Meet Gudrun

[darkemeralds]

Have you ever had that dream where you're not quite flying, but where every step you take carries you a mile across the landscape? Or where you can descend flights of stairs in a single graceful bound?

Riding an ebike is like that.




This is my new Gazelle Arroyo C8 electric pedal-assist bike. Her name is Gudrun. Her battery is hidden under the rear rack. Her almost-silent electric motor is between the pedals.

There are four power levels: Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo. At the bottom of a hill that you wouldn't dream of riding up on a heavy Dutch bike like my Eleanor, you set the motor to turbo, shift down to the lowest gear, and that's when it's like wearing ten-league boots in a dream. You have to pedal, but you're like Wonder Woman when you do.

It's true that you don't get as much exercise on an ebike. I rode Gudrun home across town this afternoon without breaking a sweat, and I want to break a sweat sometimes. That's why I'm keeping Eleanor.

But with Gudrun, I'll be able to do a 20-mile round trip, or pull a trailer of bark dust, or go to the inexpensive acupuncture clinic at the top of the hill--all things that have gradually but inexorably slipped from my grasp in the last three years.

My sister tried Gudrun out this afternoon, and halfway up the street I heard her shout, "This is AWESOME!"

It really is.

*The wonderful lyr, with whom I had a delightful lunch and conversation today, and who is a namer of things, suggested "Gudrun" based on a photograph, and she was right.

Comments

[dine]

oh cool! Gudrun sounds awesome (and the name definitely is)

[darkemeralds]

It's a good name, isn't it?

She will make it possible for me to come out your way once in a while, too, instead of you having to come all the way into the central area!

[maia]

♥ ♥

[grrlpup]

Your description makes me want to try it, for sure! I love cross-country skiing (on groomed tracks) because it has that giant-strides, seven-league-boots feeling.

[darkemeralds]

Yes! I've only cross-country skied one, but there's a real similarity, I think. (Though my memory of that one time includes a sense of tremendous effort and great exercise, whereas riding Gudrun is less vigorous.)

I watched a wonderful video the other day called Slomo, nominally about in-line skating (though really about so much more!--highly recommended), where the joy of lateral acceleration is discussed a bit in terms of physics and inner-ear anatomy.

I'm not sure how I feel about reducing that sensation to some little calcium bits in the ear rocking back and forth and releasing serotonin or whatever, but it's true that there's nothing quite like the feeling of banking into a curve, accelerating laterally to the plane of gravity. You get that on a bike (any bike) and I'm pretty sure you get it on skis. And it really is like flying.

[maia]

I love cross-country skiing (on groomed tracks) because it has that giant-strides, seven-league-boots feeling.

YES!!!

[frahulettaes]

I love that! How fun!

[darkemeralds]

I just took her out for a 14-mile ride to a suburban fabric store and back. Total time in motion was an hour and 45 minutes. I got about as much cardio and leg exercise as I would have in 45 minutes on my regular bike, but I couldn't have gone that far</em on my regular bike. So Gudrun is delivering more than twice the "miles per gallon," so to speak. Plus? So much fun to pass young, fit men in the bike lane.

[frahulettaes]

So Much Fun!

[ranunculus]

Sounds like a great horizon expander!
As a resident of a very hilly neighbourhood I approve.

[darkemeralds]

I've been thinking of several friends who live in hillier places--even like the west side of Portland, which is quite steep.

It's no wonder the eBike Store is doing a good business. Between the large aging generation who want to stay active, and the overworked younger people who want to live a car-light or car-free life, these pedal-assisted bikes are selling really well.

[tehomet]

Marvellous! And I love the name. :D