Smart and dumb things I got/did on my Oregon bike tour

Sunset at the end of the
Banks-Vernonia trail

Here's a post I started after my Oregon tour that I forgot to finish and post. If you want route specifics, I provide links to the Strava files at the end.

Things I did that made me feel like a smarty-pants:

1) Brought a friend: originally, I planned to do this solo, but my main riding buddy, Daron, found a way to join me for days 2-4 out of 7 and he really transformed the experience.

First, and foremost, I just really enjoyed his company and having him to share the highs (and lows) with. At the end of the day, going and grabbing a brew in a local bar is a heck of a lot more fun with him.

Also, you're sure to encounter some challenges and decision points on a bike tour and having two heads is better than one. Daron also has a friend in Portland who helped us with our bike shipping/assembly logistics and came out to Cape Lookout on Daron's last night with some party supplies. That night was definitely the best of the tour.

2) Research, research, research: There are those who "just ride," and find adventure organically/randomly. I get that, but I love the biking part of a bike tour and I want to find the best and safest routes. I bought a couple of books and perused a number of websites to help plan the tour. I don't think I'd have found a lot of the stuff that I liked best (Banks-Vernonia trail, Cape Lookout, the

Morning fog on the Siletz River 

 offshoot of the Coastal Trail between Pacific City and Lincoln City, and the road ride along the Siletz River) if I hadn't done the research. Additionally, the difference in safety between the highway route to Vernonia and the rails-to-trails route is pretty stark. Sharing two-lane roads with logging trucks is unnerving at best, deadly at worst.



3) Stayed in a hotel when it got harsh Again, some may scoff at this, but I think sleeping in a tent when it's drizzly, 40 degrees and blowing 20-30 mph sucks and, if you get sick, can ruin your whole trip. Those were the conditions in Astoria and Lincoln City. I'm willing to spend an extra $50-70/night to have a warm, dry place to sleep. I also got my laundry done in Lincoln City, which was much needed.

4) Went to a place with good public transit: Oregon has buses and trains galore and appreciates the tourism dollars that cyclists bring to the state. Daron and I used the train to avoid about 15 miles of urban riding in Portland and made the ride to Vernonia on day 2 (his day 1) much more pleasant. On day 2, I made a navigation blunder that really jeopardized our whole route and we took a bus to get us to Astoria on day 3, as scheduled. Having these options really helped set me at ease for my first bike tour, especially since my route was rather ambitious.

On the road between Vernonia and Rainier. My navigation blunder
forced us to modify our plans. Still an awesome day of riding!

5) Let go of impress-your-friends goals: Originally, I was going to do the whole Oregon Coast Bikeway. When Daron could not be there for the first day, that pretty much nixed the idea. As it turned out, the Oregon Coast route was not my favorite stuff to ride; maybe it's better farther south but the ride from Astoria to Cape Lookout was not nearly as nice as the interior stuff we did on days 2 and 3. There may be acclaim in doing the "whole (fill in the blank) route," but remember who you're doing this for. In the end, you're probably to sound more like a braggart anyway, which is not actually going to impress your friends that much.

6) Went into the local bars: Vernonia is a cute little town which is not really any kind of tourist destination, which is what I loved about it (I abhor tourist traps). Daron and I went into town, had a great meal and then dropped into a local watering hole where we had a conversation that helped us feel more connected with "real" Oregonians and gave us their perspective on us "crazy bikers" sharing roads with logging trucks.

At a pull-off on the way to Tillamook from Astoria

7) Used flat pedals instead of clipless pedals: I was carrying a fair amount of stuff on this tour so I originally thought to use flats in order to save weight and space. Being able to just walk around normally is no small thing either and having flats allowed me to go for a hike the first day that was one of my favorite parts of the tour. I remember being in Yosemite in my SPD shoes and having to turn around because I couldn't bear the crunching sound (and it was uncomfortable too). Yes, you can bring a pair of regular shoes but, really, the advantages of having clipless pedals are very, very minimal and, IMHO, not worth the weight and space.

