Has anybody here tried one of these as a car replacement?

[Binkie The Clown]

I'm thinking about getting rid of my car. Mostly I walk, use the bus, or ride my bike. Everything I normally need is within a 3-mile radius of home. Groceries are 1.5 miles away, same for hardware store, bank 1 mile, doctor & hospital 1.8 miles, library and city hall 2.5 miles, several parks within 2 to 3 miles. Goodwill and St. Vinnies 2nd hand stores within 2.5 miles. Walmart (on the very rare occasions I go there) is 1.25 miles away. Other than that, I can put my bike on the bus bike rack and take the bus to more distant destinations with my senior citizen bus pass.

A few years ago I walked from Oregon to North Carolina to visit my son. Well, not really. I walked to the bus stop, took the bus to the train depot, and took the train to NC. But the point is, I didn't need a car for that trip either.

The thing is, I put around 30 to 35 miles a month on my car, and pay around $60/month for car insurance. That's $2 a mile for insurance!!! So the car costs more than it's worth, but, and it's a big but, when it's cold and rainy I don't much enjoy walking or biking home with a backpack full of groceries. But it seems it wouldn't be half bad with something like this motorized trike. In Oregon, it's classified as a bicycle, needs no license plates or car insurance, and doesn't burn gasoline.

So have any of you had any personal experience with this kind of vehicle? (Not necessarily this exact brand or model, but any eTrike in general.)

[Laffy Kat]

1. That looks perfect.

What about winter, tho? You good with that?

[Binkie The Clown]

5. I can bundle up. My big issue with winter is...

my 72 year old muscles cramp up when the temperature goes below about 50. That's where the electric assist would help me out. And for a short car trip to the grocery store, less than 2 miles away, the car heater won't warm up by the time I get there anyway.

[Laffy Kat]

10. One word:

Tramadol. I'm younger than you are, but I'm like the Tin Man and his oil can. Around noon every day w/o fail my muscles cramp up. Two Tramadol, wait 30 minutes, I'm back to normal. The side-effects took about three weeks to get over when I first started and now I don't notice anything except mobility!

How much do those thing runs anyway? Ballpark?

[Binkie The Clown]

11. Ball park figures...

You can get the bare non-electric trike for around $350 - $400 new and the electric conversion kit can be had for around $500, so if you don't mind doing a little tinkering yourself (they say the conversion can be installed in half an hour) you can get one for around $900. If you want it ready made, I've seen them for $1500 all the way to $6000 for crazy deluxe "industrial strength" cargo trikes.

On edit: For a good cross section, search "electric trike" on YouTube.

[Laffy Kat]

16. Thanks. I'm going to think about it. Love the concept. nt

[left-of-center2012]

17. Tramadol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol

[Laffy Kat]

19. Yes, um, avoid high doses.

I take a small dose and I have not developed a tolerance. I also haven't developed a dependence because I will forget to take it on good days. As with all medications, you need to be judicious. It keeps me moving when nothing else will. I have NEVER felt "high". Of course, it's not for everyone.

[left-of-center2012]

20. I saw on the news ...

Guidelines for prescribing narcotics are changing and doctors are being discouraged from prescribing it as an ongoing medication.

[Laffy Kat]

21. Tramadol is not technically a "narcotic".

It's not an opiate per se, although it acts like one. My prescription instructions tell me to take up to eight a day, 50 mg. I have always taken just two, and two works just fine. Once I forgot I had already taken my dose and took another dose and I felt terrible. Again, you have to be judicious and if you are prone to addition I would be careful. That said, Tramadol has drastically improved my quality of life and I still recommend it for severe OA pain.

[silverweb]

2. I had one for a time.

When I first moved here, I lived downtown and it was great! I rode it all over the area, avoiding busy streets and using the many bike lanes available while exploring my new turf. I also did errands and much of my shopping with it.

Then I moved to a different part of town. Where I am now, there are only a few narrow bike lanes along very busy roads and the stores I shop at are scattered much farther away. With two jobs now, I had little time for pleasure riding or using the trike for errands. It gathered dust in storage for nearly two years until I donated it to a local charity that will make good use of it.

To answer your question, it's a fun and wonderful means of transport if the environment you're in is suitable for making good use of it.

[Binkie The Clown]

6. I'm fortunate to live where I can get to all my local shopping on back streets, ...

and larger streets with ample bike lanes.

And if the weather gets really brutal, and I absolutely have to go out, I'll call a cab.

I'm also considering a $500 conversion kit for my present bike. That and a decent bike trailer might also do the job for even less money.

[silverweb]

9. Excellent.

Where you live sounds ideal for the purpose. Whether you convert your present bike and get a bike trailer, or buy a trike, I think you'll really enjoy it.

[Mr.Bill]

3. Check with your insurance company to see if they can lower your rate for the

limited miles you drive.

