E-Bikes Will be as Common as Digital Cameras
It’s true! E-bikes are fun as hell. You’ll find basic info and helpful resources in this article.
Pedaling along the 50-mile Sentiero Valtellina bike path in Northern Italy, I glide past horses munching on hay and verdant fields of corn. Clusters of terracotta-roofed cottages and tall bell towers dot the hillsides along the Adda river.
On the way home, after a 20-mile ride, I climb hills as steep as anything San Francisco offers without much struggle. I feel like I’m 40 again, except stronger. And I’m retired — sono molto vecchio! E-biking has given me a new grip on life.
I started looking into e-bikes when I discovered that an Italian driver’s license is harder to get than a fat joint at a Kiwanis Club prayer breakfast. A regular analog bike was out of the question given the steep terrain where I live.
After much research, I settled on a Gepida pedelec, and it’s turned out to be a very good choice. Never heard of Gepida? Neither had I. They’re a quality bike built in a world-class factory in Hungary. Although Gepida is a respected brand in Europe, it’s relatively unknown in the States.
My objective was to find the simplest, most affordable solution suitable for 80% of my riding terrain. I wanted a bike…
