We decided to give an Electra electric bike for a test ride to one person who has never ridden an electric bike before. In return, we asked for feedback, that is, we asked like a sports reporter at the finish line: “How did it feel?” Merle, who rides a normal bicycle in his free time and is a great enthusiast of cycling in nature and a photography enthusiast, wrote us the great story below.
Now, with a little delay and time to spare, I will try to write down one exciting experience – how I got to test and impress… well, guess what? The beauty called Townie 😊. My Townie was modern, strikingly special and voluptuously feminine, a doer without a doubt – we matched 😊. Electrarattad.ee boldly says about it: a high-tech and ultra-stylish looking electric bicycle.
We met the owner of Electra, Kairi, on April 20, when I had some free days ahead of me for this interesting venture, and the weather was finally sunny and springy to fully enjoy the activity. Anyone who knows me will surely also know how I have always loved to travel to nature by bike and capture the fascinating, so the electric bike Townie also had a longer tour, into the countryside! First, however, I had to get used to what I was dealing with, because to be honest, here I have been stuck in the habit – I had never tried riding an electric bicycle before. My old Author has served me so faithfully for years that I have not even thought of replacing him! This bike comes from a former bike shop near the Kosmos cinema, on the recommendation of professional cyclist Kalju Koch. I’m not a cyclist, I enjoy the ride rather for the purpose of charging positive emotions, and the bike also gives me the pleasant freedom to travel on different roads and landscapes, to see interesting and beautiful places while being in them myself.
So, on the afternoon of April 20, I got my hands on an electric Townie with the necessary accessory, which is a battery charger. I was a little concerned that the battery was half charged at that point, but I had planned to make a spin on Pirita. Is it enough? The electric bike has a Bosch engine with four power levels: eco, tour, sport and turbo. Then you apply the one that you like at the moment, the first choice leaves more work for the bone motor and the last one less work. The electric bike has a dashboard that shows the charge level of the battery and how many kilometers it is expected to travel with a certain power level. Of course, it also depends on whether you are currently moving on a flat road or, for example, uphill, and in which gear. There are 10 gears in total, and changing them, as well as changing the engine power levels, was easy and smooth, accompanied by some sounds that were new to me 😊. I tried to drive by turning off the bike’s engine altogether – it was completely possible, so I decided not to worry and take my tour anyway – you can’t stay on the road! Although, it is true, the bike is heavy – you had to get used to it. My bike weighs 14 kg, electric bike Townie 25.
The weather was great, I started from the yard of the Electra bike shop on the Kadaka road in a straight line to the “hills” – along the health trail towards Hiiu. It was nice how the electric bike moved up as if by itself, without effort 😊. This climb usually doesn’t cause me any problems – if I’ve been in some form already in the spring, but the work of my heart is a bit special, and I was also very interested in the experience in this respect – how does it feel if the motor on the electric bike would support me when it gets difficult? I also remembered Kairi’s funny example in the salon, how elderly men are happy to keep up with young people on electric bikes 😊 Nonii, a place for testing for me too! Nõmme mountain proved that by changing gears and performance at the right moment, it is absolutely possible to climb the hill – otherwise I would have definitely come off the bike there. Anyway, in the middle of the bridge, I already had a smile on my face and my anxiety was over, the evening promised to be great! I drove to Kosen via Järvevana te and Lasnamäe, using bike paths as much as I knew how.
By the way, the electric bike also has a controller that can be connected to a smartphone, Smartphone, I didn’t use this option, but maybe it would be interesting to try it as well. As a city bike: due to the mass, crossing our street crossings/roadsides is sometimes a bit difficult and the bike tends to rattle, but again it is extremely comfortable to move quickly from a standstill, i.e. taking into account the shortcomings of the streets and sparing the electric bike, ride calmly, slow down before transitioning and then continue at a fast pace. It makes sense to use cycle paths where possible, because there you can enjoy the pace with pleasure, without endangering pedestrians 😊. On this first day, I mostly used the first, eco-mode just in case, and it also gave a completely noticeable background power, the speed on longer sections showed about 25 km/h. On Lasnamäe, I briefly stopped at a warehouse, where a friendly seller allowed me to place the electric bike by the wall of the hall, but it was a joke and the reality hit me when I tried to move up the stairs, grabbing the electric bike as usual – those six steps were a good strength training! 😊 I got into trouble for the second time later in a nice place after the Lükat bridge, where the forest trail went vertically up the hill – trying to climb the hill with the bike in hand. Which was not a good idea. In fact, it’s very possible that it would have been possible to ride a bike up there too – if, again, you play with reasonable speed, performance and gears. The Electra team can do the test! 😊
For me, this journey was new and I probably wouldn’t have been able to tour and explore as much with my bike in that afternoon. I still enjoyed the sunset at Pirita beach, I put on all the warmer clothes I had prepared as a spare and calmly started my way back to Haaberst, the battery was very accurate and I was satisfied with the evening.
