on May 10th, 2009Hills? Who cares? Electric bicycle helps woman run errands with ease
TWIN LAKES — At 51, Lin Dohse’s knees aren’t what they used to be, but she still likes riding bicycles.
Which is one reason she loves her 2008 eZip Trailz , an electric bike. Another has to do with her grandson, Zach, 8, and the hilly land hereabouts, including a short but fairly steep incline just east of the home where she and husband Dennis live at the corner of Mueller and Park.
“It doesn’t hurt my knees when I ride, and I can ride with my grandson,” Dohse said, breaking into a wide smile, as she frequently does. “If my knees have had it, if my knee is hurting, I can kick in the electric motor and get some help. He tells me, ‘Grandma, you’re cheating.’ But 8-year-old knees can do these hills.”
Dohse can pedal the electric bicycle
built by California-based Currie Technologies the same as her 3-speed AMF Roadmaster. She likes that option for the health benefits. “I do pedal. I don’t have this (the motor) on all the time,” she said. Then there’s the savings in fuel costs from not having to drive to the hardware store, library and grocery store, or run various other errands fewer than 10 miles roundtrip, all of which comprise the majority of her frequent bicycling trips outside of her jaunts with Zach. “It’s funny coming home with a pumpkin in the basket. Sometimes, I have to break the groceries up into three trips. But so what — I’m not using any gas. It doesn’t take any gas!” she said, laughing. “What’s not to love? Last year, I figured I saved over two fill-ups. So, that was $100. It’s great for older riders. Only thing is, it’s heavy (66 pounds, including motor and battery). But with the battery on it, who cares? “If you’re really far away, and the battery dies, you can just pedal home. Or you can do what I do,” Dohse added, pretending to hold a phone to her ear, “‘Honey, can you come get me?’” Fed up with skyrocketing prices at the fuel pump, the mother of three adult daughters found the 2008 women’s model Trailz selling for about $300 online at Walmart, although it is sold elsewhere as well and can be ordered direct from ezipusa.com. That’s pretty much the bottom range in pricing for electric bicycles, which are made by a surprising number of U.S. manufacturers and list as high as $15,000, though most run between $400 and $2,500. “I got it last year at the end of May when the gas prices started to go up. Two weeks after I bought it, they were sold out,” Dohse said. “I should be a marketer for this. I take it to yard sales all over town and people say, ‘Where did you get that?’” It shipped assembly required, but Dohse said her husband put it together in 20 minutes. It features a rear luggage rack, with a rechargeable 24-volt battery pack mounted on the side. The 450-watt DC motor bolts on near the left rear hub, with power transferred via chain-drive to the axle. On the opposite side, there’s a 7-speed Shimano freewheel and rear derailleur. The steel frame includes bosses (where water bottle holders are bolted), fender and rack mounts. There’s a comfort seat and a suspension fork. Controls are on the handlebar grips, as are the brake levers and gear shifter. On its own, the battery provides a range of 15 to 22 miles at speeds of 15 to 18 mph. Adding human pedal power extends the range between charges and can boost the speed according to the rider’s capability. While the trend is catching on here, in China electric bike sales (including scooter-style bikes) have exploded to well over 10 million since 1995. Given their ease of use, no licensing requirements, cheap operational cost, ability to navigate even the narrowest streets and pathways, and parking convenience, it’s easy to appreciate their popularity. Of course, navigating Twin Lakes is a far cry from wending through teeming Beijing, but Dohse finds her eZip Trailz appealing for many of the same reasons, aside from it just being plain fun to ride. The only shortcoming has nothing to do with the bike itself. “There’s only one place in town that has a bike rack. That’s the library,” she said. “It would be nice if they had one at the hardware store and the grocery store. More people are riding bikes these days.”