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.

Tour Das Hugel!

Ride Summary: 110+ miles of one steep hill after another, totaling 12K' of elevation change. A surprising number of fellow cyclo-masochists...
Distance: officially, 110-112 miles but you can easily shorten (which makes it easier than it should be to bail)
Elevation gain: 11000-12000' (with this many hills, no two Garmins will agree)
Roads: mostly smooth pavement, wide shoulder on Bee Cave, other roads have small or no shoulder but low traffic. Beauford is scored pavement to keep cars from losing traction (reassuring, no?).
Driver tolerance: Generally good but you're bound to encounter a few impatient drivers with this many hills. I find 360 to be the most harrowing, despite the wide shoulder. I had a pretty close call with someone trying to take an exit ramp while I was going straight.
The bad: Beauford, Jester (at about mile 100!), Big View, Courtyard/City Park. Shall I go on? Seriously though, if you're fit, this will be challenging but fun. If you're not, it'll be a rough day (or morning, more likely). I had done a century about three weeks before so I knew I could handle the distance. By not burning up any single climb, I was able to make it through (see below).
The good: At least there's oxygen, right? Riding with 300-400 other crazy cyclists. The first loop is one of Austin's finest road rides with nice scenery, some tree-sheltered roads and low-traffic roads.

"Do you have it? Are you strong enough?" 

"I know I can do loop one. Heck, I 'gave' myself that for my birthday last year. I've done nearly all the big/infamous climbs of loop two...Putting them together and adding more miles and a couple thousand more feet of climbing? Hmm..."

Those were the voices in my head as the date of  Tour Das Hugel approached. 

Not completely believing in my abilities, I unpacked the bike underneath the MoPac bridge and contemplated how many layers to put on in the 50-degree overcast day forecast. Before I was really quite ready, the pack of--what 300 cyclists?--sounded their battle cry and sped off.

Das Hugel is laid out in two loops. Loop one is a bit shy of 40 miles and has probably 4000' of climbing. The only thing super steep is The High Road but it's pretty short. River Hills is a gorgeous road and the climb is longer but nothing too intimidating. Same with Barton Creek and Lost Creek. The latter is one of my favorite roads in Austin. 

My inclination is to really push on climbs but I got in a group and a groove going up Terrace Mountain and realized that if I just spun as much as I could on these climbs, I'd be able to last a lot longer, maybe even the whole ride.

Loop two is over 70 miles and connects one nauseating climb in northwest Austin after another: Mt. Bonnell (177'), Smokey Valley/Ladera Norte (352', 25%  in a couple places!!), Bluegrass (162'), Rain Creek (195'), Beauford (276', scored pavement, reaching 30% in one spot, supposedly), Courtyard (312')-City Park (153'), River Place (~400'), Bullick Hollow (200' but I missed this one) , 620 Dam to 2222 (415'), Big View (385') and Jester (341'). Oh, and then you have to get home going the big hills on 360 (540', albeit there's a downhill section in there). 

Cresting Courtyard. Nice view. Hard to appreciate it. Photo by http://cycling.frenzied.us/

I paperboyed Smokey Valley going from one curb to the other. Can I go straight up? Yes,  but again, I was trying not to burn myself out, especially that early in loop two. 

Which climb was worst? I think it might have been Big View for me. At about mile 90, you go down this badboy just to turn around and come right back up. This, knowing that Jester is still ahead of you and I hate Jester. Courtyard was pretty ugly too. On paper, 620 is the biggest climb but it's stretched out so you can just spin. Which I did, of course. 

Take one in isolation and you might think, "What's the big deal? 5, maybe 10 minutes of pain and pushing and you're cresting the top. Arranged in sequence like this, one hit after another, and the total will test you at least, knock you out at worst. But, hey, at least you have all the oxygen you need, unlike Colorado climbs. 

Do you have it? Are you strong enough? Give it a try sometime and get back to me!

Colorado rides

Just back from a big Colorado "workation:" I had seven dates of work in Colorado Springs, flew back to Austin to celebrate my daughter's 18th birthday and then flew back to CO and drove out to the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen area).

