Feel Like I’m getting back.

[Orangepeel60]

Had my first long ride on my new magic bike(It’s electric). I can now get out in the hills and not worry about my heart rate going off the scale. For the first time in a while I felt really alive. Can’t believe I waited this long to invest in it.

[Hidden]

Crikey, nice bike. Is that seat comfortable?

[Orangepeel60 in reply to Hidden]

Hey Deano,

Yes strangely it is. When I saw it I thought it was going to be like riding on a piece of cheese wire

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

How are you doing these days? I recall you were very fit before your first HA but had a second a year later. Are you near where you were before your cardic journey started?

[Orangepeel60 in reply to MichaelJH]

Doing ok thanks. Yes I had a second one in July, but they could not find a cause during angiogram.

I think I am close to where I was but I do hold back now. Before I was happy to push to my maximum heart rate and beyond but now try to keep it in the aerobic range.

Still get a bit scared, when I am out riding alone but I have to do it, as fitness is such a massive part of my life.

How are things with you?

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Orangepeel60]

Not too bad thank you! Because of PAD and angina I was pretty unfit before my bypass (over a year ago now) but did Phase 3 rehab (hospital based) and went onto Phase 4. Because of hip pain (arthritis) I struggled and got a referral for "gym by perscription". Just got a letter from them.and have to go for an assesment. Usefully one GP is ex-cardio and did the referral. Since my GP took early retirement I just try and get appointments with the most appropriate one based on their interests.

[GracieOS]

They are great, electric bikes, aren't they. I bought one last year, shortly after being diagnosed with Heart Failure and I love it. It's helped be carry on.

[Orangepeel60 in reply to GracieOS]

Yes I agree. A friend of mine bought one after a bad accident and she told me how it helped her to stay in the saddle. I resisted for a while and pushed on with my road bike.

But now I know she was right and it means I can ride for longer. Only use the assistance on hills, but wow.

Happy it keeping you exercising

[NessaArthur in reply to GracieOS]

I also have heart failure after having 4 heart attacks within 3 years. Last April (2018) I had an ICD implant and it has changed my life. I bought an electric bike and can go miles without tiring. It’s real freedom again! Loving just being able to go on a bike ride and then later having the energy to still walk my dogs.

[Orangepeel60 in reply to NessaArthur]

Hello yes it’s a great feeling of freedom. I love it

[cowparsley]

I haven`t ridden abike for 30 years and I was pretty wobbly then! Do you think the electric ones are any easier to ride than standard ones? I might have to have part of my lung removed and baulk at the thought of a mobility scooter! I`m 69 and ageist!!!

[Orangepeel60 in reply to cowparsley]

Hello, it feels the same as my old road bike. Different riding position is going to take a bit of getting used to.

I have always ridden and yes it was expensive but it has opened up being outside for longer rides

[bsa_b31 in reply to cowparsley]

I don't know about the commercial e-bike offerings, but if you add a mid drive conversion kit to an ordinary bike, you can have a twist-&-go throttle. Commercial units require Government type approval for that, but self conversions don't. If you then add a wide range derailleur, 11-speed say, you can have road and off-road ratios on the same bike. Having lost a good deal of cardiac output due to muscle damage prior to a replacement aortic valve in 2012, I built my e-bike so that it could still get me home, up a steep hill, on the throttle alone (albeit slowly) in the event that I should find myself too ill to pedal. I've never needed to do that other than as an experiment, but it's a kind of insurance.

What is peculiar about my bike from the point-of-view of onlookers, is that I don't really need to pedal much at all when getting around the town. This is a huge improvement to my safety on the road, because it means I can pull away at busy road junctions with good acceleration and without wobbling. If I change up and pedal moreover, while holding the throttle open, I can reach the speed of the general traffic and thereby discourage all of that pathological 'It's a push-bike, I must overtake it' behaviour.

My e-bike experiments are described at length on my personal (non commercial) website: g3ynh.info/workshop/e-bike....

I'm 67 years old as of May 2019 btw.

[cowparsley in reply to bsa_b31]

Interesting but sooo beyond my capabilities!

[bsa_b31 in reply to cowparsley]

It occurred to me that people spend thousands on e-bikes, but the bits for the conversion cost hundreds, as do things like 11-speed cassettes and derailleurs. Anyone who hasn't had a lifetime of bike repairs might therefore find a friendly local bike shop prepared to fit the parts for an hourly rate. There is perhaps an issue of type-approval if you do such a thing, but I imagine that 'supervising a mechanic' has a similar status to self-build.

[cowparsley in reply to bsa_b31]

Thanks for that.Will look into it.

[CyclingGardener]

I was just thinking about an electric bike yesterday. I live in a hilly area. Are they heavy to lift in and out of the car?

[Orangepeel60 in reply to CyclingGardener]

Hello my one is 11kg and I need to take the front wheel off to get it in the car, but not difficult

[willsie01]

I’ve been looking at e bikes post bypass surgery. Not having ridden for years I’ve been out for 2 short rides on an ordinary hybrid to get my balance back. It was amazingly poor. When I’m confident of my balance I plan to test ride an e Brompton. Marvellous looking bit of kit and the convenience of folding up to put in the boot and park in our study would be immense. Not cheap though. Very smart bit of kit. Any others I should look at?

[Orangepeel60 in reply to willsie01]

There are so many on the market. I wanted one that did not look like an electric bike.

Brompton is a good choice if storage space is tight. I carry mine up to my flat.

Cannondale, Cube and Specialised all look good. Mine is a Ribble Endurance sle. It comes in a flat bar setup

[Anginamum]

Would that be the car or the bike you will be parking in the study.🤣🤣🤣

[willsie01 in reply to Anginamum]

Until the beginning of the year the study was a garage so both would make sense 😉

There’s a word, that I can’t remember, that describes the way you’ve read my post isn’t there? “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” springs to mind.

[Electricbike]

I modified my old bike (after my HA) using this revolutionworks.com/ device. Works a treat and a lot cheaper. I joined this forum shortly afterwards, obvs!

[Orangepeel60 in reply to Electricbike]

Morning. My cousin did the same and he loves it.

[Orangepeel60]

I don’t know what that is. Sorry

[IanGordon]

Bought an e-bike pre AVR surgery in 2017 which helped me keep fit for surgery, albeit with declining cardio vascular function. Used it for cardio rehab, 10 weeks after surgery but was confident enough in my recovery to sell it a few months ago. Helped me up hills and to enjoy rides with my wife and delivered a restored exercise capacity which ultimately I no longer needed. It was also fun.

Not sure about 'twist and go' as I've seen riders with control issues although appreciate it may be an affordable option. Pedal assist means you can use as little or much help as you need , up to about 15 mph, after which you're on your own.

Yes, they are considerably heavier than their 'accoustic' equivalent, so a roof rack carrier is out of the question.

All I would say is that if you are considering it,just do it. E-bike are enormous fun, practical and can get and keep you fit.

[scotsrish]

Tell me the name and rough cost of these bikes please. I live in Canada and have not seen these but love the look.

[Orangepeel60 in reply to scotsrish]

Morning,

It’s a Ribble Endurance Sle and I think they start about £2700 and upward depending on level of equipment.

For me it was an investment that has given me much more than the price.

All the best

Neil