8) Got a big power bank: For about $25, I got a 25000 mAh power bank that I could run my phone off all day, screen-on much of the time, and only used about 25% of the bank's power. I also could run my light off this, but my particular light did drain the power bank much more quickly. Being able to use electronics without worrying about charging was definitely nice; more than a luxury, I'd say.

And now for the mistakes! Here are 5 of the dumbest things I did on my first bike tour:

1) Believed the sketchy guy at the bus stop when he said that was not our bus. It was--and it made my plan for the last day an impossibility when I missed that bus. You've got to roll with it but I really wish I'd been able to do what I had planned on day 7. I think if I'd had my buddy along, one of us would have figured out the situation and we'd have gotten on that damn bus.

2) Planned a route from my desk, 2100 miles away So here's the thing about Google Maps: not all roads shown are actually roads. I put together a route from my office chair back in Austin, saved it to RidewithGPS, and started following it on our way to Astoria. Unfortunately, we figured out about 30 miles in that, like REM said, "you can't get there from here." At least not legally. It was an iffy day, weather-wise, so we looked at our options and pedaled to Rainier, OR, where we had some beer and conversation while we waited for a bus to take us to Astoria. Thank goodness for public transit!

3) Spent way too much on supplies: I don't know, maybe I'll use all this stuff in time but we really could've just stayed in hotels each night and saved weight AND money.

4) No long-sleeve gloves This is just a bone-head move. I don't know how I managed to not have these on the checklist. I guess, since it was still in the 100s every day in Austin, I just couldn't picture having cold hands. Oregon is definitely NOT Texas. I don't care what time of year you go, you're going to need some warm, waterproof gloves!

5) Too many miles/day: This is debatable. We had a fantastic time and I do love the cycling part of a bike tour, but I think I averaged 70 miles a day (max was 91) and that just doesn't give you much time to pause and linger at the sites you find along the way. If I had it to do over, I'd give myself a layover day where I didn't plan to ride at all. Cape Lookout would've been a great choice.

So there are my thoughts. Overall, that will be one of the finest weeks of my life, I believe. I haven't felt so free and adventurous in a long old time. I can't wait to try it again.

Leave a comment if you want to ask a question or share your tips/blunders/advice!

Here are links to the primary rides and such:

Day 1 (solo): Cycle (~65 mi riding,  from friend's house in Portland up to Wakeena Falls (just before Multnomah Falls, which I was advised to avoid). I did an awesome hike (5 mi) which ended at Multnomah, which I approached from above, rather than below as most do. Highly recommended. I then rode back to Portland but that ride isn't really worth posting, I don't think. Overall, this was a GREAT day

Day 2 (with Daron): Ride to train station, train to west Portland/Hillsboro, then rode up to Banks and Vernonia (~60 mi total). One of the most beautiful, blissful rides of my life, without doubt.

Day 3 (with Daron): Attempted ride to Astoria (~50 mi) but the roads I programmed into the route did not really exist or were not public. We back-tracked and decided to head to Rainier where we could catch a bus to Astoria. Big climb but a gorgeous day of riding; might even say the best day.

Day 4 (with Daron): Astoria to Cape Lookout (most of the way, our friend saw us just outside the part and gave us a lift the rest of the way) (~72 mi)  I was underwhelmed by most of this ride. I hear the route is better in the south so I may try that someday. Or maybe not; I just really loved the riding further inland in Oregon.

Day 5 (solo): Cape Lookout to Pacific City and Pacific City to Lincoln City via the side route off 101 (super awesome but a big climb) Total mileage this day was about 46 mi.

Day 6 (solo): Unloaded spin up the Siletz (24mi) and mad dash to McMinnville (~60 mi)  after missing the bus to Salem

Day 7 (solo): exploring the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway and then getting my butt back to Portland (~91 mi). This would have ideally been the Cascading Rivers Scenic Bikeway back to Portland but, alas, that will have to wait for next time.

Into the Zwiftsphere...

After a couple years of scoffing at those who would elect to stay indoors and spin in-place while they stare at a virtual road, I have joined their ranks. Why?

