Power assist

J Fraser said:

Having just clocked seventy I begin to feel that some assistance on my bike
may not be a dirty suggestion any more. Any suggestions (clean please?)

Buy a tandem and marry Nicole Cooke.

in message <[email hidden]>, J Fraser

(') said:

Having just clocked seventy I begin to feel that some assistance on my
bike may not be a dirty suggestion any more. Any suggestions (clean
please?)

If you mean you're now seventy years of age, I understand where you're
coming from but suggest you think about it carefully. I'm sure you know
(as I do) people in their nineties cycling regularly and considerable
distances in apparent good health. Cycling is wonderful exercise for
maintaining health and fitness into old age.

If you reduce the exercise (by depending on power assist) that health
benefit is diminished. Furthermore, an electrically assisted bicycle
must inevitably be heavier, and, when the battery does give out, much
harder work. So at the same time as running down your general level of
fitness you are giving yourself (at least occasional) significantly
harder challenges.

If having considered this you still feel power assist is the right way
to go, there are some specialist bicycle retailers who have expertise
in electrically assisted bikes. One with a good reputation is Kinetics
in Glasgow <URL:http://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/>; if you tell us
where you are I'm sure we can recommend one closer to you.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Quoted message said:

Having just clocked seventy

That's fast!

Quoted message said:

I begin to feel that some assistance on my
bike may not be a dirty suggestion any more. Any suggestions (clean
please?)

A tandem? Hop on the back with a young & beautiful woman on the front. Has
the advantage of keeping you in better shape than a normal bike - your
heart will still be racing even when you're not pedalling :-)

J Fraser said:

Having just clocked seventy I begin to feel that some assistance on my bike
may not be a dirty suggestion any more. Any suggestions (clean please?)

Eat more Cheese and Marmite sandwiches.

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, J Fraser

(') said:

Having just clocked seventy I begin to feel that some assistance on my
bike may not be a dirty suggestion any more. Any suggestions (clean
please?)

If you mean you're now seventy years of age, I understand where you're
coming from but suggest you think about it carefully. I'm sure you know
(as I do) people in their nineties cycling regularly and considerable
distances in apparent good health. Cycling is wonderful exercise for
maintaining health and fitness into old age.

Mmm - all that sounds very true. The trouble is that hills and head winds
have me really zonked of late. I was thinking perhaps of something just to
ease them out a bit. But on thinking about it more I don't think I will. I
hate the idea of over complicating the trusty steed. I wondered if anyone
here had actually done the dirty deed and fitted power.

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, J Fraser

(') said:

Having just clocked seventy I begin to feel that some assistance on my
bike may not be a dirty suggestion any more. Any suggestions (clean
please?)

If you mean you're now seventy years of age, I understand where you're
coming from but suggest you think about it carefully. I'm sure you know
(as I do) people in their nineties cycling regularly and considerable
distances in apparent good health. Cycling is wonderful exercise for
maintaining health and fitness into old age.

Mmm - all that sounds very true. The trouble is that hills and head winds
have me really zonked of late. I was thinking perhaps of something just to
ease them out a bit. But on thinking about it more I don't think I will. I
hate the idea of over complicating the trusty steed. I wondered if anyone
here had actually done the dirty deed and fitted power.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Mmm - all that sounds very true. The trouble is that hills and head winds
have me really zonked of late. I was thinking perhaps of something just to
ease them out a bit. But on thinking about it more I don't think I will. I
hate the idea of over complicating the trusty steed. I wondered if anyone
here had actually done the dirty deed and fitted power.

There's a website (http://www.electric-bikes.com/) which has
information about a number of different ways of power assisted
cycling from something you attach to your old bike to something
which looks suspiciously like a moped.

Juliette
--

J Fraser said:

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, J Fraser

(') said:

Having just clocked seventy I begin to feel that some assistance on
my bike may not be a dirty suggestion any more.

If you mean you're now seventy years of age, I understand where
you're coming from but suggest you think about it carefully. I'm
sure you know (as I do) people in their nineties cycling regularly
and considerable distances in apparent good health.

Quoted message said:

Mmm - all that sounds very true. The trouble is that hills and head
winds have me really zonked of late. I was thinking perhaps of
something just to ease them out a bit. But on thinking about it more
I don't think I will. I hate the idea of over complicating the trusty
steed. I wondered if anyone here had actually done the dirty deed and
fitted power.

Have you tried lower gears on the bike and going up hill slower ?
If you've already got a triple crankset, and can't change the innermost ring
to something smaller, then possibly a mountain bike crankset might help.
Generally mountain bike cranksets have smaller rings than road bikes.

That said, one of my elderly neighbours has an electrically assisted cycle
and finds it quite useful to get about with. However, her range is perhaps
only 5 or 6 miles at most, which means its well within its charging range.

--
NC - Webmaster for http://www.2mm.org.uk/
Replies to newsgroup postings to the newsgroup please.

J Fraser said:

Having just clocked seventy I begin to feel that some assistance on my bike
may not be a dirty suggestion any more. Any suggestions (clean please?)

Have a look at the list and reviews of electric bikes at AtoB (and
subscribe to the magazine if you are interested in the subject).
http://www.atob.org.uk

Tony

On 3/10/04 2:58 pm, in article [email hidden], "J

Fraser said:

Mmm - all that sounds very true. The trouble is that hills and head winds
have me really zonked of late. I was thinking perhaps of something just to
ease them out a bit. But on thinking about it more I don't think I will.

Just go slower and eat more cake in the tea stops.. You've got all day, why
rush?

...d