SPRING2017
MLBLUE
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got in the way, my wife stopped riding with
me. The level between us got too great, and
since we live in a very hilly part of the country,
it wasn’t much fun for her to go out. But then
e-bikes came along. Her first comment was, ‘I’m
not riding an electrical assist. I’m a mountain
bike rider.’ The classic response: ‘I’m not ready
for that.’ A year went by and we were at the
Bike Show in Toronto and she got to try one.
She grinned from ear to ear. That summer
during her vacation she put 2300 kilometres
on her e-bike. Nowwhen we go out on road
bikes, I might take off from her on the flats but
ultimately she will catchme on the hill.
ML:
Howcanane-bikechange thewaywe ride?
EJ:
Take for example a couple who wants to
cruise in Blue Mountain and go out and explore
the trails. With a pedal-assist, they can do it
in relative comfort and choose the level of
exercise that they want—and the distance they
cover is much larger, as is the footprint of their
experience. As for mountain biking, whether
hardtail or full-suspension—whether you’re 18
or 35-65—the range you can explore in the
backcountry is much greater. And for club rides,
you have people in peak riding condition and
you have older riders who don’t have the same
stamina. E-bikes allow the group to stay together.
ML:
WhydidCube choose theBoschpedal-
assistmotor?
EJ:
When Bosch got into this game, the pedal-
assist market changed from grassroots to a
viable transportation alternative, due to the
range and reliability. The system’s three sensors
measure your pedalling power, cadence and
speedmore than 1000 times per second. This
enables the rider and the e-bike to interact
with each other organically. So at all times it’s
communicating and it knows what you’re doing.
And based on your riding style it will constantly
update the cockpit on the assist you have left,
in kilometres.
ML:
What’s thestateof thee-bikemarket in
Canada?
EJ:
Pedal-assist bikes represent more than 50
percent of bike sales in some countries but
only about one percent in Canada, though it’s
growing. So we’re at the very beginning of
something here. In Europe, electrical-assist bike
tours have exploded over the last four years.
There they have charging stations so you can go
in and grab another battery and continue on to
the next mountain or village.
E-rest-stopatTheDepot,Craigleith. MARC LANDRY/BMR
E-TESTDRIVE
"The e-bike experience puts everyone
in the group on the same level
of fitness and speed when riding
together," says Blue Mountain Resort's
Luc Belanger. "This is great for many
demographics and especially for the
multi-generational families that visit us
in the summer months. It also allows
guests to go farther and see more on
their bike adventure around the Blue
Mountains and Collingwood." You can
test-drive a Cube e-bike rental at BMR:
