Aled, Brain from Civic bikes suggested I email you as I am considering buying this bike myself. As they cost a lot of money I am interested to know if the bike can do what I need it to do. How effective is the bike when going up reasonably steep hills. Does the bike handle them reasonably comfortably? Have you had to do much of that hill climbing? Brain tells me you are very happy with you purchase. I would really appreciate your feedback on this one and any comments you might like to make about the bike. Any feedback would be appreciated. Kind regards!
Anne, I do a lot of hills where I live. I also spent a couple of days cycling around Newcastle in the days after I bought the bike. It is hard to explain the assistance the gazelle provides. It does not do the cycling for you, but it makes the cycling much easier and very enjoyable around town. If I want to, I can work just as hard on the gazelle as I would on my normal bike - the only difference is that I would be traveling much faster. If I want to, I can sit back and let the gazelle do most of the work for me. All I need to do is to shift down a gear or two and keep my legs going gently around and the bike does the work.
For example, I took my son (18 months), put him on the back and cycled from Mayfield West down to Nobbys Beach, South to Bar Beach and then east to Hamilton on Glebe Road and Beaumont Street where I stopped for a coffee. It was a warm spring day and when I arrived at Hamilton I had only raised only a light sweat. Not bad, when you consider some of the hills on the way!
Anyway - have a look at www.myelectricbike-aled.blogspot.com. I have been updating it when I ride the bike, so there is a lot more information about my impressions there.
Aled
