Until recently, I had only limited experience with ebikes. In early 2020, I rented an Orbea Gain with hub based assistance for a couple of days in Maui to try it out. I have a friend (then 89, now 92) whom I ride with and he was getting slower so I wanted to see how well ebikes work. I thought it would be great for him and he's enjoyed a Specialized Creo for three seasons now. This year, it seems as though he's using the second power setting a bit more than last year but that's age for you.


My wife and I did a tour in Mallorca in April. My wife is less active than I am and has various problems from arthritis. She had signed up for a regular hybrid and I had a road bike. Her first day wasn't much fun but fortunately the tour company had an extra ebike and she switched to it. I'd summarize her feeling as that she didn't like the bike (some heavy ~50 pound thing) but liked having the motor. It meant that she could still enjoy the scenery without getting too far behind the group. She's back on her regular bike around home but I wonder whether she'll decide to go to an ebike in future.


In early July, I did a trip in the Pyrenees with several friends. I'm 72 and they're 55-62. Ten years ago, I could keep up with them but now find that a lot harder than it used to be. So, this year I rented an ebike (Trek Domane with Fazua system). I also rented a second battery, thinking that I might need that on longer days. I found that the motor seemed to provide increased resistance if it were turned off. I also found that the lowest setting was OK on flatter stretches or hills up to about 4-5% but that I really preferred the second power setting on steeper or longer hills. The highest power setting just seemed weird and I didn't use it. I never used the second battery on rides up to 80 km. The other older guy who was using a similar ebike used the second battery most days. I'd characterize my feelings similar to my wife's - liked the motor but wasn't keen on the bike. Nothing particular, but I did find the resistance when not using the motor annoying and the bike did seem really heavy when I had to lift it onto the bike rack.


So, I'm watching the ebike market, knowing that my next bike is most likely to be an ebike (having said that, I did pick up a new regular bike for my cottage so I don't think an ebike is an imminent purchase for me). I think they're a great addition to the cycling world and expect that an ebike will extend my riding career.