At the request of some Whitewater Region residents, Cheryl Spotswood and Cathy Williamson of Westmeath, retired Deep River engineer, Ron Wensel, explained his creation of a very light, e-bike which he and his son are making. After much research, Mr. Wensel has managed to design a bike that will allow people who love cycling, but who experience some physical health issues, to continue to pursue their passion for a long time.
An avid cyclist, but having had four heart attacks, Mr. Wensel thought his cycling days were over. That’s what urged him to design a light-weight electric bike that can give him the extra mobility he needs, when he needs it.
The e-bike, looks like any other bike but has the potential to run on a battery, when called upon by the operator (or by a bio feedback monitor that has been set to a particular heart rate by the operator). Most e-bikes on the market are very heavy (due to a heavy frame and the weight of a large lithium battery); they are also quite expensive and awkward to transport, especially if one is planning to take one out-of-country. Mr. Wensel and his wife Diane have taken their bikes to Europe and had no trouble transporting them.
As Mr. Wensel pointed out, our North American attitude towards biking is to see the activity as a leisure sport; whereas, Europeans and others see the bike as a valuable mode of transportation.
The e-bike will allow many aging seniors to continue joining bike clubs for years to come.
Whitewater Region residents may have noticed packs of senior cyclists from Deep River in various parts of our region. A number of these are on Mr. Wensel’s e-bikes. So there is hope for many seniors to stay healthy and keep cycling going for years to come. For interested people, check out: pedaleasy.ca
