Means to Deal With Knee Issues (Part 1)

I tore the ACL in my right knee in 1979. With extreme PT I was able to avoid surgery (my hamstrings and quads were about equal strength after training, and that held my knee together, through 4 years of Karate training and even competitions). So, for forty years I got by without an ACL, although I’ve injured the knee a couple more times and have now developed some osteoarthritis in it.

I ordered an electric bike from The Electric Bike Company (Newport, CA) yesterday evening. I researched the different models and this one seemed to match my objectives. I like the design and I also ordered the step-through, just in case my ability to mount the bike is compromised in the future.

My overall knee strategy is to delay surgery as long as is practical, but without giving up being active outdoors. The hills around here are a bit steep for my knees using a regular bike, but the electric bike can ‘subsidize’ my riding. And, keeping the knees moving well (without impact) is also good for them—light exercise. I should be able to ride to the Springs, or to Divide, or even Cripple Creek—we’ll see—and maybe even scale Pike’s Peak.

The battery boasts a range of about 100 miles (flat terrain), so I should be able to get decent range out of the bike, and it even allows you to stop pedaling altogether (if the knee hurts too much). It’s programmable as a stage 1, 2, or 3 bike (important, if you want to use bike paths in towns that do not allow stage 3 bikes on bike paths)

The bike is heavy (at about 70 pounds) but the motor makes up for that.

Enough advertisement for this bike. I’ll review it after I’ve had a chance to ride it some. By the way, I am not actually advertising, just sharing, and I receive nothing for discussing products I use.

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