Steve
From Northern Virginia
September 16th, 2010
 |
My GEBE bike is so much
fun! It is so fast!
I loved it from the very
first minute!
On my first ride, I was
a little nervous
about how it would handle.
I planned to take
a short slow ride around
my neighborhood
to test it out. But instantly
I knew the
bike was perfect. Riding
it was so easy and
so natural. I felt in perfect
control. And
I just took off! I rode
an effortless 10
miles at speeds that a
bike racer couldn't
match. I climbed long steep
hills like they
weren't even there!
It is amazingly fast for
a bike. It goes
32 mph on the flat, and
it climbs big hills
at 25 mph (with hard pedaling).
Compared
to my non-motorized bike,
that is more than
twice as fast on the flat
and 4 times as
fast climbing big hills.
To test acceleration,
I pedaled at 10 mph with
the motor in idle
and then went full throttle
together with
hard pedaling. In 5 seconds,
I was going
28 mph! That's incredible
for a bike.
I have pedaled bikes all
my life. I have
loved them and I still
love riding them.
I pedal almost 2000 miles
per year, and I
have pedaled more than
50,000 miles in my
lifetime. But I am now
67 years old, and
I was disappointed that
I can no longer pedal
the long distances and
hilly routes that
I used to enjoy. I decided
to get a motorized
bike so that I could once
again enjoy those
long hard rides.
The increase in biking
range is astounding.
The longer range opens
up all sorts of new
areas to explore. I rode
my GEBE for 120
very hilly miles one day
without being too
tired, and I could have
ridden further if
I wanted to. By comparison,
my maximum range
on very hilly terrain on
my pedal bike is
limited by fatigue to about
40 miles. I have
ridden my GEBE up long
steep hills that I
never rode on my pedal
bike because they
were too intimidating.
Being able to easily
and quickly climb those
killer hills like
they weren't even there
was such a thrill!
Wow! I felt like superman!
Now, very long
distances and long steep
hills are no longer
impossible. Now they are
easy!
One thing that I do differently
from most
motorized bicycle riders
is that I always
pedal. I am a lifelong
cyclist and I love
pedaling. It just seems
right for a bike
to be pedaled and I want
the exercise. I
did try riding without
pedaling. I hated
it. Without pedaling, riding
seemed tedious
and boring, and the bike
no longer felt responsive
like it was a part of me.
I guess I want
a bicycle experience, not
a motorcycle experience.
Bike info: I mounted a
32cc Tanaka 2-stroke
on a 15-year-old front
suspension mountain
bike. The engine is a little
nosier than
I would like, but it is
almost vibration
free. I bought the heavy
duty rear wheel
with 105 gauge spokes and
mounted Serfas
drifter S heavy duty tires.
I added a 1.5
liter auxiliary gas tank
that extends the
range to 80 miles without
refueling. I also
have a capability to carry
extra gas cylinders
to get a total range of
200 miles. I changed
the front crank set to
one with 48 teeth
(instead of 42) with 11
teeth rear to allow
me to pedal comfortably
at 30 mph. I have
ridden almost 3000 miles
in 6 months. During
that time, my GEBE has
been trouble-free
- no breakdowns or mechanical
problems. The
GEBE is a good quality
setup.
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