It's a Lectric!

Western Reserve Greenway Trail, Trumbull County

Longtime followers of my blog may remember when I purchased Messy Bessie, an electric bike, in April 2020.  It was 2 blog sites ago.  You can read about my bike journey here. In a snap shot- I was nervous. I kept trying. I found success. I had a 2 year set back.

Messy Bessie because when I rode it was messy

I only rode my bike once for a year and a half from the onset of my set back in March of 2022.  That one time was in July of 2023, I am not exaggerating when I say I was terrified to tears and had a death grip on the handle bars for our 1 mile ride around a lake. Again, my confidence was gone and the stiffness in my shoulder's made even the slightest turn was agonizing. It was uncomfortable, but not painful.  It was not a smooth transition either. Even the slightest turn was a series of jerky movements and received a slow response from the bike.  When I got off the bike that day in Solon, Ohio, I was certain that it was my last ride.

As I regained my motion and strength, my attitude and confidence came along for the ride.  I decided to try it again, but this time on a different small electric bike.  I did my research online and around the campground.  I decided on a "Lectric" XP 3.0 foldable bike.  The biggest positive to me was the bike's height and length.  The first thing I had to do was sell my old bike, Messy Bessie. I put her on facebook market place and was relieved when someone purchased her in 3 days time.  The best part was I received the same payment that I paid for the bike originally.  With the money in the bank and adding a bit of my budgeted savings (electric bikes are expensive), I made the purchase and had the bike in a couple weeks.  

The bike was easy to assemble with the extra hands of my handyman husband. I straddled the bike as he assured and tightened the handle bars and brakes and the throttle. I could comfortably place my toes securely on the ground while still on the seat raising my confidence level and reducing my stopping the bike apprehension.   I admit, embarrassingly so, admit that I fell off on my test ride on a side street by our home.  The worst of it was that it was in front of my 25 year old daughter and my husband who quickly ran up the road to check on me.  The only thing that was hurt was my ego.  The pedals on the bike are in a slightly different location. back towards the seat instead of in front closer to the handle bars.  I had a hard time placing my feet on the pedals and over I went.  I was embarrassed and hoping I didn't make a huge financial blunder. "Why is this so hard for me?" I wondered.  After I got back on my bike, with my husband holding the seat and shouting instructions to me. I felt like a six year old. , I was able to ride back to the house. "Would I make the turn into the driveway or would my new bike and I be kissing the telephone pole to the left of the driveway? my thoughts rumbled. I made it!   Though I put my bike away in the garage upon my return, I was determined that I would not let my first ride be my last.  

The next day after everyone was out of the house, I put on my helmet and walked the bike to the end of our driveway.  We live on a busy road where the speed limit is 45mph.  It was a harrowing wait for the traffic to clear.  I was estimating how long it would take me to get to the next road that was at the crest of the hill.  I wanted to ride on that specific road because it had a large loop at it's end and very little traffic, if any at all.  I almost closed my eyes as I left the driveway onto the empty road.  My fear was that I would fall in the road and the people driving their cars 45 mph wouldn't see me as they crested the hill.  Splat! Crunch!  You can imagine where my mind went. I did manage to ride up the hill to Thistle Lane without being struck down or falling off my bike.  In fact, I had it so well timed that no cars passed me at all.  

Once on Thistle Lane, I practiced starting and stopping over and over again around the circle.  There was something about being alone that gave me confidence.  It also helped my confidence that if I fell there was no one around to see me. Around and around I went, stopping and starting.  I practiced beginning my ride by slowly increasing the throttle while finding the placement for my feet on the pedals, which was the issues the day before. I practiced with the brakes, coming completely off my seat and stepping to the side of the bike.  This is one of my toughest feats, keeping my bike and myself up right as I disembark the cycle.  Even though the new bike has a step through feature, "Peg Leg" doesn't always lift my right foot high enough to clear the bar. I did it over and over.  I rode up, down and around the road learning how to adjust the gears and the throttle.  I pedaled fully under my own power and I rode with only the throttle providing power.  Once I felt comfortable I decided to return home.  At the end of the street I stopped, look for traffic and said a little prayer. This time I felt more confident while still being wary of speeding cars and the large rock on the right hand side of the driveway.  I did it successfully!!

Reflection: I am glad I didn't give up on bike riding all together.  Even more so, I am glad that I didn't waste my savings on a bike that I wouldn't and couldn't ride.  I appreciate the encouragement.  But why do I see some forms of encouragement as belittling, especially when I know it comes from a sincere place?  I am 54 years old and should know how to ride a bike. I am like a toddler who is learning to speak. Before words, parents often notice their children mimicking  cadence and speech pattern.  Children can often be heard heard babbling at night or in the morning as they lay in bed .  It is often concerned nonsense, but in actuality it is how they practice learning to move their tongue, teeth and lips to form sounds and eventually words. (My college degree thanks you for allowing me to share a bit of Speech Language Pathology education.)  I, too, like to practice by myself with no eyes on me.  If it were possible I would have preferred to practice in the dark as well.