WHO KNEW Riding a Bike Could Be as Much Fun as a Ticket to Disneyland?

She told me she’s enjoyed cycling all her life, but this is the first bike she ever bought for herself. Earlier ones were hand-me-downs or, in one case, a raffle prize from a charity fundraiser. The class 3 electric bike she owns now is one that she researched carefully, comparing the features of various classes of e-bikes available. The bike is powered mostly by its pedals. It has no throttle, but there’s an electric power boost feature to help with hills: enough to ride all the way up Wheelock Street with no difficulty.

Mary Anne uses her e-bike for errands as well as for fun. There’s a rack over the rear tire, and she added a set of panniers to carry things like her garden tools when she rides to the community garden. Once she even rode her bike all the way to Thetford to shop at a rummage sale.

The bike can go up to 28 mph. She keeps it at around 20 mph. But the best thing is this: There are no mpgs involved. Her car stays home in the garage.

We’ll all have a chance to try out electric bikes during the Upper Valley E-Bike Lending Library days in Hanover June 9 - 28. Please click on the Sustainable Hanover website: sustainablehanovernh.org and scroll down to the article on the UV E-Bike Lending Library to reserve a bike overnight or find out about brief test-drives on June 11, 18 and 25.