Bob Newman wrote:
I ride a road bike usually twice a week, usually 30-40 miles each. I used to ride (not average) about 15-16 mph. Due to a few health problems + hitting my 70th birthday I'm down to 13-14 mph and I'm terrible on hills (Florida hills). I'm considering getting an electric assist for my road bike by replacing the rear wheel with the assist, the battery would go in my water bottle holder. I would like it to assist me to get back to my 15-16 speed or close to it.

Opinions please. Would this be a doable solution?


Perhaps. I wouldn't replace the wheel, I'd add an assist that drives
through the gear train, so it can exploit the gearing changes available.
Shiftable gears benefit electric drive as much as any other type. Power
is coupled in through a ratchet, so pedal-only riding suffers very little.

The parts I used came from an outfit called EcoSpeed, which apparently
has morphed into

http://www.nomadcyclespdx.com/

The setup I put on a Schwinn Town & Country trike served my father
very well.

I'm not up to date on prices, but I suspect the components and battery
pack will cost 1-2 k$ when all is said and done.

hth,

bob prohaska