Name: David Powell AKA EDave

Bike: Bianchi Aria E Road bike with Ultegra group set, 28 inch tyres and Vision wheels, disc brakes, full carbon fibre frame
Uses Ebike motion app to connect app via blue tooth to the bike-App like Garmin read out (speed, RPM, maps, battery % etc)
See photo attached.

Why bought?
Had back issues and needed spinal surgery in 2018/19. When I returned to cycling I just struggled to regain form and getting up hills without being in pain was hard.
Almost gave riding way when I took notice of a review online for E bikes. Decided after much pondering to order one in Jan 2020-it was my 60th birthday so decided to treat myself.
Really looked at all the E road bikes-decided on the Bianchi as it looked more like a standard road bike . Most riders (other than my  fellow riders) don’t notice it’s a E bike.

What’s it like riding?
Awesome ! – took me a few rides to get comfortable mainly with the weight (comes in around 13.5kg)-its back end heavy as the motor is in the hub. You have a small power button on the cross bar -it gives pedal assistance up to 25kph with input from 50watts to 250watts. If you stop pedalling or go over 25kph the motor cuts out so you still get a decent workout. I have found myself spinning better but without the strain on my back or knees. On the flat and at speeds over 25kph you need to work a bit harder to keep up with a fast moving group so I drop down 2-3 gears and just spin harder. Uphill is ridiculous and fun-you seem to transverse each hill effortlessly despite spinning your legs at a good rate. Given I ride with St Ives and most of our group rides involve hills it has got me back into enjoying riding. The bike is almost silent with the motor on-in a group ride it’s not noticeable ,only apparent at slow speeds and riding alone. If you use the power assistance carefully a 100km ride is possible but as most rides we do are between 40-75km you have plenty of battery life to get home. Recharging is quick-got into the habit of plugging into the charger after each ride. You can purchase a second battery which looks like a water bottle and recharges the main battery as you ride-doubles the distance possible but they cost $900. Downhill the bike handles like most road bikes plus with added weight its really stable in the corners. Free wheels nicely. Disc brakes pull up the bike nicely in all weather. A nice benefit is moving off at lights on a hill-half turn on the pedals and motor cuts in taking up the load. Changing tyres-front as normal (central axle pin spins out), rear takes about 10mins as needs power cable disconnected. Overall it’s a great bike-I did feel guilty at first as its not a true road bike BUT given my racing days are over and its all about stress free exercise, being with friends and enjoying the outdoors I’m so glad about the purchase.