I got in over 330 miles of great riding in those varying parts of the state so I thought I'd list my big rides and offer my thoughts.

Hardest ride: Deer Creek Canyon
> Nearly 66 miles and over 4600' of elevation, this was pretty ambitious (for me) but it was made harder because I was trying to stay up with a friend who is a former semi-pro and his wife who can climb like nobody's business. I don't have a lot of pics (the ones that came out well are on the Strava activity page) because I was huffing and puffing up and then absolutely flying down. We don't get descents like that here in Texas--the better part of 22 miles!

I had hoped to do Pike's Peak, Mt. Evans, Independence Pass or Trail Ridge Rd but we had some truck woes and time issues (marriage and cycling are a hard thing when only one spouse loves the bike) that prevented that from happening. I'll be back in October and will tackle one of those biggies, I hope.

Prettiest ride: Frying Pan Rd


I do love a mountain stream! From Basalt, I took Frying Pan Rd up to the Ruedi ("ROO-dye") Reservoir. This route takes you gently (~1% grade) upstream for about 12 miles past beautiful red rock formations, pines forests, ranches, resorts and numerous fly fishermen. I'm not an angler but, apparently, these are some primo, "Gold Medal" waters, and it was fun to wheel by and absorb their blissful excitement. The final 1-1.5 miles is a climb of about 6-7% which takes you up to Ruedi, a lake set in the mountains. The descent was a blast and provided a different vantage. Colorado has given me a new appreciation for the out-and-back, which I have ardently resisted most of my life--funny how much prettier things look going downhill than up!

The road is high quality and the motorized vehicles were few but I was warned by a local that the traffic can be bad on weekends as revelers tow their boats up this road to the aforementioned reservoir.

Castle Creek and Maroon Bells were the rides I heard most about but, for my money, I like this route. I was there during a drought, so the wildflowers were compromised and that may have affected my final judgment. All are spectacular so, if one is easier for you to reach than another, all will leave you lucky to be alive and healthy enough to enjoy pedaling a bike.

Most Under-rated ride: CO 133



As mentioned above, I was hoping to get in at least one mountain pass ride while in Colorado. I was staying in Carbondale so was pretty close to Independence Pass but I'd heard that traffic was bad and that the road was narrow and twisty, especially on the Aspen side.

I had floated the idea of McClure Pass by a couple of locals and they had said that it was steep and didn't offer much enthusiasm. I can't compare it to the more famous, challenging Colorado passes, but I will say that CO 133 is spectacular and the climb to the pass was a good challenge--1250' at about 7-9%. I happened to catch it within weeks of being repaved so it really was cycling perfection, imho.

Total elevation change from Carbondale would be about 3000', but that's mostly mild, barely-noticeable grades of 2% or less. The real climbing starts right at the turnoff for Marble (a lovely stretch of road down to a tiny mountain town with a world-renowned marble quarry--the marble for the Lincoln Memorial came from Marble, CO).

Being from Austin, where there are a number of hills with 15-25%+ grades, I didn't really find the climb to that steep; I believe it was mostly in the 7-9% range. Elevation tops 7855, with a total gain of about 1250' from the Marble turnoff (about 3.3 miles), so it's nothing at all like the challenge of Pike's or Evans but I think it was a good intro for the likes of me.

Like Frying Pan Rd, it follows a mountain stream (the Crystal River, in this case) and passes through some beautiful rock formations and forests. I recommend stopping at the Hays Creek waterfall. It doesn't look like much from the road but, as you approach from the trail and get a better look, it really is worth pausing the ride to enjoy.

There are many pull-offs along 133 to stop and enjoy the scenery. I was limited for time (that marriage/cycling thing again) so I drove about 7-8 miles up from Carbondale and parked while I rode.

NOTE THAT YOU WILL HAVE NO CELL RECEPTION IN THIS AREA, at least if you're on AT&T.

I drove back up this road with my wife (who says it's her favorite road she's ever been on) and we saw a black bear basically tumble out of the trees and scurry across the road and into the river, so, yes, I can affirm that there are bears in the neighborhood, for what it's worth...

