From a friend of Diamond Peak:
I went in to Diamond Peak for a test ride of an E-Bike. The Diamond Peak staff asked me how I want to use my bike, where I like to ride, and more importantly, where I WANT to ride.
I said that I love riding on paved bike paths, and want to be able to keep up with younger friends and my husband on the road. But I also like to ride on mountain trails and would LIKE to be able to climb hills more efficiently (i.e., keep up with others). They put me on the Trek Powerfly Full Suspension 7 and showed me how to use the controls … which took about two minutes, including how to lower the seat out of the way for fancy mountain biking maneuvers. I am not so sure that I will use that feature, but good to know!
I headed out of the store on the onto the paved bike path. I didn’t realize until this test ride that the assist happens only while peddling, and not during coasting or breaking. There is no throttle. The handlebar-mounted controller let me choose the level of assist, told me how fast I was going, and how much battery was left. My hands never had to leave the handlebar. There are four settings: Eco, Tour, MtnBike and Turbo. These are really four levels of increasing assistance, with the MtnBike setting assisting even more when my peddling effort increased. I used Eco and Tour settings on the bike path with rolling hills.
I went off-road onto a trail at North Arm Trail, which is a single track with some curves and a couple of wooden bridges. It was really easy to use the assist occasionally, just by peddling or not. It was super fun! I turned around to head back to Diamond Peak, testing the bike’s muscle on a couple steep pitches on the bike path. Piece of cake.
I can see using this type of bike for fun, running errands and commuting. I guess I better keep my car to carry my skis to the mountain in winter.
So Santa, now you know what I want for Christmas.
Pam, age 63
