Just don't let the fact that your legs may not be going at a natural cadence for a given speed put you off.
I went up a 10% hill on Sunday - it was average 10% for 5.5Km.
I'm not criticising your choice -I think you made a wise decision financially and bike-wise.
I assume you're going to another garage for the next oil change? I'm asking because I've always wanted to stamp my foot down as you did, maybe a bit more leeway. What I fear is if they get back at me on the next oil change and finding another garage is not always convenient.
Has anyone tried this conversion kit? swytchbike.com
Claims to transform any regular bike into an eBike.
Rubbish.
There's a reason there are no front-wheel drive motorbikes on the road.
There were.
If they're good enough for Steve McQueen, they're good enough for the rest of us!
Robert Redford too!
I had a look, and then talked to someone who has one. Basically, Tom's cool Hollywood photos aside, not worth the price. I also spoke with some local shops in the Geneva area, they used to do conversions, but no longer at any of the five I spoke to.
Unfortunately, no - there is only one garage in the area certified to work on my car, so I'm stuck with them. Luckily they're a big enough chain and I see them infrequently enough that they'll hopefully have forgotten me by the next time I visit.
Appreciate the short and concise assessment
I admit I am completely ignorant: since front-wheel drive cars are very common (as is mine) I didn't realize front-wheel drive motorbikes are a problem. Probably something to do with weight distributions...
Did this arrive?
Curious to hear your initial impressions and experience with it.
The RadMission turned out to be a very good bike. Well made, fun to ride, excellent customer service (they sell only online), battery life is good, and the motor quite powerful. It is a single gear bike, but it tackles "normal" hills quite well. You just increase the peddle assist (has 1 to 4) instead of gearing down. It also has a throttle, that takes you up to 6 Km (good to get going) and adds power when going up hills. Very steep hills are a struggle though.
Riding an eBike is great fun and opens up all sorts of possibilities to explore your surroundings. I was riding 20 to 40 Km almost every day. I am in better shape now, and even lost some weight
The only problem was that the RadMission is a bit too small for me (187 cm and 85 Kg) so I did what any self respecting expat in Switzerland does – gave the bike to my wife, and went to my local bike store and spent CHF 5000.- on an eBike with a Bosch Pereformance Line CX motor, hydraulic brakes, 625W battery, etc, etc.
I highly recommend getting an eBike and hitting the road. It is great fun. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, then I recommend a mid drive motor over a hub motor – it feels much more "natural". For a sub CHF 1000.- eBike then the RadMission is an excellent choice.
You can also hit the road and have great fun on a non-eBike.
Which brings me to a question: If you have an ebike and a non-ebike and you use the ebike most of the time, when you get back on the non-ebike, does it feel like cycling in treacle, or make you feel incredibly unfit or what else?
Quite a leap from less than 1000CHF to 5000CHF. It seems that the cheap one was not really worth the money and someone is satisfied only after spending a sensible amount...
The RadMission was too small for me. I also wanted to test the waters before spending a fortune on something that would potentially sit in the garage unused.
Turns out I really like going out for bike rides and do it almost every day - so ok to spend a bit more for something that is actually used. Also, now my wife can join me on my biking adventures. She only rides occasionally so does not need anything fancy, plus the RadMissiion is a good size for her.
It feels like damm hard work and I can hear my arthritic knees grinding away. We just sold our last normal bike and only use ebikes now. I personally don't put the motor on whilst cycling on the flat, but I really do appreciate the assistance when required. Think about your first car and the driving experience compared to your current one. It feels somewhat like that to me.