e-bike for my old Mum

[Alberto]

My 75yo Mum is still reasonably fit but her eyesight is worsening rapidly and it is expected she will therefore soon have to stop driving. This will have major consequences, in terms of visiting friends and family, and daily commissions. I'm thinking of buying her an ebike. She lives in a privileged area with bicycle lanes everywhere. Unfortunately she's never really been into cycling, so basic handling skills are probably somehow lacking.

You guys have any experience with ebike?

Any comments...?

Thanks,

PS yes of course I already posted this very question in a bicycle forum. Just I like to discuss with my TT mates too.

[Krieg]

She will have to work first on her general bicycle skills of course. I recommend one bike that you can choose the level of motor support and start with the very lowest setting until she gets familiar with. For the elderly a "women's" bike might be easier, the ones without a bar. Gears are not really that important in an e-bike if you are not going to climb steep hills. And if you can, find one with a belt instead of a chain to minimize maintenance. And check if the battery can be removed for charging and if that's important to your use case.

Make sure you understand the laws clearly, this basically means do not buy a no name Chinese bike without knowing what you are doing, they mostly are not street legal. Important thing to know: Avoid the ones with a throttle. Throttle is mostly forbidden in the EU. Technically throttles are allowed but only until the bike reaches 6 km/h which is nothing. Bikes that can be riden with pure throttle are not allowed as an e-Bike. Do not think "Well, I can buy a bike with a throttle and disconnect it" because it is not as simple as that, do not trust what YouTube videos tell you about this.

And ignore the e-Bike haters.

[pappnase]

her eyesight is worsening rapidly and it is expected she will therefore soon have to stop driving.
my TT mates too.

Hmm, is it really a good idea for her to ride if her eyesight is failing?
Surely she will be a danger to herself and others if she can't see properly?

[Sannerl]

My 75yo Mum is still reasonably fit but her eyesight is worsening rapidly
...
Unfortunately she's never really been into cycling, so basic handling skills are probably somehow lacking.

You guys have any experience with ebike?

Any comments...?

Thanks,

PS yes of course I already posted this very question in a bicycle forum. Just I like to discuss with my TT mates too.

I would get her a trike instead.

[snowingagain]

Trikes are a lot easier to get used to. And great for a little bit of shopping.

[Alberto]

Thanks for the comments.
Didn't think about a trikes yet, thanks for mentioning it.

[bramble]

Public transport? That's what I rely on. I wouldn't feel safe driving or riding anything with failing eyesight.

[LukeSkywalker]

Senior citizens are often involved with e-bike accidents, basically due to slow reaction times in daily traffic situations. You go much quicker in comparison to a normal bike, so you must respond faster as well. So, if she never really was riding a bike before, I would be cautious. Perhaps she could try it first out for a day? And a helmet of course. In German you call that Probefahrt.

[Krieg]

You go much quicker in comparison to a normal bike

Here we go again ...

[Franklan]

My 75yo Mum [..] lives in a privileged area with bicycle lanes everywhere.

The solution for 75yo with bad eyesight living in privileged areas is called "taxi".

[Feierabend]

How is her general balance? (Eg how long she can balance on each leg, should be minimum 10 secs.) I'm over 70, reasonably fit and active and have always cycled, but my balance has definitely disimproved, which I notice in subtle ways. Aren't e bikes significantly heavier too?
Trike investigation sounds sensible.
I've seen too many elderly rellies going rapidly downhill after falls.
I hope she finds a safe solution.

[Alberto]

My 75yo Mum [..] lives in a privileged area with bicycle lanes everywhere.

The solution for 75yo with bad eyesight living in privileged areas is called "taxi".

No.
Privileged means there are many good bicycle lanes, and it's a good place to live. It does not mean wealthy. Taxi few times a week in fact would not be affordable.

[HEM]

I (early 70s) bought an e-bike a few years ago. For various reasons I don't ride it often.