1) Everyone I know who rides an indoor trainer kicks my butt
2) I am tired of having folks have to hold up for my slow butt at the top of hills
3) A riding buddy who previously shared my opinion took the leap and changed his tune big time
4) It's cheaper than a new bike and more effective at helping me achieve my goals

Setting aside the complex socio/economic/psychological factors of getting a sexy Niner RLT RDO (drool, drool), I figured the cheapest, most time-efficient path to being a stronger rider was an indoor trainer. New bikes are great but the gains in time are scant at best.

The prices on good trainers had been $650-$1200 (that's a good portion of the Niner!), but as indoor training has exploded in popularity, prices have been coming down fast. After a bunch of research, I had settled on the Elite Suito for about $675 with cyber week savings, and placed my order. Sadly, it was on backorder. The next day, I found a used, Cycleops H2 direct-drive trainer for $525 on Facebook marketplace and pounced on it.

So onto Zwift I went. It's a Bluetooth contraption and I assumed that you'd pair in the phone settings and then go to the Zwift app. WRONG! You just open the app and it finds your trainer directly. So, yes, super easy, but the directions don't tell you this (my manual directed me to a link that did not work), so much cursing ensued. I won't bore you with the other tech issues I had (there were several). Suffice to say, I was super grumpy and exasperated.

Now that all is working, I can hop on whenever it suits me (rainy days, cold days, super hot days, night time, etc.), crank up some tunes and get in a workout. It also allows me to go for a ride without leaving everyone at home, which does have its rewards

Smart trainers change the resistance you feel to match programmed workouts and to replicate hill climbs/descents and other phenomena (like drafting off other riders). This is a bigger deal than it may sound like. When you're looking at a screen and riding up a virtual incline, it's surprising how much the increased resistance challenges you. Add to that the many other riders around you that inspire you to push a little harder and, I will say, Zwift is much more engaging than I expected.

The other big benefit is the ability to crank some tunes. I'm pretty adamant about not using headphones while riding on actual roads for safety reasons. I've done spin classes and have kind of liked those, but the music is usually stuff I'd never play of my own volition. Zwift changes all that and I have a whole new reason to listen to the loud, upbeat stuff I favored years ago and to seek out new music.

Planet Zwift is huge with training plans, one-off workout rides, group rides, races and much more that I've barely begun to explore. By all signs, however, I'll be using this tool quite a bit in 2020 and expect to have more things to say about it here.

And I'll probably end up with that Niner RLT in my stable as well ;-)

First self-supported bicycle tour: Oregon Ramble!

The thing about cycling that most sets me alight is experiencing new places from atop a bike saddle. I often say that I train so that, when I'm in a new place, I can get on a bike and go up any hill or ride any distance that suits me...and enjoy the ride. I just feel most alive coasting down a beautiful road in a new place.

So I've known for a long time that the next step for me is a self-supported bike tour and I'm finally taking that plunge with seven days of cycling in Oregon. I got a cheap ticket ($204) and then proceeded to spend many times that on a tent & footprint, sleeping bag & pad, camp stove, some clothing, frame pack, better lights and more. Oh, and the bike I planned to take turned out to need $600 in repairs. There goes my cheap vacation! Well, I tell myself, now I'm set to do this at least once a year.

I started putting this together and my good friend Daron decided to come along for as much as he could, which turned out to be three days; days 2-4 for me. So that pretty much ruled out a full Oregon coast ride and, while I've heard amazing things about the Oregon coast, I've also heard amazing things about other parts of the state. I love the coast but I also love river-side rides and forests. I figure I can put together a pretty good Oregon sampler with a loop that goes out to the coast and then back into the state interior. I have a couple major routes but will be able to adapt to weather and whims.

I'm using 75 Classic Rides in Oregon and the Travel Oregon list of Scenic Bikeways to help make sure I'm spending time on the most scenic roads possible. I also got the Moon Guide to Oregon Camping. I saved all the best campgrounds on a list in my Google Maps so I'll know what good campgrounds to try and plan to make each day. This is on my Kindle app on my phone so I can easily find more if I need them.

