{"id":168081,"date":"2021-04-08T10:18:01","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T17:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=168081"},"modified":"2023-05-15T11:43:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T18:43:37","slug":"ode-to-my-tern-electric-bike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/ode-to-my-tern-electric-bike","title":{"rendered":"Gear I Hold Dear: My E-bike"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I fell in love with my e-bike while scrolling through my Twitter feed last summer. Someone shared a photo of the Tern<\/a> electric bike and I knew I had to have one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an electric assist and the ability to carry up to 440 pounds of cargo, I started thinking about all the things I could do with the bike: make larger grocery trips, take longer trips without being exhausted or super sweaty, give a friend a lift, haul heavy things I\u2019d normally use rideshare for, travel faster with ease and so much more.      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Woman
The author with her Tern GSD S10, which she nicknamed Blue Boo II. The e-bike is her primary form of transportation.
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Most Americans view bikes as recreational toys, I see them as a sustainable form of transportation. Before buying my e-bike, I primarily got around Chicago by a regular bike and public transportation. My Tern GSD S10<\/a> is now my primary form of transportation. With my e-bike, I knew I could help expand my own and other people\u2019s minds about what\u2019s possible with a bike. I also wanted to show others that biking can be joyful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this e-bike, I\u2019ve been able to do things I previously wouldn\u2019t have. If it wasn\u2019t for the electric assist, I wouldn\u2019t have had the confidence or motivation to make the weekly 20-mile round trip for a movement class last summer. I wouldn\u2019t have had the confidence to make my first century ride from Chicago to suburban Grayslake and back last fall. Another time, I biked 15 miles with a large dresser strapped to the back of my bike. I was determined not to use a vehicle for this large load. I wanted to prove that bikes are more than capable of moving large goods. In the first month, I logged 500 miles on Blue Boo II, my nickname for my baby blue Tern. (I will be hitting the 3-year mark this July 2023, and will likely reach 13,000 miles.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Photo
E-bike loaded with groceries in milk crate and panniers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Like others who bought bikes during the pandemic, I\u2019ve found that riding my bike around Chicago has been so beneficial for my mental health. I\u2019m able to get movement into my day and travel around town in a way that matches my values. I\u2019m able to take my time and enjoy views of Lake Michigan, beautiful homes in a nearby affluent suburb, a plant or a cat in a window, the flowers and trees, the smell of someone\u2019s dinner and so much more. During the early months of the pandemic, I enjoyed waving at the scores of new cyclists who hit the streets. Even if we couldn\u2019t stop and talk, I was grateful for some sort of social interaction. I\u2019m looking forward to creating more connections through biking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Photo
More tunes, more fun. Water bottle holder purposed to hold portable music speaker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since getting my Tern, I\u2019ve added accessories to make it even more fun and useful. I bought a pair of panniers<\/a> to coordinate with it. In case you\u2019re unfamiliar (I know I was for a while), panniers are like saddle bags for your bike. They go on the rear rack. I was so excited by the prospect of filling up my panniers with groceries, boxes, whatever. I also bought a new speaker and a second water bottle holder to secure that speaker\u2014new bike, new tunes, right? Some people may find my blasting of music to be obnoxious, but I see it as a crucial part of having fun on my bike. I like to embody joyfulness and \u201ccool\u201d when I\u2019m on my e-bike, and what better way to do that than play music that makes me want to dance and sing? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Author’s addendum May 2023<\/em>: I’ll be honest, the three years of riding my e-bike as my main form of transportation have been a mixed bag of joy and fear. Even with the e-assist that allows me to travel faster along residential streets (my preferred way of getting around to avoid busier main streets), drivers still aggressively pass me or honk at me telling me to get off the road. There are growing numbers of people buying e-bikes to commute, get exercise and have fun, and many more who would like to do so, but our infrastructure hasn’t caught up. So, I’ve channeled my frustration into advocacy efforts for safe cycling infrastructure<\/a> in Chicago because it shouldn’t take bravery to go on a bike ride. You can help too by supporting projects in your community that protect people on bikes and create safe, fun places for people on foot or bikes to get outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All photos courtesy of Courtney Cobbs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For more odes about our favorite stuff, check our <\/em>Gear I Hold Dear series<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I fell in love with my e-bike while scrolling through my Twitter feed last summer. Someone shared a photo of the Tern electric bike and I knew I had to have one. With an electric assist and the ability to carry up to 440 pounds of cargo, I started thinking about all the things I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9145,"featured_media":168207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1127,1846,724,2005],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-168081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-cycling","tag-e-bikes","tag-gear","tag-gear-i-hold-dear"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/ode-to-my-tern-electric-bike","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Gear I Hold Dear: My E-bike","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/ode-to-my-tern-electric-bike","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/ode-to-my-tern-electric-bike"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/04\/ebike2.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/04\/ebike2.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Phuong Le"}],"creator":["Phuong Le"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["cycling","e-bikes","gear","gear i hold dear"],"dateCreated":"2021-04-08T17:18:01Z","datePublished":"2021-04-08T17:18:01Z","dateModified":"2023-05-15T18:43:37Z"},"rendered":"