A few years ago I asked for advice about what kind of ebike my wife could get for a little assist so that we could ride together on rides that were too hilly or difficult for her. I am 75 yo now and she is 73. Our typical rides were 30 to 50 miles, often in hilly areas. But we are much stronger cyclists than you would expect for our age.
I finally got her a throttle-controlled MAC 350w front hub motor with a 36v 450 wh battery. It works beautifully and she loves it. On most of the ride she does not use the motor at all. She just pedals. Normally, she only uses the motor on big hills or toward the end of the ride if she gets tired. Using the motor that way, the range should be at least 60 and probably over 100 miles on a charge. We can’t be sure because she has never exhausted the battery. I have also checked the motor for over-heating after a climb. It hardly gets warm at all.
The results are fantastic. I can push as hard as I am able to and she can easily keep up. Our average speed on a hilly ride will be 14 to 15 mph. I can get as hard a workout as I am capable of, with no worries about her falling behind or the ride being too difficult for her. On a big climb I will reach a point absolute maximum exertion going 6 to 7 mph and she will pass me going 16 to 18 mph. At the top I will be too tired to even pedal at my normal speed, but she will have no trouble pedaling vigorously and will keep pulling further ahead. I do get a little envious.
For us, her ebike is the perfect. We can ride together and I am pushed to ride as hard as I possibly can, getting a terrific workout. She can ride without getting too exhausted or frustrated.
I finally got her a throttle-controlled MAC 350w front hub motor with a 36v 450 wh battery. It works beautifully and she loves it. On most of the ride she does not use the motor at all. She just pedals. Normally, she only uses the motor on big hills or toward the end of the ride if she gets tired. Using the motor that way, the range should be at least 60 and probably over 100 miles on a charge. We can’t be sure because she has never exhausted the battery. I have also checked the motor for over-heating after a climb. It hardly gets warm at all.
The results are fantastic. I can push as hard as I am able to and she can easily keep up. Our average speed on a hilly ride will be 14 to 15 mph. I can get as hard a workout as I am capable of, with no worries about her falling behind or the ride being too difficult for her. On a big climb I will reach a point absolute maximum exertion going 6 to 7 mph and she will pass me going 16 to 18 mph. At the top I will be too tired to even pedal at my normal speed, but she will have no trouble pedaling vigorously and will keep pulling further ahead. I do get a little envious.
For us, her ebike is the perfect. We can ride together and I am pushed to ride as hard as I possibly can, getting a terrific workout. She can ride without getting too exhausted or frustrated.