Hi guys ... just dropping in to read this because total knee replacement is in my future. Almost total bone on bone in my left knee. For now, not painful but it “catches” at times and doesn’t bend well. I hope I can put off surgery for 6-8-10 years, right now a cortisone injection 2-3 times a year gives about 75% of “normal”.

I wasn’t aware that standing in the pedals is out after TKR - yikes! Makes sense but a little discouraging.

So, I’ll just throw this out there - e-bikes- maybe a good option after TKR, at least if you ride in hill country or mountains. I ride an ebike part of the time, and it is great for assisting on hills. The one I’ve been riding has 5 levels of assist plus throttle on demand. The rider can choose how much assistance he/she wants. I would like to dispell the mistaken belief that it’s “cheating” to ride an e-bike - I’ve found that it’s still a good cardio and muscle workout as long as you aren’t riding the entire time at maximum assist or throttle-only. When I ride at 1 or 2 of 5 levels of pedal-assist, the lowest levels, the reduced workload on my body gained by the assist seems to be compensated by the fact I can ride longer and faster. To me at least, I’m pretty tired when I get home after a 40-50 mile human-powered ride, and just as tired after a 50-60 mile e-bike ride (an FYI, I bought a spare battery and bring it along in a backpack or rear rack case, because I want to be able to ride 50-60-70 miles, and one battery won’t do that). Finally, keep in mind that most e-bikes are in the 50-65 pound range (mine is 62 lbs plus another 5 for the 2nd battery). The non-motorized hybrid I ride most often is a carbon frame, about 18 lbs, maybe 22-23-24 lbs with a trunk pack loaded with some tools/emwrgency repair parts and 2 or 3 or even 4 if it’s really hot extra 16-24 ounce bottles of water. That 40 plus pound weight differential definitely adds work load for the rider which isn’t necessarily negated by the motor at the low assist levels.

Finally, for a real workout, try being 30 miles from home and discovering battery #2 isn’t charged - 30 miles of no assist on a 70 lb bike is a lot.

Even if you do ride with high assist levels, as long as you aren’t throttle-only, you are still pedaling, and fast - I think that would help with range of motion and flexibility no matter the workload on the muscles.

I wanted to bring this up because I have seen a lot of anti-e-bike sentiment on BF and other cycling forums, and usually an attitude like “it’s cheating”. I had a pretty good crash on my hybrid almost a year ago - 355 days ago to be exact, and the experience of being temporarily disabled made me appreciate just how hard many things are when you are physically challenged. I say anything that helps someone compensate so they can continue to function to their highest potential is great.

So, I’m just trying to plant the seed in someone’s mind that an e-bike might be a good workaround for certain physical limitations or conditions. The first time I rode one, about a 20 minute test ride, I quickly disavowed myself of the “is it cheating?” question ... it was a pretty intense ride and I came back drenched in sweat on a 50 degree late October morning. Yes, it “could be” cheating if your express goal is exercise, and you use highest assist or throttle-only the whole ride - but as adults, we should know enough to realize a little candy is ok, a steady diet of just candy makes us sick.

At any rate, e-bikes are a growing trend, more of them coming to market, and all of the big names are jumping in, so they will become more common, more accepted, and less expensive - not to mention more diverse types, better tech, and lighter. I would encourage anyone who is strugglimg to ride because of knee (or any) health problems to consider one.