They are heavy (some have a higher C of G than others - I have an iSi which has the battery fairly low down & even then I had trouble with the balance when I took the bike out a few days ago.

[Alberto]

I (early 70s) bought an e-bike a few years ago. For various reasons I don't ride it often.

They are heavy (some have a higher C of G than others - I have an iSi which has the battery fairly low down & even then I had trouble with the balance when I took the bike out a few days ago.

Yes, this is exactly my fear.
Did you actually try it out before buying it?

[bethannbitt]

I moved here 5 years ago and decided to jump into the Bodensee bike culture, which is very strong. E-bikes, cargo bikes, and others are everywhere. I live on the Rhein and must cross a dedicated pedestrian/bike bridge often. We took a private AFDC course to learn the rules here.

First I had the regular bike and later I bought a used e-bike from a local tour company to try it out. I like the versatility of having the two bikes. The e-bike is good for long hauls, steep hills, and heavy loads. My battery sits above the rear wheel and there sit my two panniers in which I evenly disperse a heavier load. I don’t have balance issues. I don’t drink and ride. I never ride when jet lagged, worn out, or sick. I always use Eco and only ratchet up when necessary. I’m not a fast rider. I wear prescription eye/sunglasses except when sleeping, as I am far sighted and can’t read without them.

I made the jump to this biking culture at 61 and would be hesitant to do it now, 5 years later. I have made a few unintentional serious mistakes in my time and learned from them. I’m not gonna tell you what to do. For one thing, all biking cultures are not created equal. I will just say that I think you should carefully consider the risks vs benefits. I don’t drive a car here, but I find biking to be just as dangerous, if not more. For that reason, I switch off walking, biking, using public trans, … Embarking on this project at 61 was quite challenging. 75 is unimaginable for me. But here there is a great deal of bike traffic and good skills and judgment are crucial.

[Alberto]

Thanks everybody for the answers.

[HEM]

Did you actually try it out before buying it?

Yes

[snowingagain]

I know a couple of cyclists who have found transition to E bike tricky and have given up. I guess practice is key here, important to keep going. I have always cycled but now nervous and in a rut about getting back into it.

[kiplette]

Another vote for a trike here, The issue of balance is greatly mitigated, and those of weight at least partly.

If it's possible to hire/borrow one for a month or something, so she can take it slowly and not feel rushed into making a decision, that might be a plan. As Beth-Ann has said, it may just be too daunting, but a long hire period at least gives the idea a good go.

It would be nice if she kept some independence and mobility. One of my oldies had a motorised wheelchair and that was terrifying with a very high C of G and after a wobble on a kerb she never went out on it again (day 2, so pointless, really).

ps @feierabend, 'disimproved' is fabulous, thank you!

[Krieg]

It would be nice if she kept some independence and mobility. One of my oldies had a motorised wheelchair and that was terrifying with a very high C of G and after a wobble on a kerb she never went out on it again (day 2, so pointless, really).

Even mobility scooters are heavily regulated in Germany. Only the ones that go up to 6 km/h are driving license free. And 6 km/h is a bit slow if you have to cover some distances. They can go up to 15 km/h but then you need a mofa license and for that you have to pass the eye test.


And because I missed in the original post that the lady is 75 years old, I want to add something that I think it is important, because I remember that @Alberto has posted some misconceptions about e-Bikes in the past in other threads. e-Bikes in Europe are pedal-assisted, so you still have to do some work to cycle and it is not as easy as the e-Bike haters think and say. The motor of the e-Bike mostly removed the "edge" of the effort but it is not like the bike will easily take you anywhere with none or little work. For example my conmute is 13 km each way and for the first week of the season I reach my workplace with wobbly legs. And on the way back home when it is hot I sweat a lot. e-Bikes only make things a bit easier and allow non-bike people (or elderly) to reach longer distances. But a 75 years old with no experience in cycling, I am not sure. Yes of course, there are plenty of people at that age doing it, but most of them didn't start cycling at 75.