I'll post about other rides (Cheyenne Canyon/Gold Camp Rd, Lookout Mtn, Maroon Bells, Garden of the Gods and Castle Creek) soon so stay tuned or ping me if you don't see that and want more details.

Southwest Austin Hills

Ride Summary: Get ready for some steep (but short) climbs on some of Austin's best cycling roads. 

Distance: 23 miles

Elevation gain: 2376'

Roads: mostly smooth pavement, wide shoulder on Bee Cave, other roads have small or no shoulder but low traffic

Driver tolerance: Generally very good, I've never had anyone buzz me or shout at me in this area that I recall.
The bad: Don't do this at rush hour, Bee Cave Rd can get very congested and Redbud Trail gets some traffic from folks using it as a cut-through. 
The good: Lost Creek Blvd (so pretty), Redbud Trail, tree-sheltered Yaupon Valley (3 miles of bliss), a lot of very expensive houses.

Austin's annual Tour Das Hugel subjects riders to virtually all of the most infamously difficult hills in town in an odyssey that is over 110 miles and 12,000' feet of elevation. Yes, the hills are short--no climb is going to take you more than 10-15 minutes--but they're STEEP (up to 30% grade!!), they just keep coming and total a shocking amount of elevation gain. Ride 100 miles in Colorado and you're not likely to total 12,000 feet...

I can't claim to have completed it--I didn't know about it until I started seeing folks bragging on Strava last November--and it's safe to say I wouldn't have attempted it even if I had known. I'm just not there yet. But it's one of my goals for 2018 and so I've been practicing sections and have done the hills that are most frequently named as the worst (Jester, Beauford, and Smokey Valley/Ladera Norte are my picks).  

About to descend on Lost Creek (blind curve ahead)

This ride, which includes some of the hills off Bee Cave Rd, hits several of the hills on the first half of the ride (I didn't get to High Road today--see below). There are bigger hills but the hills on Lost Creek Blvd and Yaupon Valley can't be beat for beauty (in Austin, at least). Largely repaved in late 2017 (thank goodness, it was scored pavement before), is baby-soft, features a couple awesome descents with sweeping curves (careful!!) and there are three hills that to grind on. I like to turn off at Whitemarsh Walk and then go up the quite steep Falcon Ledge.

From there, you go to the verdant and decadent stuff around Redbud Trail, my favorite riding in the whole area. There are a lot of roads to explore back here and they all feature some good hills.

If you have some extra time, add the High Road to the Redbud trail section by taking a left at Caravan, a right on Terrace Mountain (bomb down), a left on Westlake and another left on the High Road. This is, in my opinion, the toughest hill on this side of town.

The other half of Das Hugel is more brutal but less scenic (it's just a lot more development and, for the most part, more cookie-cutter McMansions). I'll be chronicling that in the weeks ahead, before it gets too dang hot...

Enjoy the ride and stay safe!

Riding in Yosemite

I had some work in Merced, California, which is about 90 minutes from Yosemite National Park. I'd never visited, so I made sure I had an open day so I could spend some time in the park. 

My trusty guidebook, Northern California Biking, described the bike path quite nicely and I found a blog that said, despite frequent arguments to the contrary, you could find some great riding in Yosemite. 

I was there on a weekday in February so the crowds were thin, especially in the morning. Tioga Rd and the road to Glacial Point were closed as was Mariposa Grove due to some renovation. The bike path and auto loop were open, though, and this was still plenty.

I arrived about 8 or 8:30. First stop was tunnel view and, except for one car with a sleeping/camping driver, I had it to myself, which was quite the treat as this place gets crowded even in the off-season, as I found out later (read on).

After absorbing that beauty as best as I could, I headed down to Yosemite Village to park the van and get on the bike. It was chilly, about 35-40 F, but clear and, again, I had the place pretty much to myself so I was feeling giddy. 

I hit the paved bike path and pedaled leisurely under tall trees, in the shadow of Half Dome and other, magnificent, granite landforms whose names I don't yet know. Here's my Strava route for the morning ride.

