Only way to go is up!

After a few weeks of treatment, my chest pains are less frequent.  That is good, but I am still tired and winded walking up the stairs!

I struggle with getting older and heavier.  I understand exercise reduces stress and weight, yet I am tired most days to the point I do not want to work out.  I try, yet I fail.  The best way to get a workout is by riding a bike as my means of commuting.  I have extreme pain in my left ankle often, and walking any distance hurts.  I do not get similar pain from the bike.  I like to ride a bicycle, but it is more challenging each year, especially when we get those headwinds.  The ride is 18 miles one way with an overall climb of about 550 feet.

Now that the Old Cedar Bridge is open, my ride to work should be just under 13 miles one way, five miles less one way.  However, it also has an extra 200 feet of climb (about 750 feet total).  It may not seem like much, but when you are fat, and in the ’50s, it seems like riding over the Rockies (I know what that takes!).  Even with my 5-year-old Bionx PL250, it was a hard ride to work that left me exhausted and the battery totally spent!

So I took the plunge.  I purchased a Surly Long Haul Trucker and had it upgraded with the 2017 Bionx D500 DV.   The D500 produces twice the power and range with a 48 V battery and almost four times the nominal torque.  What destroyed me was the PL250 was only a 24-volt battery with the Torque (Nom./Max.) of 7.0/25.0 Nm.  The system added 16.1 pounds to the bike.  I needed half the battery and occasionally overheated the motor, getting my fat bottom up the big hill.  The most pressing hill is 0.4 miles and climbs 175 feet, a continuous slope of 7 to 8 percent.

The D500 DV has a Torque (Nom./Max.) of 25.0/50.0 Nm, four times the nominal and twice the max torque.  Although it adds three more pounds to the bike, the Long Haul Trucker is about the same weight as the Cannondale Quick 5.  Should it make the hill much less taxing?

   OLD VS NEW SPECS    

	PL250	D500
Watts	250	500
Est Range (miles)	40	80
Battery Volts	26	48
Batter Amps	9.6	11.6
Total Wh	248	555
Torque Nom.	7	25
Torque Max	25	50
Weight (lbs)	16.1	19.2
Low Assist (%)	25	35
Max Assist (%)	200	300

                     Range Comparison                   

	PL250 New       (rated)	PL250 Me (new)	PL250        (me 5 years)	D500    rated
Level 1	40 Miles	40 Miles	26 Miles	84 Miles
Level 2	30 Miles	30 Miles	17 Miles	58 Mile
Level 3	20 Miles	20 Miles	9 Miles	38 Miles
Level 4	10 Miles	10 Miles	5 Miles	26 Miles

                                 D500 Range Chart                                   

If you are interested, a solid D500 review can be read here or view the video below:  https://electricbikereview.com/bionx/d-500/

We will see the results once the weather cooperates and I get on the bike.  I look forward to exercising and hope it gets me back on track to a happier and less stressful life.

Carry on, my friends, carry on.