The other day I was cycling up a steep hill very slowly in my eco setting when a young, fit couple passed me quite quickly. As the climb progressed and got more vertical, gravity slowed them, and I decided to boast my power. I soon caught them and passed. As I was passing, I happened to say, “I was cheating I have a motor.”

As I continued to ride, they soon crested the hill and overtook me. I started to think why did I feel a need to say I was cheating. I must have felt guilty because they were straining to do the climb.

Then I thought maybe they were the ones cheating; they were perhaps 50 years younger, slim and trim, and riding expensive carbon fiber road bikes with electronic shifters.

My thoughts then took me back to my first bicycle, a CCM one speed I got when I was six or seven. I went everywhere on it, even places I was not supposed to venture. I had freedom.

Later, when I was 12, I got a Raleigh three-speed. It was lighter and faster. I could go further, climb higher. Maybe I was cheating because I was not riding a heavier one speed but that never crossed my mind.

Years later, when I was 30, I bought a quality

Holdsworth with ten speeds, and my wife and I were free to tour the world. We cycled southern England and France that summer. We road further and climbed higher and explored the world far from home. Were we cheating because we had the latest bicycle technology? I never thought about it.

When I turned 68, I bought myself a new bike for my birthday. It was a beautiful Trek Pilot, total carbon, with Duro Ace components and 30 gears. Wow, I could ride further, climb faster and I felt like a champion.

I never thought I was cheating. Nor did I think I was cheating when I went from 11-26 to 11-28, then 11-32 because I could climb faster and higher. I rode that bike all over North America. I wore it out.

I continued to change my bikes and finally changed my gears to an 11-46. I needed that to make my climbing easier. Not one of my faster friends ever said I was cheating, and I was happy because I could still ride with them.

A few years ago, I bought two inexpensive electric bikes made in china for clients that wanted an ebike when they signed up for my Nicaragua and Costa Rica tours. I tried them out, and I enjoyed riding them. I found I could climb higher, go farther and keep up with my younger friends. I found that I could climb challenging hills and enjoy the climb instead of always thinking when would I reach the top and would I make it; I no longer feared turning a corner and seeing a long steep hill in front of me. I did, however, lose the thrill and the excitement of reaching the top of a tough climb and enjoying the effort, hard work, and sweat that I put into reaching the summit. I don’t get that feeling on my electric bikes.

I now have a very high-quality ebike with 11 gears, 11-51, mid-drive 250 w motor, 500 w Bosch battery pack on a 29-inch hardtail.

I can climb just about everything around. Again I can climb higher, climb faster, go long distances, but those youngsters on their light road bikes are still faster as my category one bike only has a top assist to 32 k/hr, but I am happy ridding at 23 to 25 k/hr as I always have and hope to do so for a long time to come. 

Did I cheat all through my riding career? No, I only sought out new technologies to climb higher, climb faster, ride further and enjoy riding with all my cycling friends. 

Either nobody is cheating, or we all started cheating the day we got off our one speed and got on our new three-speed. 

That’s my opinion and my thoughts on riding electric bikes. People that matter, your family, your friends, and other serious bikers don’t care. I get more praise for being 79 the I ever received when I was much younger. 

By the way the introductory photos is theS-Works Aethos Sram Red Etap Axs and retails for £12,000 or $ 16,300. How many do you want?

Enjoy the day, and enjoy the ride.