My new guilty pleasure: e-bikes

Long, winding road up a volcano? No problemo. Strong headwind? Barely broke a sweat. Getting started on a steep slope? Just used the throttle.

E-bikes are my new guilty pleasure! They’re like Froot Loops, the Beach Boys, or chick flicks – things I hate to admit that I secretly like.

We wanted to rent bikes in Boquete, Panama, which is up in the mountains, on the slopes of the Barú Volcano. All we could find were e-bike rentals, which neither of us had used before. So we signed up for a two-hour tour with Soul Planet Cycles – easy to find since the booth is across the parking lot from the Boquete Brewing Co. on the main road through town.

I was uneasy when we showed up at our appointed time and saw the bikes. They’re huge! Fat knobby tires on chunky frames, with the battery mounted on the down tube. The big comfy seat looked promising though. They weigh about 69 pounds each. Would I be able to handle this beast?

Vinny – originally from Boston but has lived in Boquete for 14 years – found us helmets that fit, adjusted the seat height, then gave us the run-down on how e-bikes work. Basically, you’ve got four hand controls to figure out and balance.

1. Five levels of electric assist mode are
   controlled with the left hand. Just hit the arrow buttons up or down. That
   sounded easy enough.
2. Seven gears – just like on a regular bike. A
   button and a switch are controlled with the right hand. I’m familiar with that.
3. The throttle is built into the right-hand grip.
   I hadn’t expected a throttle – that made me more nervous since I pictured
   myself spinning out in a gravel patch.
4. Brakes – just like on a regular bike.

An electronic screen in the middle of the handlebars kept track of which electric assist mode you’re in, plus battery life, odometer and speed. It seemed like a lot to monitor while also avoiding the potholes that mark most Panamanian roads. Vinny also pointed to another switch near the throttle and urged us not to accidently bump it while changing gears since it turns off the throttle. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. This was getting complicated.

Sophie, who takes care of the paperwork, had us sign our lives away, then took a photo as we prepared to set off.

“I usually keep it in Mode 3!” she called as we walked our bikes across the busy road to start down a quieter street.

We swung our legs over and turned the throttle to get going. My uneasiness instantly dissipated as I realized the throttle was easy to control – the bike wasn’t going to leap out from under me and leave me crumpled in the ditch! 

By the time we reached the bridge over the Caldera River – about 300 metres down the quiet side road – I thought “This is going to be good!” When we started climbing the hills past coffee plantations, and I’d experienced the wondrous invention of electric assist, I thought “This is fantastic! Woo hoo!” And by the time we had crossed the valley and started into our second loop, up the long winding road towards Volcán Barú National Park, I thought “Where were you, my e-bike friend, when we were cycling the Camino de Santiago?”

It was much less complicated than I had thought it would be to balance the electric assist and the gears. Just like Sophie, I mostly used Mode 3.

As my confidence built, I even risked taking a hand off the handlebar to wave jauntily to people we passed.

“Buena!” I called, using the common greeting just about everyone in Boquete uses as they pass on the streets (tourists included – it’s a friendly town). They returned my greeting, but some also turned to stare at the bikes. Soul Planet Cycles opened in November 2019 – just a few months ago – and I got the feeling e-bikes are new around here.

We made several stops: at a coffee roasting company, at Café Ruiz for a latte, and to take photos at the National Park sign, with the volcano in the background, and at the Boquete big-letter sign.

Coming back into Boquete, we faced an incredibly strong headwind, but I simply upped the electric assist, put my head down and gently pedalled.

When we got back, Sophie handed us cold beers from the Boquete Brewing Co. and we chatted while we drank them.

Later, Vinny emailed us a Relive video as a tour souvenir. It shows the route we took, includes photos Vinny took along the way, and noted our stats: top speed of 42 kilometres per hour coming down from the village of Volcancito, average speed of 15.9 kilometres per hour, 701 metres of elevation gain, and 24.9 kilometres ridden (although it was actually about 28 kilometres by the time we got back to the starting point.)

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Vinny, who opened our eyes to the benefits of e-bikes: they’re easy, fun and perfect for a quick tour of a hilly place. I’d still be struggling up the long, winding road towards Volcán Barú on a regular bike. I won’t be trading in my hybrid road bike any time soon but, when the day comes that I’m too old to pedal myself, I will definitely embrace an e-bike.

Now excuse me while I settle back with my Froot Loops to watch Eat, Pray, Love…

Practical notes:

Soul Planet Cycles offers tours or you can rent e-bikes by the hour.

• We did the $40 two-hour tour, which ended up being three hours. Includes water bottle, coffee, beer, helmet and souvenir Relive video. Vinny carries a first aid kit.
• Another tour option is the one-hour $25 tour to San Ramon Waterfall.
• Bike rentals cost: $10 per hour; $28 for four hours; or $40 for a full day.