Puttering along on my Vaya, and stopping frequently to breathe in the beauty, I somehow got off the bike path and onto an earthen hiking trail--I didn't know it at the time but bikes are not permitted. There was hardly anyone to be bothered on the trail and no one called me out, thank goodness.   

I finally figured out where the road was and descended the auto loop down to a riverside scenic pull-off. I snapped a pic of a couple of tourists and they did the same for me.

The car traffic was pretty much nonexistent still so, when I saw the turnoff for Wawona Rd up to Tunnel View, I decided to make the climb, which is about 475' in elevation over 1.5 miles. This time the crowds were present but it was still not too bad, definitely glad I'd made the climb. I think I got passed by two cars on the way up--none on the way down ;-). 

I headed back to the village, continuing to check out the sites and exploring every trail I was permitted on. There's too much to describe and it's best I leave you to your own explorations. 

By this point, it was lunchtime and I was definitely ready. I promised my wife I'd check out the Majestic Yosemite Lodge so I rode up to that, locked up the Vaya and headed to the restaurant, where I had one of the most satisfying burgers and gelatos of my life as I basked in the sunlight streaming through the high, hundred-year-old windows. 

I had been carrying a backpack with my hiking shoes all morning and my neck was sore so I stashed that in the car after lunch and headed to Mirror Lake, figuring I'd come back and pick up the pack and do the Mist Trail. 

I headed back downhill and rode along on the roads that the shuttles use but tourist cars are not allowed to use. (afternoon Strava route) Since I was still in "take-every-turnoff-you-see" mode, I stumbled upon the Mist Trail trailhead. Hmm, could I go up in my cycling shoes? Let's try...

The whole trail was paved, as it turned out, so there I am going "crunch, crunch, crunch" up the mountain. I finally just took off the shoes and went barefoot, making it to the first bridge and then turning around before I got serious blisters. I'll have to make sure not to make that mistake again and make sure to leave time for hiking next time. Live and learn.

I got in a walk to the bottom of Yosemite Falls which was nice but I was feeling like the day was about done. I stopped in the Native American museum and the theater, grabbed another bite to eat and some kitsch for friends and family and then headed out while there was still daylight for the drive back to Merced. I snapped this last pic of Half Dome in the parking lot, which was one of the best pics of the day, I think. 

I don't know when I've had a better day and the bike was definitely a great way to see it. Otherwise, I'd have been missing out on sights or riding a shuttle, which is fine but not nearly as fine as a bike. 

So, yes, there is great cycling in Yosemite, at least in the offseason--if great can mean seeing things and meandering. I think the auto loop would've been unpleasant with tourist hordes but the bike path and the shuttle roads were good for getting from place to place and getting around the main attractions in Yosemite Village. I definitely missed out on the hikes, which are surely the main features of Yosemite, but I had a day I'll never forget. 

Is this blog for you?

This blog is made to help folks find good, safe, scenic rides and to provide no-nonsense info on training, equipment, and other cycling stuff. If you're a racer, this probably isn't for you. If you just love pedaling a bike and seeing the world around you and/or getting in shape, then you might be able to find some good stuff here.

I'm a typical MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra): I don't race but I spend a good 4-5+ hours on my bike a week; typically at 15-17 mph. I seek out hills and avoid highways whenever possible. I have a touring/gravel-ready bike (Salsa Vaya), a skinny-tire road bike (Scott Solace), and a shiny new Giant Trance 2 mountain bike.

I live in southwest Austin but I travel a lot and bring a bike when I can. You'll find lots of good routes in the Texas Hill Country as well as many around the state. I've done some riding in California and quite a bit in Colorado (you can find 'em on my Strava profile).

Most likely, this is a blog that few will see and will serve more as a personal journal than any kind of public resource but I welcome your comments and questions and will reply.

I've been riding off-and-on since the early 80s. It's added a lot to my life and keeps me healthy, physically and emotionally. There are folks who know a lot more about maintenance, training, touring, equipping and other things bike-related but I still think I have something to offer here. 

Sound like you? Then read on!