Originally Posted by Professional Princess

Ive just bought an electric mountain bike - it looks so cool not like some of the others that look like handicapped bikes with ladies baskets on them. Yeah i hear ya there, some I've seen on Ebay look like that

Mine goes up to 30mks p/h unassisted, obviously faster if you peddle, there are 3 settings, you can have it on neutral where you turn the the throttle to get you up a hill, you can have it on full assistance, or you can have it on economy which is gentle assistance. Sounds good, I've read the max speed on a public road is 15mph?

You recharge it every 3 days and you can get 40kms on it before recharging. The seat is amazing and you dont end up with a sore beaver, Jesus I was walking like a cowboy after riding my other mountain bike. not a good look eh

I work on an industrial estate so can ride mine on the pavement but it gives me the help I need to go up hills as my asthma can get really bad.

It will do me until I get a car next year.

Originally Posted by SouthernGal_67

Originally Posted by SouthernGal_67

Great looking bike! Did you get it online? I'm keeping a tentative eye on a couple of Ebay auctions at the mo (hoping I can sneak in for a bargain at the last minute)

Sounds like your bike has given you a lot of freedom and it's good to hear you're lovin it. I might start up a blog about my riding adventures. There's a guy on the Bikeradar has done staggeringly well with his fitness and weight loss goals.

Might even get one of those webcam helmet thingies, they look like fun

Originally Posted by Tr1boy

I often get quite religious on my tougher rides as well.

Originally Posted by Tr1boy

I race cycles as a fairly serious hobby ......To your issue, personally I would stay away from womens specific saddles as they tend to be soft and wide, which on the face of it (or backside of it) [wide is OK, because women's "sit bones" are wider than men's, but squishy is not OK, as Tr1boy says - so you want a women's "sport saddle" not a "comfort" model]sounds like a good thing, but can deform and get 'squishy' quite easily which will give you more discomfort but everyone is different so you could see how you went. Most of the women riders I know who have a female saddle have a female sports orientated saddle whist this a bit firmer all round but apparently kinder to their lady parts. .........
...... Without knowing you and what you want to do I'd say the following:

If you think you want to become a better cyclist and partake in some weekend cycling and maybe some ride type events I'd say get something that is a bit 'racier' because if you have a driven streak in you that sees you wanting to be your best then you will quickly grow tired of a hybrid.

Get a hybrid (flat bars, road gears and usually fat tyres) if you will only commute now and again and may give it up (plus I wouldn't spend a grand on one of these). [I saw a really nice urban/commuter bike in Cycling Plus, will look up the make/model ...]

Get a skinny tyred tourer (light tourer) if you will take commuting seriously and do the odd weekend ride in all weathers (these have mudguards).

Don't get a mountain bike unless you're riding up and down mountains.

One thing you may want to consider is getting a hub geared bike. [I agree completely, for anyone who is looking for a simple urban commuting bike and doesn't want a greasy, muddy chain to deal with]These don't have front and rear derallieurs and are virtually maintenance free which is a big consideration for the casual rider in the UK with the rain and road grime etc. Shimano do a hub called Nexus (pretty I cheap I think) and Rohoff, which are German do an uber expensive one (stay away from those unless you want to blow your grand on just the gears!).

I don't know much about recreational/touring and commuting cycling. But I think Dunroving would be much more helpful than I. [Having just put my titanium Litespeed road bike in the attic until I get back to the States, I'm definitely more of an expert on commuting these days ]

BUT the one thing that will help your performance more any single piece of gear is to get a good 'fit'. This means go to a good bike shop and make sure they take the time to adjust the bike to your body and make sure they measure you first and select an appropriate bike size after. You're easy prey for a bike shop to unload something that's been on the floor for a while and you won't realise it doesn't really fit you until you've had it a while.

Being biomechanically comfortable will increase your enjoyment no end. Get on the forums (Bikeradar is good) and ask about good shops in your area and don't be afraid to travel to a good shop.

Cycling Plus is a good mag to buy [definitely agree - I subscribe and is great for reviews of bikes and bike "stuff"] it has a great reputation for unbiased product reviews and is one of the few mags that strikes a good balance for the performance and recreational rider.

Also check out the UK's 'cycle to work' tax rebate scheme with your employer. [again, strongly endorse this as it effectively means anything up to a 40% discount on the full price, plus payments spread out over time]

Aplogies for any spelling erroros I'm typing this at work and have to rush.

BTW I've had 23 motorbikes and raced 600cc Production Class for years, so if you do go down the CBT route I can help you blow your cash in that direction as well. LOL

hth

Originally Posted by Professional Princess

I love the feel of the wind on my face when I am cycling - much better than being in a car, I enjoy cycling down the costal paths as well.

Although please remind me of this if it rains this arvo as I have to get the bike home

Originally Posted by SouthernGal_67

Thanks very much for the info dunrovin

Originally Posted by Professional Princess

We had bad gales last week and I was nearly blown off my bike like Mary bloody Poppins

But at one point the wind was behind me and I had the battery on and I was home in 15 mins.