By Bob Hope

What's an E-bike anyway, and why would anyone drive one?

I guess I was always on the leading edge in taking up new technology. I had one of the first Apple II computers, played with the internet before there was an internet (anyone remember CRS?), had an mp3 player before anyone knew what that meant. Lots of these decisions caused me grief since it's hard to get something serviced if you are the only one who has the technology. Still, I like to try new things and an E-bike falls into this category since it is a new technology that that is just starting to be available.

So what is an E-bike? Simply put, it is a new type of vehicle now legal on the streets of Ontario. An E-bike is classed as a bicycle with an electric motor and batteries, built to assist you in pedalling yourself around town.

But, for practical purposes, I can't think of it that way. After all, any vehicle that has an ignition key, turn signals, brake lights, a headlight, horn, throttle, brakes, speedometer, thief alarm and even cruise control is more than a bicycle; it's really more like a motor scooter.

So what are the advantages over other vehicles? The big ones for me are that they are cheap to operate with no vehicle insurance requirements, no gas to buy, no parking fees to pay since they honour bicycle rules of the road, and a pretty low purchase price (mine was less than $2,000). I've spoken to other owners and have discovered that vehicle maintenance is also minimal. An E-Bike is nicer than a bike to park since you don't need to chain it to something (it's heavy and wouldn't easily fit in a trunk). It also has easily accessible compartments to store your bike helmet (a requirement) when you're not riding.

The "published" down sides are, you need to be at least 16 years old; you need to re-charge the batteries every 70 km or so, which could take a few hours at a regular electric plug; you can't carry more than 350 pounds; your speed will slow going up local hills; and you have limited seasonal use. You also really can't use the bike in heavy rain, fog, on ice or snow or in cold weather (less than 10 degrees) and since it's electric, you won't want to drive it through deep puddles.

These vehicles are speed limited by the Province of Ontario to 32 km/hr maximum. I would also suggest that you stay off of any Highways (including 10th Street, 16th St E, 9th Ave E, etc) whenever you can.

So far this summer I find I use my E-bike all the time in town. It is always quick and easy to get to places in the city and it is easy to park when I get there. A 70-km range for a day is no barrier in town since most trips are 2-4 Km each way. I can also drive on the local rail trails, one out to Shallow Lake and one out to Chatsworth for longer trips.

Of course there are a wide variety of E-bikes you can purchase but for Owen Sound and our hills, the choice becomes more limited. You really need one that can take the hills and not all of the bikes can. The model I bought was part of the "incline series," which is billed as able to handle a 35-per-cent grade. I can report that I have made it up the 9th St W hill (a bit slow but I got there). That was the big test for me and told me that other hills like Creamery or Moore's Hill can be climbed more easily.

So, when do I use it? It's a quick trip downtown when I need to purchase small things. The E-Bike I own has two locked storage locations that make it pretty convenient. I also ride it as an excuse to visit friends around town. If they're not home, well I got a nice ride in anyway. I only recently discovered that I can easily carry my banjo on it. Since I play music at most of the senior centres and the hospital, this means I skip using the car.

You can see many E-bikes park at the hospital front door. Not a bad parking spot! There is a nice county drive to Country Meadow Farms by heading out on 2nd Ave E. I've also learned some tricks of the trade like the back way into the Heritage Mall by taking the path that starts at the end of 19th St E. Back roads are easier since there is less traffic. I have found that for downtown, 32 km/hr is not slow and I can easily keep up with traffic, which means I don't need to drive close to all those car doors on 2nd Avenue. You know. The ones that open without concern which can cause too much panic for me.

So what are the Owen Sound downsides? Well, winter is an issue since you can't use your E-bike in the extreme cold, but I guess you knew that already. And, since I don't use my bicycle as much, I've lost that form of exercise. It was easier for me to pick up riding since I have owned motorcycles for years. Still, it looks like lots of other folks can handle it without a problem.

Can I recommend it? After one summer of riding it is actually getting more fun to use, so yes, it's great.