Todd, the inventor of the Stokemonkey says, “Your timely and appropriate shifting permits the motor to operate within a small band of powerful and efficient speeds at all times. This is key.”
As a roadie, I was reminded of that saying, “stay on top of the gear” and found Bettie’s sweet spot within a few minutes of riding. When the Stokemonkey bogged down a bit, I’d shift, and the motor assist would pick up speed again. After a few longer rides, I could tell how well the Stokemonkey was operating by the vibrations in the seat tube and also hear it cranking away. In the video, I’m rolling up a gently sloped, 5% grade hill.
The “small power band” also keeps you working. This isn’t an electric or gas-powered bike, it’s an assist and going up the steepest hills, I was definitely pedaling at a good effort (not breaking a sweat and breathing hard). On the last ride, I took my Polar and averaged a heart rate like a typical cruising pace, which is a great winter heart rate and a good workout.
So what we have now with Bettie and this project is a great errand/working bike. I used it to get lunch and say hello to Marcus while he brews up Bike Hugger Brown. Later in the day, Pam got a full load of groceries and we didn’t burn an ounce of gas or start the car, and got a nice workout. As Todd warns, a Stokemonkey isn’t for someone that isn’t in shape or isn’t good at riding a bike and shifting. In fact you could probably start a Tuesday night Stokemonkey workout club!
Next week, after the holiday, Pam will commute on it and I’ll post on all the details including the parts we chose, why issues, recommendations, and a wish list.