Well, I Broke My Bike

Well, I broke my bike - actually the battery. What a frustrating - yet oddly successful - day!

I decided that I was ready for a longer ride, especially since the weather turned genuinely nice. I decided to take advantage of the bike's foldbility to start from a new location. My granddaughter wanted a ride to the Young Shakespeare Players, where she's rehearsing in a couple of productions, and it's near Trader Joe's - and a bike path! So we put the bike in the car and off we went.

Folding the bike is surprisingly easy. It has one joint, with a little thumb-release lever and a big latch. The latch is a bit stiff, but doable. You also need to fold down one of the pedals, which is also easy. Then it just folds in half. Folding a bike is a bit awkward, as you might expect, but again, doable. With this bike, putting the kickstand down makes it easier to fold the front half back against the back half.

The hard part is lifting it into the car. There is no getting around the fact that an electric bike is hefty. Part of the weight is the battery, and you can take that off and load it separately, but much of it is the motor, which is built in.

I got my first clue that today was not going to be a totally perfect day when I started to lift the folded bike and the battery slipped loose. I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to do that, but I don't know if it was defective or if I handled it badly. I do know you're not supposed to use it as a handle, and I must have been pulling up on it, since it pulled loose. I had meant to take it off first, so I stowed it in the car.

My granddaughter helped me lift the bike in. I believe it is possible to buy a carry bag for a folding bike, and that might make it easier to get a grip on. Of course, I have to admit I have a very small car with a poorly designed loading area.

Once near the bike path, I got the bike out by myself, and got the battery reinstalled. I wasn't sure I had it right, because it wasn't exactly as shown in the instructions, but it seemed to be connected.

I headed toward the capitol, along with runners, walkers with strollers or dogs or both, inline skaters and other bikers. I paused to take a picture, and then in another block I was by the stadium, where you have to cross a couple of small streets and then Regent and Monroe. I knew at the first small street that the battery wasn't on right, so I stopped and fixed it. This time I got it right, with the back slipped firmly onto the metal plate that holds it down and the front plugged in.

It was beautiful, even though the scenery was winter drab and the view was mostly the backs of buildings on the outskirts of campus. The sun shone and the path itself is smooth and nearly flat. That's what I love about old rail corridors - the trains didn't like hills any more than I do! Bike paths built on old rail lines are great for just going.

Before this, I had been using the power assist to help me with hills that I wouldn't have wanted to do with just my own (lack of) power, but this was a different type of trip. Here, my plan was to use the extra power to increase the distance I could go. I simply twisted the throttle a bit whenever I felt like it, sometimes just for fun - just a little zoooom!

Soon I came to West Washington Ave, where I stopped to chat with a couple who had noticed my battery box and were curious what it was. I explained, and they were intrigued. Later in the trip a woman passed me and also noticed the box. "What is that? A fancy lunch box?" So I explained again. It's nice to find people friendly and interested. Hey Len, if I sell a bike do I get a commission?!

I got to Monona Bay, my old neighborhood. I turned right, thinking I would see how far I could go. Secretly I thought I might go all the way around the Bay - but I didn't want to scare myself. Bit by bit, around I went. Part-way 'round the path ends and you bicycle on the road, which has few cars. I stopped a couple of times to take pictures, and used the power whenever I felt I wanted a bit extra. On the far side, by Bernie's Beach, the road leaves the Bay and jogs over to Lakeside, past Franklin School.

This was great! Just a couple of blocks and I'd be on the bike path that follows John Nolan Drive and I'd be heading back. I'd made it around Monona Bay! Just up this little hill, a little power boost - and that's where the day got a little more challenging. The power died. I was at the farthest point from my car, and I'd already gone farther than I had any time in recent memory. And all that beautiful assist and zoom were gone. The power lights had been on - plenty of charge - and then they went out.

The return trip is a bit of a blur, but I made it - and that's where the success comes in. I made it! I biked 5.6 miles, mostly under my own steam. I did it!

Lessons learned:
If you have doubts about your equipment, don't go ahead on the longest trip yet!
Get a carrier for a water bottle and take a water bottle. Even if it's not high summer, working hard dehydrates you.
You might be stronger than you think!

I definitely had some responsibility for what happened, but it's possible that the battery was also defective. Only long-term use will really answer the question of how dependable the bike and battery are. That's part of what this blog is about, sharing the whole experience of using this bike. I truly love this bike, but I wouldn't wish a power failure like that on anyone. So I decided to take my concerns back to Len's Electric Bikes and see what they would say. I am happy to report that Len replaced the battery immediately and offered to replace the entire bike if the new battery didn't solve the problem.

What a long entry! Tomorrow will be more biking and less blogging - gotta try out my new battery. :-)