Here's a few personal stories from people in NWA. Want to tell your own story? Send us an email to info@gooutandplay.com, with the headline "ebike testimonial". Feel free to include a picture.
- Bob Blalock, Fayetteville
Little did I know at the time, that buying my first E-bike from Lewis & Clark would have such a dramatic impact on both my perception of retirement and my long term ideas about aging. Since the first ride early August of this year, I have logged a little over a thousand miles on our NWA Greenway trail system. This experience has literally transformed my overall physical conditioning outlook as well as becoming my Great Motivator to Get Moving Everyday! The big unexpected bonus here was the FUN this has been!
The beauty of E-bikes is doing it at your own pace. E-bikes flatten hills as much or as little you want or need. The ability to choose your level of power-assist throughout your ride allows you to build strength and endurance at your pace!
There is an amazing, robust E-Bike culture growing in this country. We are extremely fortunate that the very epicenter of this movement is right here in NWA! I absolutely love my Lewis & Clark E-bike and the FUN it has brought into my life. I am already looking to adding a Mountain E-bike very soon!
- Jim & Sandi Keeling, Fayetteville
I’m 77 years young and started riding for the exercise to improve my health. I wanted to take advantage of our beautiful bike trails here in NWA, but found many to be too strenuous riding my standard bike. I also, wanted to join short group rides, like Lewis and Clark’s Taco Tuesday event. I quickly realized I wasn’t able to keep up with the big boys. All the while, my wife didn’t feel like she could even try.
We enjoy doing things together. So, we purchased E-bikes. Now we can ride any and all the great trails and enjoy some of the longer (30-60 miles) rides such as the Square 2 Square, Compassion House BBQ & Taco events. Best decision ever!!!
- Eddie Smith, Rogers
I have bought 2 e-bikes (so far). The first one I bought was the Dirt-E and I use it on even the hardest soft trails out there. I also bought another e-bike to use on the hard surface trails. I am very pleased because at 65 years of age it was getting harder and harder for long rides or to even bring others along that were less or more adventurous than me. I used the dirt-e when I taught a mountain biking class at Arkansas Arts Academy High School and I was finally able to keep up with my students. Since I have retired I bring my bikes on every RV trip that I take. There are a lot of campers out there that use e-bikes now so I am not alone. All ages are now using them, especially the retired crowd that travel a lot as I do. I bring them in once a year for a tuneup at Lewis and Clark and am quite pleased with their service department. Their advice has helped me a lot.
- Russell Robinson, Lowell
In April 2021, I bought an e-bike, a Giant Fast Road Ex Pro, from Lewis & Clark Outfitters. I had previously bought a bike there, and knew if I didn’t like that bike, I could take it back within 30 days. My first real ride on the e- bike I road it over 30 miles and had a smile on my face the entire ride. I wasn’t trying to ride that many miles. I just wanted to see how long I could ride the bike before getting exhausted which was two hours. On my regular bike, I was only riding about 30 minutes before becoming completely exhausted. This is how the e-bike has benefited me. During my rides, I can get my heart rate at the pace my cardiologist wants for me. That is 30 minutes of cardio at least five days a week. I now measure my rides in hours instead of miles. I don’t have to worry about steep inclines. The electric motor does that for me. However, I only use the motor when I want to use it. Also, my waist size has gone from 38 inches to 33 inches. I have lost 60 pounds due to riding and a low fat/low calorie diet. My blood pressure and blood sugar levels are lower. Although I don’t ride all year round, I have put 4500 miles on my e-bike in two seasons of riding. I love my e-bike. When I am asked about purchasing an e-bike, I reply do you remember what it was like to ride a bike as a child? I tell them go test ride an e-bike. It will make you feel young again.
- Mark Schatzman, Bentonville
Lewis & Clark helped me get into the hobby of cycling years ago when we moved to NWA. Over the years I’ve purchased a number of bikes from them. But by far, the most fun bike purchase we’ve made was our recent eBike purchase. I wanted an eBike to commute to work without arriving sweaty. I went to L&C for advice and after hearing that I also wanted to use it on gravel and light trails, they pointed me to an eBike that rides like a Subaru—it does a little bit of everything. I’ve loved riding my eBike so much I find myself checking the weather and my schedule to see if I can peddle instead of drive. I surprised my wife with a L&C greenway/path eBike for her birthday and she started riding more. The eBike makes biking as a couple more enjoyable and frequent. We even took them on a weekend trip to the Katy Trail; something we wouldn’t have done as a couple without the added juice of an eBike.
