I did it. I have survived my first trip to work with the electric bicycle I bought yesterday. It remains to be seen how I make out on my trip home tonight. I hope it does not rain.
It is a cliche to say it, but I will say it anyway: Riding an electric bicycle, I have a new perspective on Wuxi traffic. Most things I did anticipate. People coming from any direction at any time means you have to be always on your toes. But what really struck me today is how pedestrians are such pains in the asses when they walk in the bicycle paths. And if they walk three abreast, you want to run them down in frustration. As it was, I narrowly avoided striking one pedestrian as I had to quickly swerve to avoid them.
I have problems with the electric bike because the accelerator is on the right handle. It has always been my habit to clutch at the handles whenever I am pushing a bicycle or trying to come to a stop. But with an Electric bicycle, this can mean unplanned lurches if I don't check myself. The first time I pushed the Electric bike yesterday, it always ran away from me because the ignition was on and so when I grabbed the handle I pressed the accelerator causing a lurch. I have to learn as well to only brake with one hand. Having the habit of using both brake handles to stop may not be so bad on a normal pedal bicycle but on an electric bicycle, it can be deadly because the scooter may stop as you want it to. Again this morning, I had a scary moment when I lurched into traffic unexpectedly.
The bike maxes out at 40 km/h. In open space, it simply wasn't fast enough for me this morning. I already want to buy a Harley.
It is hardest to drive the scooter downtown. There are simply too many people.
I bought the bike at Carrefour, Baoli. I bought the biggest bike with the most battery power I could find. I will park it underground at the apartment complex. They have a place where I can plug it in overnight to recharge for free.
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