Colin gives us a little biking bio and another glowing review of our eZee e-bike kit!
I’m 67 years old, retired from a career with the Ont. Ministry of Natural Resources. I live on Gabriola Island which is a biking paradise. I joined Hub City for a variety of reasons, the knowledgeable and friendly staff, the proximity to the Gabriola ferry, the great rates and specialised tools and the fact that I can work on my bike myself with the knowledge that there is an expert there to fall back on if I need advice.
I’ve had a bike since I was a child, ruined a few axels as a teenager from jumping them before the sturdier mountain bikes came on the market. I’ve had the same Raleigh Elkhorn for about 20 years now, I think it is one of the original mountain bikes. It is a big bike with a large frame that fits my 6’2″ height quite well. It has always been very strong and trouble free with “old school” high end components. The way it is set up puts a lot of weight on my wrists but that seems to be the price I must pay for the in control feeling that it gives me.
For a few years the bike sat in the garage and was not getting used that much, some of the hills on Gabriola were getting the better of me. I put on an older model electric kit and it gave me and the bike a new lease on two wheeled life. It served as a great introduction to electric biking and prompted me to research other kits that had a longer range. After doing all my homework and test riding a few models I settled on the rear wheel E Zee kit that is sold at Hub City. It is the only one that I know of that has a half twist throttle available which I find much better than a full twist or thumb throttle. The thumb throttle I found especially annoying when going over bumps or rough trails. The geared hub freewheels beautifully which makes it just like riding a regular bike when I’m not using the power.
The bike is my preferred method of daily transportation now, the 36 volt 20 amp hour battery has a 90k range so I can go anywhere I want to in Nanaimo and beyond and have the confidence that I can still get up the steep hill on Gabriola side when I get off the ferry. The amount that I’m saving in gas bills, wear and tear on the car and ferry fares is significant and definitely justifies the outlay for this great kit.
Overall I’m very pleased that I looked into Hub City Cycles and their products.