My new toy

I am now the proud (?) possessor of a new etrike–an adult tricycle that I can pedal as usual, but is also powered by an electric motor and battery.  I’ve owned it (in all its component parts) for a few weeks, but I finally got up to Portland to the Ebike Store, who put it all together for me, to pick it up.

It’s been a process.  First, choosing all the component parts, which had to be bought via the internet, which means no see-touch-feel, which I hate–you don’t really know what you’re getting or if you’ll like it.  The battery is a whole thing unto itself–I went for more power and longevity, which means it’s big, which means finding a container for it and deciding where to mount it on the trike were both issues (and I may change it around yet).  And how to transport it with the van?

Anyway, here it is, just after unloading it at home.

After lunch, got up my nerve to ride it into town.  A kindly passerby with whom I had fallen into conversation about it took this picture of me on the trike.  (We won’t mention my very first ride, which sort of happened spontaneously, so I didn’t wear the helmet . . . )

Here’s some shaky video I took while riding it.  On a very level and deserted, well-paved street.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/115925236″>first trike ride</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user33545867″>Jean Mitchell</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

(I gotta find out what that disconnected connection there in front is supposed to do.  Clearly it didn’t prevent anything crucial from working.)

I have a lot of learning to do.  Habits learned in childhood riding bikes must be unlearned and new ones developed.  Most clearly, steering and how the trike is leaning have to be separated in my head–on a bike, they are integrated.  Being sure to lean into a turn is sort of implanted, but on the trike it is more of an add-on, something you have to consciously remember to do–on a bike, it’s instinctive.  The fact that a left-right slope on the ground causes the trike to lean accordingly requires mental adjustment (bikes are self-adjusting to such slopes).

But even this short ride–a mile at most–has greatly helped my confidence.  I got better at coordinating gears and pedaling with using the motor.  Negotiated all turns slowly and carefully, but successfully.  And it got me back up the hill to the house very nicely!  Given how hilly my town is, that was a crucial part of the deal.

It’s also clear even from this short ride that using it will get me to exercise more, even if the motor is doing most of the work.  Even small amounts of pedaling is more exercise than sitting in my recliner :-).

Now I want a rear-view mirror, speedometer, odometer, probably eventually a headlight, possibly a front basket, and I doubt I’ll get them but turn signals would be nice.  There’s always something.