Electra’s comment: a walking assistant would have been quite helpful when going up a steep hill with a bike in hand 😉. This function is intended for situations when it does not seem reasonable to ride the bike uphill (for example, the climb is too steep or narrow), then the electric bike can pull itself up, the rider’s job is only to turn on the corresponding function and hold the handlebars while the bike climbs 😊. During the “micro-training” of the electric bike, we covered this topic quickly, but we probably didn’t pay enough attention to it to remember it well😊.
On the second day, I started around 4:30, the battery was 100% charged and the dashboard allowed 153 km of driving in eco mode. However, I had a plan to test a slightly faster pace and possibilities – which was to immediately take the Tabasalu hill climb. The electric bike just smoothly pulled me up from there, a very pleasant and somewhat unusual experience indeed! 😊 A longer walk along the health trail to the beach of Vääna-Jõesuu, from there, in turn, a climb to Türisalu bank and Keila-Joa to see the waterfall. The weather was again in my favor and the mood was great. I haven’t traveled to Keila-Joa yet this year, my athletic form and health have not allowed, I was glad that I could do it! From Keila Joa I headed to Keila, I like this road, 10km disappeared in an incredibly short time and I remember the emotion of looking at the gully on the left – a beautiful spring afternoon and me speeding in this freshness, gas, sorry!, electricity in the north 😊. I don’t want to agitate anyone to behave self-indulgently, but the feeling was sublime! I enjoyed the view and the speed even when the road was empty of machines (and on the highway I wear a helmet, of course) and I caught myself thinking that you can’t experience anything like this with a car and not with a motorcycle – that at the same time you are speeding pleasantly and at the same time you also get to experience the surroundings! Townie deservedly became Countryie 😊. Keila and Saue are both dear to me – both my former hometowns – and they were passed that evening, along with some sentimental memories. From the first to the second, I drove along my favorite route, again choosing a longer but safer route, which left the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings and the spring, and I arrived home only at dusk. A very nicely spent sporty afternoon!
It was necessary to work for a change, but when the third day off came, it was clear that I had developed an addiction and I would use it, once again going through the sunny afternoon Town – until the evening when we had agreed to meet Kai. This time the journey took me to Viim. Rocca al Mare – Pelguranna and Pirita promenade, as well as Noblessner and Airport were full of people on Sundays and in spring, many happy people with all kinds of bikes and without 😊. It required a bit of maneuvering and the journey to Pirita took longer than expected. I made a running plan to go around a bit and I will probably get to discover Viims this summer for sure, but the exciting discoveries were, for example, the Pandju lai, the Rohuneeme Maisiniit boulder and the health trail from where I had to get to Kelvingi and where I managed to get lost in the meantime. Instead, I was able to try how the Townie drives on a forest track. At this point, I would say that the third, mountain bike would probably get plus points – if someone gives me one to try, because my bike and the electric Townie move better on smoother surfaces. Greetings to the locals with whom we talked about (electric) bikes on the forest trail! 😊 It so happened that I was late for the evening meeting, although I discovered that on the left side of Pirita road you can move much faster in the evening in glorious solitude. And wouldn’t it be sad to hand over the electric bike.
In summary: I enjoyed these afternoons, I would not have been able to do such long trips with a normal bike, and probably not on consecutive days. Such a bike gives you the freedom to explore distant places and there is no worry about whether you have the strength and health to ride back. As for “staying in competition with young people” – that’s fine too: I’m 47 years old, and to be honest, it was quite nice to breeze on the road (past others)!😊 And here I will correct the statement (before trying the electric bike) that I still have time for such a bike and my good old Author offers I still have the opportunity to exercise – in fact, they could be both! There are pros and cons to both. With Townie, of course, you have to take into account that there should be a place to keep him comfortably, because you can’t carry him up the stairs by hand or through a narrow place (e.g. a balcony door) and you probably don’t dare to leave him standing anywhere in public for a long time. I carried my bike up the stairs without any problem and I haven’t encountered any insurmountable situations on the terrain either, because the bike is light. If the network and quality of bicycle paths improves and the attitude of the institutions is positive, why not use an electric bicycle to comfortably go to and from work. Unless it’s pouring rain, I believe that a fresh head and a good mood are definitely guaranteed! And that’s the main thing 😊
Thank you for the experience! There is something to dream about 😊
And since it’s spring – then I wish everyone cute cycling companions instead of a smart device! ❤
Merle
