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Comment by wincy | Hacker News Reader

I bought an E-Bike two years ago and it’s changed my life. I want to ride my bike all the time, and am counting down the days to spring. During the warmer months I run all the errands I possibly can with my bike instead of driving, and ride for pleasure often, going on multi hour bike rides. It’s just such a blissful feeling, and as I’ve gotten more fit I’ve been able to turn down the bike assist and built a lot of leg muscles.

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Getting an e-bike has got me out getting exercise way more than a regular bike ever did. Being able to dial my effort up and down pushes me further, quite literally in distance and fitness goals. I'm by no means fit and almost did a 5 hour 40 mile ride one day. I completely used up the battery in that time, my legs were cooked from the effort. I would have never attempted something like that on a regular bike unless I was fit.

I do understand there are many things that can make it infeasable to bike during winter, but if you miss your bike absolutely give it a try! I bike year around in Norway. Studded tires help tons, and that the city maintains the bike infrastructure during winter.

Are you riding on roads or trails? How are you treated by other road users? I'm tempted by ebikes but live in semi-rural UK with very poor (and getting worse) road surface and lots of blind bends.

I largely ride on paved bike trails that are wholly separate from the roads, or suburban residential roads that have a Swiss cheese of bike trails interconnecting via parks. It’s never the fastest way, but there’s almost always a “safe way” to bike somewhere, due to a lot of effort by our city council. I’m more avoidant of the major roads, an elderly man was extremely close to me and my kid in her bike trailer when he made a right turn, I think I’d be more cautious if I didn’t have so many accessible ways to bike separate from the roads.

Oddly a lot of the “guys with road bikes wearing full gear” seem to just ride on the road anyway. I have no idea why, I’ve double checked the laws and I’m allowed to ride there.

As a regular bike commuter in cities with hit and miss roads, With big enough tires (tyres?) it's totally fine, there are some ebikes out there with massive tires. I'd be more concerned about the blind bends and presumably due to semi-rural people driving very fast. If there's a broad shoulder or you can get off the road at a moments notice then it could be okay but as with most things the cars are the biggest danger.

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