That first day, it'll be just me, exploring the Columbia River Gorge (east of Portland) while Daron is en route. After that, it'll most likely be up to Astoria (at the coastal border with Washington) and down to Tillamook/Cape Lookout. Those'll be Daron's three days and then I'll either spend more time on the coast or head east and try to make it to the Cascading Rivers Scenic Bikeway  That would involve about a 95 mile ride to the Salem area so, if that proves to be too ambitious, I'll head on up through the Willamette Scenic Bikeway and on back to Portland on ride day 7.

The big question for me was whether riding with 30 pounds worth of stuff would still be enjoyable so Daron and I loaded up to about 95% of our expected weight for a shake-down ride to a local state park on a route with some fairly big climbs. We were both very pleasantly surprised by how much easier it was than expected. I usually push pretty hard on climbs so I was actually less winded going easy with the full load than when I chug up those hills trying to get personal bests on my 19-pound road bike. Granted, I'm in good riding shape right now and my low gear is mighty low, but if you take your time, it's not tough at all.

So, the bikes are on their ways to Portland as I write (bikeflights.com) and I'm compulsively checking the weather report in various Oregon towns. Hopefully, this is the first of many adventures to come!

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park

View from the top!

Ride Summary: Bucket list Colorado ride up to the top of Trail Ridge Rd.
Distance: 50, with the Fall River Road add-on at Deer Ridge Junction
Elevation gain: 5300+ (my app tracked 5900, but I'm using the override/corrected number )
Roads: paved perfection
Driver tolerance: This is one of the most popular drives in the state of Colorado and RMNP is THE most visited national park. A local cyclist advised me to start early and I was on leaving the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center by 6:15 a.m. I experienced nothing but friendly drivers and relatively few at that. When I headed down at about 9:30, there were considerably more vehicles on the road. I think they would be courteous but it would compromise the experience if you had a lot of traffic.
The bad: $11 entrance fee for cyclist. See note above on traffic. Estes Park itself is kind of a drag to ride through. If you don't like climbing, this one's not for you. Oh, and it hits 12,000' above sea level.

Early morning on the way to Deer Ridge Junction

The good: Spectacular views, varying ecosystems, babbling streams, wildlife, epic descent. Nothing but sheer cycling bliss (unless you encounter tourist traffic hell).


I'll say it again, leave before 6:30 a.m. if you're going to ride this during peak tourist season (July and August) and do it on a weekday (I rode it on a Friday and was fine).

I'll let the photos do most of the talking here. Basically, the ride is pure heaven after you get through entrance gate. You will have already been climbing a bit at this point and it pretty much gets steeper and goes on and on from there, with a couple respites. The first drop is after the Deer Ridge Junction (a mile or two). I believe the steepest climbing of the whole ride starts at the switchback after this drop. You'll go up past an overlook that has a pull-off lot and then it starts to mellow.

Up, up, up you go, through pine forests and with glimpses of the terrain below. Rainbow Curve is a nice spot to take it in and see from whence you came. Continue up and you'll begin to get to the Alpine area where the trees disappear, allowing you to see peaks to the edge of the earth. So, so beautiful!

You'll get to the rock cut and I believe this is the high point, just over 12,000'. You'll get the second respite from the climbing as you drop a bit and rise a bit in this alpine ecosystem on a nice stretch of road that lets you savor the elevation, rather than sending you careening over the other side of a pass like so many other Colorado roads.

Another little drop and you arrive at the Alpine Visitors' Center, where the cacophony of tourists debate t-shirt choices will shatter your blissed out mind. I think I'd have just skipped this if I had it to do over again. Still, it's good to revel in their awe and shock as they realize that, yes, you rode your bike here.

After some photos and maybe a hot chocolate or something, it's time to descend.

How do you describe the feeling of soaring down a mountain for a good 25-30 minutes? I dunno. Give a try and get back to me. Just watch out for traffic, especially around that pull-off and lookout point a few miles after Rainbow Curve (I think it's called Many Parks something or another).

At Deer Junction, I chose to see something different and so took a left on Fall River. This is a great little section and the stuff after exiting the park is fun too (still descending). The only catch is you have to navigate the tourist crowds and traffic in Estes Park, which is about as bad an ending to this glorious ride as you could conjure up. Still, I like Fall River Road.

