Geof Harries

This past spring, for my birthday I got an e-bike to commute to and from work on.

The bike - a 2021 Kona Dew-E in size XL - had been at a local bike shop for almost four years. I'd guess this is because it was a bit "quirky" and thus obviously hard to sell.

That is, until I showed up with an e-bike gleam in my eye.

The Dew-E in size XL has a huge frame, likely the largest bike frame I've ever ridden. You need long legs to be able to swing one of them over the top tube and get onto the saddle. Surprise! I've got those in spades.

I mean, look at the size of this root beer-coloured bike.

The Dew-E's standover is 850 mm (33.5 inches) in the XL model. For comparison, my 2022 Trek Fuel EX mountain bike in its XXL size has 806 mm (31.7 inches) of standover. That's a lot of extra top tube height on the Kona.

Big frame, small motor and wheels

My Dew-E has smaller 650/27.5 wheels, which the latest edition also still features. Many bikes these days have larger 29" wheels.

This is actually something that I really like about the Kona Dew-E. I appreciate how the smaller wheels make it more agile and playful. It turns out even an almost 50 lbs. e-bike can feel nimble and fun while turning.

My Dew-E and the current model also has a smaller, less powerful motor than a similarly priced e-bike released in the past couple of years. Spec-wise, the Kona has a 250W/60Nm motor paired with a 504Wh battery.

For comparison, the latest Trek Allant 7's motor has 85Nm (Newton-metre) of torque while the Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 motor has 70Nm.

That said, I've not yet found the little motor on the Kona to be a problem. Maybe if I weighed more and/or carried extra stuff on my bike it would be annoying but for me it's been fine.

A tiny bit of personalization

There were a few changes I made to the Dew-E to increase comfort, and that was to install a wider set of handlebars - I had an older Enve M9 31.8 carbon bar in my parts bin - as well as switch to some fatter grips for my big hands, and toss on a pair of used Chromag pedals. I also added a rear rack.

I really like the Kona Dew-E and am glad I was able to buy it, especially at great discount.

There were weeks this summer that I rode it to and from work 5 days in a row, and I was much less tired compared to doing the same route on my regular bike.

This was important if I wanted to go for a proper bike ride or mow our lawn later in the evening. I still had the energy to do either. That's one of the main reasons I wanted an e-bike.

The social side of things

There's also some social aspects I've noticed while riding an e-bike.

If I'm being honest, I feel guilty and a little dirty passing people who are grinding away on regular bikes up the same hill or into the wind. To assuage my guilt, I greet them with a friendly smile and wave.

Yet I've noticed that when I actually do this, many look over, glance down at my motor and then don't say anything in return. It could be that they're just strained or focused. No matter, it's usually a more awkward interaction than if I too was on a regular bike.

I guess there remains a stigma to riding an e-bike. I know because I used to feel the same way towards people on e-bikes, and still sort of do, which is something I'm not proud of. I like the idea of riding an e-bike, but sometimes the reality of doing so is different. I've got to figure that out.

Nonetheless, e-bikes are awesome, and everywhere

At least on my normal route to and from work, most people now ride an e-bike. That means they are not driving a motor vehicle, which is amazing! I love to see more humans on bikes.

Based on my very unscientific counting method, there's not many people left here who don't commute on an e-bike, or at least fewer than previously that I see taking the same paths as me.

As I wrote about bike commuting earlier this year:

Our family resides atop a series of hills, and the consequential grind often feels like making atonement. Over the past 20 years, I've spent nearly 2,000 days commuting to and from work by bike, with a total distance of 33,000 km and 284,000 m (931,758 ft) of elevation gain. In other words, I've climbed the equivalent of Mt. Everest 32 times. No wonder I'm so tired.

The disadvantage of being on an e-bike is that I feel like I don't accomplish as much. I don't have to suffer: I just push a button, let the motor kick in and it almost immediately gets easier.

This experience, the cornerstone of e-bike design, always leaves me feeling a little...empty.

Riding an e-bike is not as gratifying as riding a regular bike, at least in my view.

I will say though, that one of my favourite memories from e-biking this summer is riding up one of the steep hills home, and noticing a butterfly hover by. I continued to watch the butterfly and be charmed by its beauty. I was concentrating solely on its flight and that was wonderful.

What shook me out of my daze was another e-biker who passed me and said hello, just like I do. The butterfly carried on its way, and I continued to blissfully drift up the hill, filled with wonder and contentment.

Thanks little butterfly, and to Kona for the e-bike induced tranquility.