Has anyone bought their wife E bike....so you could ride together? Some?

[Ralph]

How did that work out? Just curious if it was your idea or wife's? And that can make a big difference.

My wife has bad knees, can't ride very far on regular bike, or up hills much....10-12 miles max. And is a little wobbly, poor balance, etc.....not mixing her up with traffic for sure. And we have all these wide smooth almost flat trails around here, some that go for miles and miles thru wilderness with few cross roads, and she really enjoys getting out on them...seeing the wild life, plants, and trees we encounter. It's really good for her.

So thinking about a mid drive E bike for her (lighter than a rear hub drive), which wouldn't be too much heavier than the bike she rides now....so fewer balance issues. Talking 6-10 MPH....so lowest power drive with assist, and maybe with a throttle only feature. She don't need anything like what most seem to want. Fun for me too....on a rest day (but wouldn't say that).

How did that work out for any who has done this? My experience assuming what kind of bike a wife might like is a tricky thing.

[stien]

If it were me, I'd get a tandem for that purpose.

We have two. Paketa for crushing it and a Burley for path cruiser. They are such a blast. Then again my wife is a badass on the bike, cat 3 road racer until we had our first daughter last year.

s a little wobbly, poor balance, etc.....not mixing her up with traffic for sure.

Don't get me wrong here, I have a Bosch mid-drive cargo bike for hauling my big dogs to work, but this is not the application for E-bike IMO. Add speed to the equation and other path users or your wife are put in danger.

[Mikej]

Yeah, I'd get an e-bike for her.

[buddybikes]

Perfect e-bike purpose. Tandem on trails with a stoker without great balance/smoothness wouldn't be fun.

[TBLS]

Not me but a tech at my cardiologist bought e-bikes for both him and his wife 2+ years ago. Asked last week if they were still using and answer “yes”.

Same story - allows them to ride together and assists when they may need it on hills, etc.

Not racers, just fitness folk that the motor expands their opportunities to ride and gets them outside and off the couch

My thrifty tendencies suggest demo or rental before buying

[rccardr]

Yep. Good friend and riding buddy bought a top of the line Specialized for his wife last year. He's quite fit & rides with a local club, but she's got some ailments that restrict intensive physical activity. Now he has to work to keep up with her. They both love it.

[fa63]

I didn't buy my wife an e-bike; she bought herself one :) That aside, it hasn't made us ride together more, but she certainly rides a lot more now on her own. She even uses the bike to run errands around town and for grocery shopping.

[eddief]

for balance issues

https://www.icetrikes.co/e-assist

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jikJLCHhjNI&t=797s

[douglas]

I don't have any personal experience with an ebike but a woman in our bike club has one. She rode it with us and said she loved it. She had no problem keeping up and she flew by us on the climbs. The bike was her all rounder. She commuted to work on it, used it for shopping and used it for riding with friends.

[Mzilliox]

great idea for riding friends who cant keep up!
My wife can drop dudes though, she doesnt get the ebike just yet:no:

[Mark McM]

Well, it didn't work out well for Pinarello, when they suggested that women need ebikes to keep up with their men:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pinarello-apologises-over-sexist-advert/

[Alan]

One of my friends bought one of the Trek ebikes and loves it. He is older and heavier and he has stayed with the group after buying one. They are not cheap by any measure but highly effective. Link is:

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/domane-plus/

Alan

[dbrown]

I did. Bought my wife a Benno ebike with the Bosch mid drive. She rides more frequently, longer distances, more comfortable, and gets more enjoyment. She rides with the motor off, in eco mode or turbo mode, depending on the terrain. I have had to adjust to her being faster on some uphills than me. All positives from our point of view.

[Tony]

Some of my friends need a E bike to ride/keep up with my wife!

[Ralph]

Just bought my wife one. A very simple E bike...a basic model. A cruiser. It's what she wanted.

Electra Townie Go..... Bosch Mid Drive....from Trek store up the street. Shimano shifter and derailleur. Single speed.....11-32 cassette and 38 tooth front. A chain guard (haven't seen one of those in a long time) A woman's type with step thru frame. Long wheel base so you pedal a little out in front....so with saddle proper height, believe she can put both feet on ground when she stops. No throttle, only assist.....Eco, Tour, Sport, and turbo. She should be able to be comfortable with this. Not nearly as aggressive a riding position as her current bike....think this will suit her better. And it fits fine on my 1UP rack...no fenders. Doubt if she ever rides it anywhere except trail. However....we have some trails around here, all smooth 12-14' wide....where you can go many miles without seeing anyone or have a cross road. Looking forward to riding more with her. You folks inspired me!

BTW....The bike shop people informed me.....E bikes with throttle are technically (in Florida) a motorized vehicle....and as such are not legal on the trails. Never seen that enforced.....but someday they might have to. Have seen some dangerous behavior from E bikes with throttles on the multi use trails. Dang things just too heavy to go that fast around typical trail traffic where it's busy. We are going to be very careful about that. Doubt if my wife goes over 10-12 on the trail around any people.

[rnhood]

Road type bike or townie, I highly recommend it. I have 3 riding buddies who bought them for their wives and they do just fine on them. Some ride more than the others, and mostly greenways, but they work very well. So well in fact, that they now have one for themselves too. The biggest drawback is the weight. You have to lift them to put them on a rack. Taking the battery off helps of course, but they are still quite heavy. A 250W bike will also be significantly lighter than a 500W bike but if you only ride relatively level paths, you are good for 40 or 50 miles.

[Ralph]

Road type bike or townie, I highly recommend it. I have 3 riding buddies who bought them for their wives and they do just fine on them. Some ride more than the others, and mostly greenways, but they work very well. So well in fact, that they now have one for themselves too. The biggest drawback is the weight. You have to lift them to put them on a rack. Taking the battery off helps of course, but they are still quite heavy. A 250W bike will also be significantly lighter than a 500W bike but if you only ride relatively level paths, you are good for 40 or 50 miles.

A Townie. Very simple bike. A little industrial looking.