Hi Andy. Thanks for the comparison. I've been commuting by bike for about the same timespan, including on a Clem. For the last 5-6 years, my commute has been 5-7 miles each way. I commute in most weather. It gets humid and hot here in the Hudson Valley in the summer months. I maybe ride a tad slower, but really, as soon as I arrive, pow, the sweat just materializes. Oh well. I change my undershirt and clean up a bit with a damp towel. The chance to ride in on a beautiful summer morning completely outweighs any worry about sweat.
On Friday, June 5, 2020 at 6:51:02 PM UTC-4, ANDREW ALLEN ERMAN wrote: > > Dear all, I hope you are weathering the many and terrible challenges > facing our country at the present time. I am always thankful for bikes but > more so now. It is good to have something in one's life, that one loves. > Grant's essay on the racial inequities regarding biking hit a nerve. I > guess being privileged can mean taking things for granted, like being able > to ride a bike and not worrying about being singled out because of how I > look. I digress. I have commuted to work for the past 31 years. Several > years ago I got tired of changing my clothes when I got to work and when I > left, so I bought an electric bike (a Stromer ST2). My ride was faster. I > did not sweat. I could wear my work clothes to work (no need to change my > clothes). I have logged around 6000 miles on the Stromer. I have no > complaints about this bike. It has been reliable and does the job. A > while ago, I set my Clem up for commuting or carrying groceries or > whatever. When the weather was cold (a relative concept, as I live in Los > Angeles), I decided to try commuting on the Clem. My commute is 4 miles > each way. I have been riding it ever since and my Stromer has sat largely > unused. So here are the pros and cons as I see it, between commuting with > these 2 bikes: > > *Stromer pros:* > Fast (up to 28 to 30 mph, if I work hard, usually cruise in the low 20s) > No to little sweating > Comfortable (seat and front suspension) > > *Stromer cons:* > Doesn't quite feel like a regular bike - there is always a little > undefinable something (weight, moment of drag, not sure what it is) > Changing a rear flat is a MAJOR hassle as this is a rear hub motor and > removing the wheel is more difficult - I use Marthon Plus tires and > thankfully have had only one flat in the years I have owned the bike > The bike is very heavy (a. 60 lb.) so transporting on a trunk mounted bike > rack is more of a challenge > > *Clem pros:* > Comfortable (more than the Stromer, probably because I am going slower and > perhaps because of the long wheel base) > I get to enjoy the scenery more as I am going slower > > *Clem cons:* > I am back to riding in bike shorts and T-shirt and changing my clothes at > work > > Overall, I enjoy the riding experience of the Clem more. It feels more > like a bike, which funny enough, it is. I am enjoying the low tech-ness of > the Clem. I look at the Clem (which is parked in my office) and I enjoy > the view. I did not do that with the Stromer. > > I will probably ride the Stomer when it gets very hot. For now, I am on > the Clem. However, I am subject to change, like the weather. > > My best to you all. > > Andy > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9918e1f7-2a24-4743-a394-160507e427b0o%40googlegroups.com.