[Binkie The Clown]

4. I did. Most companies have their lowest category as 30 miles per DAY, not per month. n/t

[TexasProgresive]

7. I had asked about electric assist wheels for trikes and bikes in the bicycle group

This is the thread. I never followed up on it. The post by CK_John was very interesting. You might PM him since he has experience.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1207757
Here's a pic of John's trike without the basket.

This link is to the company that he got the e-wheel and stuff from.

[Binkie The Clown]

8. I didn't know there was a bicycle group. Thanks for that info. n/t

[mitch96]

12. As a long time motorcycle rider ......

Rain, cold and flat tires suck... ruins your day..
m

[UTUSN]

13. As a 70 yr old, I offer my admiring awe. My cardiologist would *love* you!

I'd add here what he said to me the last couple of times, but it's more entertaining to know it's much worse than what Lounge could imagine!1

[Binkie The Clown]

14. When I was 50 my angina was so bad I couldn't walk across the street to the mailbox

because of my chest pain. Now, 22 years later, at 72, I walk/jog a couple of miles a day, with my minimum being 2 miles daily.

Far be it from me to offer any advice, but I turned all that around following the advice of Dr. Caldwll B. Esselstyn, Jr. M.D. of the Cleveland Clinic. Check him out at http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/

[mitch96]

15. Dr. Caldwll B. Esselstyn, Jr. M.D. of the Cleveland Clinic.

Love me some CBEsselstyn... Brings people back from the dead. If you follow what he exposes you will be healthy into your later years... Works for me!!! I prefer Forks over Knives...
m

[UTUSN]

18. Well, thanks, but if I were *COMPLIANT* - my own doctors would be fine!1

Might as well post a couple of interactions between my doctors & me for somebody's amusement (& others' horror) :

* My long suffering primary care doctor was trying yet again to GENTLY convince me to TRY a little diet, mentioning all the healthy things everybody knows, and I said, "Doc, this is ASCETIC." He said like a pleased Innocent, "A bit, haha. Living like a SAINT." I said, "Doctor, I have *NO* interest in living like a SAINT!1"

* My cardiologist is genial, but more tough-minded. See him each six months. He's gotten to know me over the past 2-3 years. After the 3rd visit, beer became a little "thing." I said that my motivation is not from craving, but for socialization. He, and several family and acquaintances have gone round and round about this, them popping off alternative venues for socialization (church groups, whatever) to replace Happy Hours. The last two times the cardio dude got more aggressive. When I angled for a teeny bit of "sympathy" over getting fatigued halfway through a big store, he flared up, "If you WANT to feel BETTER, you need to lose some WEIGHT, do some EXERCISE, and CUT BACK on the beer!1" The most recent visit we revisited, civilly, the same territory, but then at the end, we literally had a STARE DOWN. As we disengaged, he said that I'm "a pleasant fellow I like, just don't approve of a couple of things of your lifestyle!1"

Now, dear Binkie, I looked at your cardiologist's link and book, and while there are tons of info out there everywhere, I understand the "no meat/dairy" but what in the world is the "no nuts" about?!1 And, no, am not tempted. Not to give a totally negative impression, I partake of common (not exotic) vegetables and fiber, but meat and cheese are staples (and will stay so) . I'm really curious about the no-nuts!1 I thought I was doing great to replace bananas (too much potassium) with nuts!1

**********QUOTE******

no meat, no dairy, no oil, and no nuts may sound intimidating, but it is doable and delectable. As Ann says, eating this way is empowering and “opens up a delicious and colorful array vegetables, legumes, and whole grains brimming with fiber, nutrients and antioxidants, all great nourishment for your heart and your overall health.”
Ann and Jane introduce readers to the wonders of kale, and other hearty and delicious greens, sweet potatoes, artichokes, beets, parsnips, broccoli, cucumbers, asparagus, cannellini beans, lentils

******UNQUOTE*******

[Binkie The Clown]

22. Update: I installed a conversion kit on my regular 2-wheel bike

and got a bike trailer for it. The kit installed in half an hour and Ive been thrilled with it so far!

Now I can zoom to the grocery store quickly and efficiently when it's too cold or too hot (like now) for hard work, and save the pedaling for good-weather pleasure trips.

[Major Nikon]

23. Sounds like a better solution

A 3-wheeled bike might be great for very short trips, but they are very inefficient, so you'd either be eating up batteries very quickly or working your ass off.

Panniers with bags are also a good solution for smaller loads.

[Binkie The Clown]

24. Yes.

I'm using a rack with two metal wire side baskets as panniers. Each holds a full bag of groceries.

Also, I end up using the power less than half the trip time, so I'm getting more than double the range per charge. I hold the button until I get up to about 10 or 12 MPH and then coast until I'm back to 7 or 8 MPH. Since my trip is pretty level I coast a long ways on each "boost".

I also bolted a metal lock box to the handlebars to keep the battery pack in so it won't be easily ripped off while I'm in the store shopping. I'm very happy with my no-car solution so far. I'll keep the car for a while longer, but if I go several months without using the car I'll consider getting rid of it.