Well, ONLY ACROSS TO THE TORONTO ISLANDS
It’s not entirely clear to me why the Toronto Islands have been on my mind lately, but after thinking about that for a bit, perhaps it has something to do with the arrival of a brand new baby boy in the family. Considering that miraculous event, and using the backdrop of the circle of life, and family, the Islands do have a very meaningful place in my consciousness. Maybe, that’s the reason.
Once upon a time, you see, I got married on the Toronto Islands and that union brought forth two sons, one of whom just helped (in a minor way) deliver the above mentioned bundle of joy – let’s call the little guy L-J. With L.J.’s debut into this world I naturally thought about the series of events and happenstance that brought about such a wonderful family addition. Of course it started with the wedding on our boat in the middle of a canal in the Toronto Islands.
Having worked their way into the forefront of my thoughts, I wanted to re-visit the Islands, and of coarse, I now wanted to go on an e-bike. Recently, our Leaside store manager, Ron, suggested I ride the Easy Go Volt from Easy Motion (Div. of BH) then write a post about it. Since the Volt is a folding e-bike, I figured it could be the ideal transportation for my urban-to-Island adventure.
The plan; from the store, ride to the subway station at Yonge and Eglinton; fold Volt and take subway south to Union Station; unfold Volt and ride to Centre Island ferry; take ferry to Islands and explore, visit closest spot to the site of my marriage, grab lunch, explore some more of the Islands, then reverse the route back to the store.
The Easy Go Volt from Easy Motion (BH Bikes) is a little dynamo superbly designed for specific applications that call for a bike to minimize its footprint between uses. With this in mind, one of Volt’s purposes, I thought, is multi-modal commutes where a bike is only one part of the equation, and that to was to be today’s purpose.
Adapting to changing situations is part of life, as in, it’s not what happens, but how you react and adapt to what happens that counts. In this case, the first thing I had to adapt to was the fact that the Volt, once folded, is not easily portable; it doesn’t roll in that configuration, and it is cumbersome and heavy to carry any distance. Time to adapt!
So I called Uber, ah, well, to clarify, I called my son, or as I like to think of it, Family Uber. After all, at any given point, one of them is probably available to drive me where I need to go, aren’t they? In this instance, it was Brigham, my e-bike-loving son! He was not only available, he decided to join me down my memory lane.
It was a smooth trip down to the waterfront (again, we were in a car), and then we took a splendid wind-in-the-face ferry ride over to Hanlan’s Point where I once tied up my boat all that time ago. After walking the Volt off the ferry (with a light crowd, I didn’t have to fold it), I got on and immediately recognized that riding the Volt feels very different from riding a regular size bike. Nevertheless, it is really good fun once you spend a little quality time together, you know, bonding.
The Volt is powered with a 216Wh battery and a 250W high efficiency hub motor controlled by Easy Motion’s brilliant LCD display which offers 4 levels of pedal assist. Since the Volt has 20” wheels, the power assist cuts off at 25 km/h (16 mph) as a way to help keep things under control, and help keep riders in the saddle where they belong.
Volt is the perfect companion to a yacht or RV, and represents efficient, compact local transportation for campers and cottagers. As well, many from the suburbs and smaller towns who currently own folding bikes to get around now have an option to get the same folding benefit while enhancing their ride with electric pedal-assist.
For the variety of people who could find the Volt to be the solution to their bicycle riding challenges, I suggest you check one out with a test ride. Had this technology been available back when I had my boat at Hanlan’s Point, I would definitely have had one on board. Again, to clarify, I would have had one had my new wife allowed me to have one, in which case, we would probably have had two.
Empowered by Gears 