Bucket list ride for sure...

Lookout Mountain to Idlewilde to Red Rocks and back to Golden

The road up Lookout Mountain, as seen from the top

Back home in Austin after 475 miles and 42+ hours of riding in Colorado. I am so fortunate! I'll detail some rides here, rather than try to summarize all 42+ hours. 

Let's start with my go-to loop in Golden (link to Strava file at bottom). 

I ended up cycling up Lookout Mountain three times and down once. It's a great climb with mild grades that pretty much anyone can do with a decent level of fitness. The ride is especially good once you hit the pines, which happens in the last quarter of the climb (or so). 

Grapevine: pretty but be ready for gravel and rough pavement

Most go right down the way they came up but I prefer dropping down the other side via Paradise Rd or Charros, crossing over I70, then taking Grapevine down to Bear Creek Rd.

You'll drop down on Grapevine from I70 with a fun, short descent, then climb past some fancy homes. Soon the good pavement turns to gravel and crappy pavement and you'll descend sharply down to Idlewilde, through a hodgepodge of homes and some gorgeous views. I did it on smooth, 25mm tires and it was just fine; gravel tires would be better. 

The descent on Bear Creek Road is a beautiful blast through a canyon. I was grinning ear-to-ear the whole way down. This is one of the rides that got me hooked on Colorado road biking and I still love it.

Red Rocks!!

Rather than go through the Morrison tourist hell, I take the second entrance into Red Rocks, tooling around and taking in the majestic beauty that surrounds. There are various paths and roads in Red Rocks and, depending on your time, I recommend forgetting about your destination and just checking some out. The rock formations are amazing and the road provides different vantage points. You can also get close to the performance space and stage. I need to do more exploring here...

Finally, I steel myself for the last 6-7 miles back to Golden on Hogback, US40, Heritage Rd and the bike path. The latter's pretty nice but, as great as the first 19 miles were, those 3-4 miles on Hogback and 40 have me thinking about calling the wife for a pickup. I don't but I think about it. Hogback is a grinding ascent and then 40 to Heritage is a high-traffic descent so be aware.

I don't think I've been on a more diverse, 20-30 mile ride anywhere. If you're in the area, give it a whirl!

Here's that Strava file: 

A top 10 Texas bike ride: Willow City Loop (out and back)

Ride Summary: One of the Texas Hill Country's most scenic drives: wildflowers galore, creeks, pink granite and other geologic points of interest.

Distance: 25 miles, out and back, with an option for at least 10 more if you add on Willow City-Click Rd

Elevation gain: 1900+, with Willow City-Click

Roads: relatively smooth chipseal, low speed limit. Skinny-tire friendly but be prepared for a number of cattle guards. I got a pinch flat but that's my fault for being on a bald, slightly underinflated tire. 

Driver tolerance: I had nothing but friendly waves. This is a well-known scenic drive and people tend to only be on this road to see the sights.
The bad: I think this could get might busy on a weekend in bluebonnet season but I still think it'd be enjoyable. You're not supposed to stop and get out of your vehicle but I had no issues stopping the bike and taking some pictures.
The good: Wildflowers, primo Texas hill country scenery, geologically interesting 

Does spending a couple hours pedaling past spectacular wildflowers, some impressive geology, multiple creek crossings sound like a nice way to spend a precious Texas spring day (there are only so many, you know)? Then throw your bike on the rack and check out the Willow City loop.

This is a popular road for bluebonnet gawking and I drove this with the wife and MIL about a decade ago. I've been wanting to do it on the bike ever since and it was, if anything, even more beautiful than I remembered.

Cycling this 13-mile stretch of heavenly road definitely allows you to linger and savor it a lot more. Just remember, the road is public but all the land is private, so you're really not supposed to pull off and walk around. I stopped the bike multiple times, however, and got no guff from anyone. I think they're mostly worried about having dozens of families trying to pull off to take bluebonnet portraits and/or have picnics.

I was there during a very wet spring and the day after some torrential rains in the region so the creeks were full (but didn't create any issues at crossings), the flowers vibrant, and there was even a waterfall to be seen in the distance hundreds of feet above me. I'm sure this ride is wonderful at any time of year but riding it in the spring--especially after good rains--is when you really want to do this one. 

