Test Riding an eBike

 I've been thinking about getting an eBike for some time now.  It would give me a bit more flexibility in travelling outside Hay rather than having to rely on our sadly infrequent bus service, for one thing.

So yesterday, I took the plunge and hired an eBike from Drover Cycles for the day.  They charge £50 for the day.

Now, I haven't cycled for about fifteen years, so I'm terribly out of practice, and the only bike they could offer me had a gent's frame with a crossbar, so you have to swing your leg over the back to get on and off.

The last bike I rode was a ladies' three speed (or possibly five?) and I got on and off by swinging my leg forwards, because there was no cross bar.

The lovely man at Drover Cycles did not laugh at me.  He adjusted the saddle, and thoroughly explained the controls, sorted out my helmet (the first time I've ever worn one - I used to cycle in a woolly hat), and made sure I knew what I was doing before I wobbled out of the gates.  Included in the hire are the helmet, a bike lock, and a puncture kit.

It soon came back to me, and the controls were easy to use.  There was even a speedometer, which I'd never had before either.

To do a proper test, I decided to cycle to Talgarth and back.  This had been about my limit when I was younger and fitter on a pushbike, and the back road through Ffordd-las and Velindre is quiet, and reasonably flat.  At any rate there are no really steep hills to climb, just a series of fairly gentle slopes.

The lowest setting on the eBike is "Off", which means you are using it as an ordinary pushbike, and there are ten or so (?) gears on the right side.  I didn't count them, and the chap and Drover Cycles said they didn't matter too much when you were using the battery.

The next setting is "Eco", which conserves the battery but you can feel a bit of a push to make it easier to pedal.  This was good for my first gentle slope, and when it got a bit steeper I went up to "Tour".

The next setting after that is "Sport", and if you really want to take off, the top setting is "Turbo".

I did not use Turbo - but I did get up to a top speed of 21km an hour going down the long slope from Ffordd-las to Llanigon on the way home - which was mildly terrifying.

It's a straight route along the back road, which comes out to the main road a little way outside Talgarth.  I had forgotten that there is a cycle path along that road, so turned directly onto the main road, where I should have turned onto the path.  I got onto the cycle path at the first opportunity, as soon as I realised my mistake.  However, every driver I came across all day, cars, tractors and even a coach, was considerate and gave me plenty of room on the road.

I got to Talgarth in just under an hour, which I was quite pleased about.

I spent a little time walking around Talgarth, and had my packed lunch in one of the little gardens next to the river, just visible in the far back of the photo.

Going back to Hay was easier, because there are more downhill stretches, so I made rather quicker time.  

At the turn into Forest Road, I chickened out.  There was a lorry coming down the hill from Hay, cars coming up behind me and turning out of Forest Road, so I pulled into the kerb, climbed off the bike, and pushed it across the road when all the traffic had disappeared.  My bottom was aching enough by then that I didn't really want to climb back on, so I pushed it back to Drover Cycles.

I had a brilliant day out, though, and I'm certainly thinking very seriously about buying an eBike now - with a ladies' frame.