I have been researching electric vehicles in the hopes of reducing our carbon footprint and leveraging our solar sourced free electricity.
I was pained about my sole source supplier, Toyota’s, tardiness to the e market. I hemmed and hawed about where to go. Then the answer appeared as if in a dream. eBike young man.
Yes, most of my local trips are bikeable but with a non pedal assisted bike challenging. Think of biking from 6 Leonard Road to Nantasket, Lowes, Hingham Lumber, Quincy Center or even Widows Walk golf course. A worthy but challenging and frankly off putting trial by bike.
BUT what if I leveraged the subtle assistance of today’s ebikes!
Yes, that was the answer. Get an ebike and use it for everything local. Use my Cannondale trailer for trips to the dump and BJ’s.
I switched my research over to ebikes and learned plenty.
The net of it all was that Yamaha made the best ebike most suited to match the road biking habits and expectations of a person like me. Namely it allows you to really pedal and work but assists at the hills and opposing winds spots.
I felt called to a mission and the only Yamaha dealer within 90 mins drive was in Bristol RI.
So be it. I went there, tried a few for at least an hour through the streets of Bristol and am now, with the early birthday gift largess of Tricia, the proud owner of a Yamaha Cross Connect.
I hope you all get a chance to try this one out in person as it is amazingly smooth, comfortable and life changing in the way it lets you take hills and bumps and opposing winds with absolute ease – all the while getting your sweat and exercise.
To my feel it operates the same way as a road bike does and it feels the same. You downshift to go up hills ; you up shift to go down hills you brake at a stop sign —- you do what you do normally. The only difference is a little bit of assist, if you so choose , and you can ramp up that assist to deal with a high hill. Imagine going up some high hill you have biked from the base to the top as if you’re going on a flat ride or a moderate incline. Going up a long incline in Bristol Rhode Island I ramped it from the lowest to the highest assist and was astounded. It just makes for an easier long-distance ride which I think will allow me to or encourage me to use the bike more frequently and go for longer distances.
Also, this means I am putting to rest all my electric vehicle ambitions until 2025 when Toyota enters the US market for them.
More at 11:00 as Don Gillis used to say.
Gratefully,
John
Here's What I Found 