Now, bluebonnets peak in mid-March to mid-April and I'm guessing that the road can get pretty clogged with cars and motorcycles. While I love me some bluebonnets, I think the Texas hillsides get more spectacular as the spring wears on--certainly more colorful with much more red, yellow, pink and white--and I think the traffic decreases a bit as the bluebonnets fade.


I took my spin on the first Saturday in May, starting about 2:30 p.m., and I pretty much had the road to myself most of the time--probably got passed by about 10-20 cars and about the same number of motorcycles.

Coreopsis are at least as pretty as bluebonnets

Traditionally, this is ridden as a loop with the western section on State Highway 16. That's pretty fast, uncharming chipseal, IMHO, so I recommend doing this as an out-and-back starting in Willow City. There's a wide shoulder across from the general store, whose attendant told me I was fine to park there. If you do take 16, I'd take that north and then do the Willow City Loop road from north to south because it puts you climbing in the pretty stuff and descending on the busy highway.

The climb back up to Willow City is a nice, 500+-footer; not too steep but it's pretty long and will get your blood pumping. If you're disinclined to inclines, just make sure you have a low gear and take your time; you'll get there...

Unless 25 miles is your limit, I'd also throw in Willow City-Click Rd, which the tourists tend to avoid. I was running out of time so I didn't do the whole thing but there was a nice

The creek on Willow City-Click Rd the day after a deluge...

creek about 2.5 miles down the road that I blissed out at for a bit. I am pretty sure the road continued at least another 2.5 miles but I'm not sure if the roads shown on Googlemaps/Strava are actually open to the public. I'll have to give it a try next time...

On e-bikes and double knee replacement surgery

I played racquetball regularly for a few years. Jeff, a friend from those days, played well but was clearly limited by his arthritic knees. The time came when he finally decided to do what he knew needed to be done: new robo-knees.

[I have my big takeaways itemized below if you want to skip the narrative and get right to the good stuff. Scroll down to the next picture...]

He chose to do both at once, which seemed insane right after the surgery, but definitely made sense after he was back on his feet (after the pain of recovery, I don't think he'd have gone back for the second surgery).

I kept checking in on him post-surgery and, knowing I had switched from rball to cycling, he asked me for some guidance in picking some form of pedal-powered vehicle to help him regain strength and flexibility. He had tried some direct-drive trike (kind of like a Big Wheel for grownups) and hated it. They are garbage, for this purpose at least, because it's easy for the thing to get away from you going downhill (remember taking your feet off the pedals of your Big Wheel and just letting it fly?) and it's really hard to get uphill. 

I suggested an adult tricycle, adult training wheels, a low step-through bikes (i.e. "girls' frame"), or a folding bike. I went to Bicycle Sport Shop, Austin's bike retail behemoth, to get their thoughts. They pretty much cut down my ideas and really pushed me toward a Specialized Como ebike. 

I told him about the recommendation, but at nearly $3k, I had my doubts that Jeff would go for it. He read up on the topic, though, and realized that it was probably the way to go. So we went into BSS and tried it out on a trainer.

It did not look good to either me or the BSS saleslady. He could barely get a pedal stroke going but he said was having a bad knee day, he said. Regardless, he put down the card and soon was toting home his new toy. 

I was not there for his first excursion/attempt. It did not go well. He hadn't ridden in decades and forgot to put it in a low gear.  He was also afraid it'd get away from him so he thought it'd be better to try going uphill. He also forgot how to use bike brakes. All this meant he ended up in a ditch less than 30 feet from his driveway. Inauspicious...

So, being the noble friend that I am, I went over to check out the bike and to see if I could help him get going. I took it for a spin and, I have to say, it put a smile on my face. The experience is kind of like stepping on a moving sidewalk in an airport--you're still walking (presumably) but you're suddenly moving much faster. And if you want to let the moving sidewalk do all the work, you can do that; you just have to "soft pedal;" no actual force, just keep the feet going around. 

