When I say mountain bikes, I really mean a 90s Huffy 18-speed I bought from Walmart for $60 without a front suspension. A group of us would carpool out to a lake trail, then ride with reckless abandon, flying over the handlebars multiple times each trip. Without the battery, the Kent Torpedo is easy enough to pedal, though it will definitely feel a bit heavier than a typical kid’s bike.
This year, I introduced my wife Haley to some local beginner singletrack in our new town of Cleveland, Georgia, and she loved it. I installed new front forks on my bike, purchased her a ride, and we started making the weekly trek for a short 30-minute trail excursion. E-bike and e-scooter riders must follow the rules of the road by looking after pedestrians, adhering to signage and driving in the correct direction. The new bikes and scooters will be an advantage for students with long treks across campus said sophomore architecture major Shane Harris. Since the bikes are electric, everyone can do it, even those who don’t like/or are not used to cycle.
Note that low power e-bikes like this are generally legal for children to ride in many US states and in most European countries, though in the UK you need to be 14 to ride an e-bike. If you want to check the precise laws for your own state check out People for Bikes excellent state by state guide to the rules on e-bikes. We wisely dismounted on the steepest uphills and also walked one suicidal downhill. Other than my one crash in a deep washout, we survived the worst trail in the area and had a blast.
The last 7 miles turned into an obscure, unmaintained dirt/gravel downhill road covered in sticks, pinecones, sharp rocks, and other precarious tire-popping rubbish (along with a wild turkey I almost ran over). Somehow, we made it the whole 16 miles without a flat and with our brains intact. Everything was going great until I encountered a 11%, 6-degree incline.
Students and community members around Kent’s campus will have a new way to get around starting March 7. The Stay at the Forest Edge is the perfect location for mountain kent hybrid bike biking at Bedgebury Pinetum. The Portager publishes a range of opinions from the community. To submit a letter to the editor, write to [email protected].