Back in action

The Machine is back on the road. All I needed to pay for was a standard bicycle service, plus bigger, harder brake pads - I go down a lot of hills in my daily routine so I need Serious Business brakes. Everything else came under warranty - the problem with the throttle was due to dirty contacts rather than a loose wire. The only real problem was that the gear cable had been attached too short, but that's all fixed now.

It is so much more pleasant to ride now that (a) I can get up to top speed without worrying how and if I'm going to be able to stop in time; (b) it's no longer rattling itself to death. So, in conclusion: if you're buying an e-bike, spring for some serious business brake pads. Make sure that everything's put together right to start with. And also pay no attention to cowboy bike repairmen who make up lies about how screwed things are to get money out of you - just a regular service every six months and everything should be fine.

In the shop

Four months on the road and the Silver Machine is in for a service. The dealer, who mainly specialises in scooters both fossil-fuel and electric, will hand it to his collaborator who fixes bicycles for most of the work, then double-check the motor and electrics himself.

Mostly it should come under warranty. The dealer's reaction when looking at the gear cable was "Yipes! That shouldn't be!" Hopefully back by tomorrow. (Luckily I've moved closer to town so not having my bike doesn't totally cramp my life like it did when I lived further west.)