Electric bike anyone?

This blog entry has been written by Pambo Palas, who used to live around here and now is a frequent visitor to Portugal.  Pambo is a skilled mountain bike rider, so taking out the electric bikes for a day was definitely a different experience for him! The bikes were rented from Cycling Rentals in Sintra, a new company here for this business.  Here is what Pambo wrote:

Having spent another wonderful week in Sintra, I thought I would write a post about one of the nicest days I spent there and describe the experience I had of cycling in the mountain.

This blog entry was written by Pambo Palas

I have always been quite passionate about biking; when I used to live in Portugal for the last few years of my high school life I was obsessed with downhill riding – an adrenaline filled sport whereby we would sprint down the mountain (much to our parents’ disapproval) through intricate trails sprinkled with dirt jumps, sharp drops, and other man-made or natural obstacles. However, extreme sports aside, I have always believed that cycling is the ideal way to explore a new area and absorb the surroundings to the fullest. As a tourist I have always endeavored to rent bikes and explore where possible; walking doesn’t allow for large coverage, and driving is somewhat too fast to enjoy. 

I had already been talking to my girlfriend Siiri about the prospect of renting a couple of bikes when, as luck would bring it, we were given the opportunity to rent not just any bikes, but electric ones! Having recently finished my masters in Mechanical Engineering, I was not only looking forward to the experience, but I was also curious about their performance and how they would hold up to the steep, windy roads of Sintra. And so, on a gorgeous and sunnyApril morning we set off to collect our bikes and receive our briefing by the very friendly staff who operate Cycling Rentals in Sintra.

The bikes looked surprisingly normal – the battery, a mere 4 kg, was tucked away neatly under a rack above the rear wheel, and a small electric motor was built seamlessly into the front wheel. Although already quite intuitive, we were given a very comprehensive description of how to operate the system (there are 3 levels of assistance), and equipped with a very light charger (should we have needed to recharge), a map of the surrounding area and water bottles that were ours to keep!   

Incredibly curious I had already set the assistance to the maximum level and jumped on the bike – the feeling was exhilarating! As I started peddling I felt an incredible force push me forward and I was truly taken aback with just how effective the electric assistance was. It felt similar to walking after having been on a gym treadmill for some time – peddling had never felt easier. Tuning down to a lower level it was still more than enough to make even the most intimidating gradients seem effortless.

The ride itself was beyond anything words can describe – Sintra is a heaven of forest, narrow winding roads, breath-taking views and beautiful buildings. We made our way out of the town and headed towards a few of the checkpoints we had planned out. The main plan was to make our way up to one of the highest peaks – Peninha, where an almost 360 degree panorama awaited us, and then follow the mountain road all the way down to sea-level for a nice sea-side lunch and beer in Cascais (the town I used to live in). It felt like we saw just about every shade of green on our way up to Peninha, and the fact that we weren’t struggling with the uphill allowed us to enjoy the environment all that much more. On one of the more challenging roads, we also had a funny encounter with three mountain bikers: having noticed them struggling from a distance, we devised a plan to sneak up to them and zoom past them with the full help of the electric motor. The execution was flawless – the almost silent operation of the bikes kept us undetected until the very last moment, whereby the boost shot us forward. The looks of surprise were priceless and we heard them yell out “batota” – cheaters, in Portuguese!They were certainly extremely demoralized!  

Siiri enjoying the view from Peninha

The view from Peninha was indeed incredible. We must have been 400-500 meters above sea level and we could see the horizon almost all around us. However, on the way down we were struck by disaster. Although Siiri was sensible enough to walk her bike down the very steep gravel road leading up to the peak, I was reminiscing my downhill biking days and insisting that I still “had it”, refusing to get off my bike. I was feeling the freedom and joy associated with my rapid descent when I realized that I had lost the ability to brake! There was nothing wrong with the bike, but the loose gravel provided very little grip and the inevitable happened. Although Siiri thought I was almost dying when she caught up, I was lucky to escape with only a few scratches – my main concern was the bike, which I immediately examined. Although there wasn’t any visible damage, the wheel had turned too far and disconnected one of the electric cables. We had neither the tools nor the confidence to try to repair it, and we were forced to continue with one motor down. I’m still convinced it was bad karma for showing off to the mountain bikers earlier (still worth it though). Luckily the bikes had gears, and the added weight of the battery was very bearable. The ride down to Cascais was fantastic; it was downhill most of the way and we really soaked in all the sun and the smell of Spring that was in the air. One added benefit of going downhill, is that a significant amount of the gravitational energy that we had accumulated just by being at a certain altitude was converted into electrical charge by the motors operating in reverse and stored in the battery – essentially “free” energy for the next hills to come (had my bike been working of course).   

Unfortunately, due to my accident, we decided to stop the trip in Cascais, as cycling all the way up to Sintra without assistance would have been too difficult. I called Catherine from Cycling Rentals, quite embarrassed, to apologize for the damages to the bike and explain what had happened. I was amazed at how she had taken the news: not only did she ask me not to worry as long as I was alright, she also offered to drive down with a van and pick up the bikes – also giving us a ride back up to Sintra.  

Pambo climbing the mountain

All in all, it was a terrific day, and we thoroughly enjoyed the bikes – both Siiri who doesn’t often cycle, and myself who is used to ordinary mountain bikes. I would very much recommend a holiday in Sintra and for those of you who enjoy being outdoors, electric bikes are a lot of fun!