First group ride with the new e -bike

Today I participated in a 22 mile group ride called the Green Cruise.  The bike I used is shown above.  I just picked this up three days ago and wanted to try it in various settings and situations to get an understanding of how it will meet my needs.

In the past, I shied away from group rides because I ride at a pace so much slower than everyone.  I will probably bike between 8 and 12 mph.  When I push the 12+ mph I will need to back off or stop to catch my breath.  The other aspect of group rides are hills and wind.  Some hills are too steep or too long and I run out of oxygen and  need to stop.   When heading into a strong headwind or a long stretch of a lesser wind, I will need to back off, gear down tremendously, or stop.  My fear is that I will not be able to keep up or that I will hold the group back.

I thought that I would try the new e-bike at Cty e2.2. After a couple of rides which had totaled over  50 miles with over 1600 feet of climbing and I had four of five battery left indicator lights.  I felt confident that the battery would last for this ride.  The organizers were saying the ride was to be a 12 mph pace.  When I did this ride in the past, I was able to do it with my regular tour bike.  The route has no major hills and uses quiet residential streets, but there are many busy streets to organize the safe crossing of  a hundred riders. These stops allow the group  to  cluster again. 

My new bike displays  the speed and I was consistently between 12-15 mph.  I was in the ECO mode only and did not need to bump it too more power assist.  I felt confident the whole way. Near the end of this ride another battery life remaining light went dark.

I feel confident going on other group rides with the Cty e2.2 bike from REI Co-op.  The bike also traveled well on my Saris bike rack for four bikes. I am also seeing how this bike will be good for longer rides or tours.