I've been riding pedal powered alongside Phil on his eBike for 4 years. Whilst I loved the idea of an eBike, I'd resisted on the basis of "I'm too young", "I'm too fit", "I don't need the assistance". I had ridden eBikes on our travels before, in the Bavarian Alps, on bike trails around New Zealand, and have loved the experience, but at home? Come on, I'm tougher than that - or so I thought !!
In mid April 2020, exercise was one of the permissible reasons to leave home after our 14 day quarantine was completed, and during Stage 3 lockdown. With no work for the foreseeable future, exercise became my day release so off we ventured on a bike ride towards Clarrie Hall Dam, south of Uki - a comfortable round trip ride of around 30 kilometres from home.
Now Phil, who freely admits his spirit animal is a sloth and has the t-shirt to prove it, bounded up the hills on his eBike, then watched and waited at the top of each hill for me as I pushed my trusty treadly up each incline for the next hour or so - the loose gravel along the Clarrie Hall Dam track combined with the inclines that day had me beat - and that's not something I admit lightly.
The countryside around the Tweed Valley is stunning, especially when viewed at bike pace, however it's not nicknamed "The Tweed Alps" by bike riders for no reason. There are some serious climbs in our Valley, and I'd hit the wall this day. All the way home I pondered - had the time finally arrived? It took only one question on the way home, "would I be able to retrofit my bike for a motor", for Phil to research, develop a comparison spreadsheet, and provide me with what he considered the best eBike option for me - the joys of being married to an engineer who loves research.
Phil's research determined the Giant Liv Amiti E+ was the eBike for me - specifically designed for women with a small frame, impressive Yamaha motor, the best torque for the hills in our region, a fully integrated battery, relatively affordable, and of course pretty. We soon discovered after a few phone calls to Giant dealers in our region that we weren't alone in looking, but thankfully Sunrise Cycles in Ballina had the goods. One test ride around Ballina, and I was the proud owner of "Sparky".
