This week I tried out one of the new activities that have recently taken off in the Lake District – Electric Cycling.
Electric Bike at Limefitt Park
There are two types of electric bike available in the Lakes just now, the most obvious difference being the charging capacity. The ones with the lower capacity are serviced by a growing network of charging points. The higher capacity versions can go for a much longer distances between charges but strangely need less charging time than the network bikes. Given that recharging seems to entail stopping at a pub and asking the landlord if he’d mind letting you plug in the battery to charge (I was told that the cost of a full recharge is about 3p) whilst you enjoy a pint and a ploughman’s, that sounds quite attractive. The bike I tried was one of the higher capacity versions. The bikes like the one I used can also be used off-road as they have front suspension and rear hub drives and a choice of tyres. The network bikes are hard suspension front wheel drive road goers only.
I met Warwick Pickering who runs Electric Mountain (www.electric-mountain.co.uk) when we were down at the Glebe to watch the Windermere Air Festival. After chatting about the idea I took one of the bikes around the car park at Windermere Aquatics where he is based, and I was immediately hooked.
It’s not like being on a motor bike – the motor doesn’t do all of the work for you. Instead you have an engine supporting the work you do. This means that on the flat you can bowl along almost without effort, and the sting is taken out of those long uphill slogs that can make cycling in the Lakes a bit challenging for those of us who are no longer slim and in the first flush of our youth. (OK a bit flabby and fifty two if you really have to know).
I decided to put the bike to a test by cycling all the way up from Bowness on Windermere to the top of the Kirkstone Pass. That’s a 15 mile round trip distance with a height gain of about 1,400 feet.
Windermere from the top of the Kirkstone Pass
I have tried that climb from half way up at Limefitt Park before, and I have to admit that I gave up and walked my own bike at several points.
I started off up the road and began the long slope up to the A591/A592 roundabout. This is a bit of a killer for the unfit as it is just under 2 miles of pretty continuous up hill pedaling. I arrived at the roundabout barely out of breath. I should point out at this point that Warwick had packed me a spare battery just in case and added some panniers for my gear so the bike was heavier than it might have been too.
I crossed over the roundabout, (noticing half way across that electric bikes don’t have any magical powers when it comes to careless car drivers not paying attention to bicycles) and started the long climb up the Kirkstone Pass. The first section is quite easy and I enjoyed the scenery as I climbed gently along the Troutbeck Valley. As I passed Limefitt Park where we have our rental lodges the going started to get tougher.
On the bike you have three power settings. As I passed The Queen’s Head in Troutbeck I was using top thrusting power but the steep slope meant I was also having to put in a bit of a effort myself. In spite of that it was still very enjoyable as I was conquering a climb that had beaten me before. On a couple of occasions I even stood up to get the required power, but I didn’t get off the bike once and I duly reached the Kirkstone Pass Inn. Here I decided I deserved some refreshment so I locked up the bike and went in to buy a pint of shandy. The barman and I were just discussing how steep the pass was on a bike and I was feeling quite proud of myself when a couple of guys came in and laughingly told me I’d been cheating by using an electric bike. Ah – did I forget to mention that I omitted this detail in my chat with the barman?
Refreshments at The Kirkstone Inn
Anyway – back out to the bike and the chance to savour what still felt like quite an achievement.
Refreshed and happy I began the descent. Predictably this was more than a bit quicker that the ride up, and I am pleased to report that the brakes on the bike are quite efficient too! Half way down I stopped off at Limefitt Park to show off the bike to Linda, Tom and some friends. Everyone seems to be very interested when they see the bike – it’s still quite a novelty and think people could tell from my face that I was having a great time on it. A quick cuppa then it was back down to Bowness to return the bike. The whole jaunt took me just over two hours and I had an absolute blast. From the power indicators I had hardly used any of the charge on what was a pretty challenging first run. I still had 3 out of 3 red lights showing!
So what did I make of my afternoon out? Well,first off, I had a fantastic time. Even on my own I really enjoyed the experience. This felt as though I had done some exercise but it enabled me to cover a lot more distance over much more challenging gradients than I would ever have done on my own mountain bike. I think that having to put a bit of effort in yourself is part of the magic – after all if you want to be pushed along with no effort get a moped. As usual on a bike you get that connection with your surroundings that is often missing in a car, and the whole thing is simple and great fun. I am sure that if all you wanted to do was to tootle along on the flat you’d still have a wonderful time as well as you’d get to cover much more ground for a given level of effort. I am considering doing one of the tours with a blue badge guide next. These bikes would also be great for a family day out at Grizedale or somewhere similar, but be aware that the minimum age to hire a bike is 14.
You can see my video blog of the trip here:
If you want to try this yourself get in touch with Warwick – you can find him next to the Windermere Aquatics marina on the Glebe in Bowness or contact him via www.electric-mountain.co.uk
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