice with a rented electric scooter. I’d argue that this is the most fun commute I’ve ever had, but there is nothing more frustrating than the battery of a scooter dying halfway up a hill on the way to work.
Getting My Bike
No, this was the perfect commute for a solid pedal-assisted electric bike! Something to give me just a little boost over those hills while still getting some exercise and fresh air in the morning. I scoured Craigslist for weeks, finally finding someone in the neighborhood who had upgraded to a fancier model and was selling his much-loved GenZe Sport e101. After an exhilarating test ride (let’s just say the brakes weren’t as responsive as I was anticipating) and some shrewd negotiating (again these brakes were wonky and I’d need to pay to fix them) the bike was mine.
Even when you tally up the tab from the bike shop to replace the brakes and tires, it was still a hell of a deal. Little did I know that it was about to become an even better deal as everyone and their grandma decided they needed to buy a bike to get around in our new pandemic reality. If I hadn’t secured my bike when I did, I could have been looking at huge price gauging on the resale market or back-ordered disappointment when shopping direct from the manufacturers.
A New Commute
But then there is the other side to this timing. Now I had the bike, but I no longer had a commute. Our office was shut down with no plans to ever require employees back in person (to this day). A shiny new(ish) electric bike was sitting in my garage collecting dust. Then I did something radical to breathe new life into my steed. I attached a rack and an electric orange child seat and turned it into a blazing-fast Dad Mobile!
Yes, I had a new commute now. I was taking my two year old daughter to daycare! The ten-minute journey consisted of short bouts of speed interrupted by questionably long waits at red lights. There was one steep hill that was a major challenge without the toddler but virtually impossible with the precious cargo on board and without a motor. The hill crested through a golf course that elicited a delightful squeal of “GOLF COURSE!” from the orange seat behind me as we powered up the hill every morning. Whether the climate was 50 degrees and foggy or 60 degrees and sunny (the typical highs and lows of Bay Area mornings) we enjoyed this start to our day.
Fast forward a few years and I’m still not making a commute to work. We’ve moved to a new corner of the Bay Area with slightly more temperature variance. But I’m still loving every trip I make on my GenZe Sport e101. Yes, I take my daughter to a new school on a delightfully flat bike path that follows a creek where we are serenaded by songbirds in the morning and frogs in the afternoon. As she grows heavier, I appreciate that motor even on flat paths.
When I’m not playing Dad the Chauffeur, I’m cruising around town to the farmer’s market, or the library, or community pool for a swim. The electric bike really is the optimal form of transportation for me right now. Most trips are faster along the bike path than they would be stuck in traffic in a car.
e-Bike Appreciation
Telling this story just makes me appreciate this relatively new form of transportation that seems to be rapidly growing in popularity. I get asked all the time about the cost, battery life, top speed, etc. There is a genuine curiosity and excitement for something that feels both futuristic and nostalgic at the same time.
The electric bike really is the perfect example of a modern iteration of an age-old tool. Sadly, the company that makes my bike, GenZe has gone out of business. You’d think that the surge in pandemic bike riding would have helped sales, but they seem to have been hit hard by supply shortages and slowed consumer demand. Once my bike comes to the end of the road, it may be hard to find replacement parts and I’ll need to move on to something else. Let’s hope that the next wave of e-bike manufacturers can carry the torch.
Any other e-bike riders out there?