The Como has four settings: no power, 20% power, 50% power and 100% power. I took it up the biggest hill in his neighborhood, cranked that puppy up to 100% and--damn!--it was like going up an escalator! If you stop pedaling, you get no power, regardless of the power setting so it really can't run away from you like a motorcycle can do. The more power you put in, the more power it puts out, so you really do get some actual exercise. 

Knowing how the thing felt and worked now, Jeff and I decided to go to a little park where there was some an open field--he was afraid of falling again but, dang, he was determined to make that thing work for him. 

I did what a dad does when teaching a kid to ride: placed my legs on either side of the back wheel while he got on, held the seat, gave a push. He was scared the thing would run away from him if he used the power but I convinced him that was the secret of getting rolling. 

Much to my surprise, Jeff had that thing going around the park like a champ within 30 minutes. I won't quote his gleeful exclamations because they involve exuberant swearing but, man, it was hilarious and delightful to see him taking laps around the park. He was as gleeful as a kid, maybe more so.

Soon he was on the pavement and we did a lap around his neighborhood. "The wind on my face!!" he kept saying. He'd basically been stuck in his house for five months and he suddenly had mobility and the experience of flying down the road on two wheels that is so very addictive. Another disciple in the Church of MAMIL...

Jeff's been riding nearly every day the weather permits and has "seen the light" when it comes to cycling. He's usually on 20% power, so he's building strength as well as mobility. He even plans to get back on the racquetball court next week. 

So here are my takeaways on e-bikes for those recovering from major knee surgery: 

1. First, e-bikes are damn awesome. I cannot believe how easily Jeff, who had had double knee replacement surgery just five months before, took to his Specialized Como. Having the 100% power setting allowed him to know that he would not get stuck at the bottom of a hill. He was quite skeptical that the thing would have enough battery power for a good ride but he's learned that he can actually go on a couple of rides without needing to recharge. 
2. E-bikes also allow a lot more people to experience the joys of cycling, which means fewer motorists telling us to get off "their" roads, less pollution, and more fitness. Yes, I'm a purist and "don't need no stinkin' motor," but I can definitely see the place of e-bikes. There are many of my ilk that will mutter and roll their eyes about this growing phenomenon. Screw 'em...  
3. The low step-through thing was a very important factor in Jeff's success here. A "men's frame," with that high top tube means you have to swing one leg up high and support all your weight with the other leg. That was just not going to happen for Jeff so the low step-through was critical. 
4. A TIP: It was actually pretty hard for Jeff to get his leg over the low bar at first so I had him lay the bike down on the ground, step over it, and then pull the bike up underneath him. A pretty nifty trick, if I do say so myself, but he graduated past that quickly. Still, it's something that might make more of a difference for others.
5. I suggested Jeff get a trainer which, yes, CAN be used with an ebike, so he could build some confidence, strength, and flexibility without risk of falling before his first excursion. He demurred but I definitely think it's something to consider. It would also allow you to ride when the weather is bad.
6. Jeff's main fear was falling and injuring his knees and setting himself back. This is a legitimate concern to be sure. I highly recommend some of the knee and elbow pads made for mountain biking. Yes, it will protect those expensive knees directly and it will indirectly protect the knees because the elbow pads allow you to stick out your elbows and catch yourself (kind of like ski poles) with a much-reduced risk of injury. Again, Jeff declined but he'd have saved himself some pain if he'd worn pads; he's taken more than a couple of spills. 
7. I think this goes without saying but, just to be sure, you do NOT want to use clip-in pedals if you've had major knee surgery. These are indispensable for serious cyclists and your local shop might recommend them, but you have to twist your feet out of them, which is hard on the knee, and they just make it much more likely that you'll fall over when you're coming to a stop. 

I'm not a doctor, physical therapist or in any related field. All I can speak to is my experience helping my friend get out on a bike so you need to talk to your medical/recovery team about whether an e-bike is a safe option for you (covering my legal butt here). But Jeff's experience was remarkable and it's given him a fun way to recover his strength/flexibility and get his mobility back. He has shown amazing determination, commitment and, yes, bravery and he's been rewarded with a new way to spend some time outdoors, meet new people and rehabilitate.