I confess: My son Sean and I have been worried about his brother Colin’s weight, which he seems to have been putting on by the week! Ever since he arrived in Bloomington from the Boston area four years ago, it’s as if he’s grounding himself into his own path more and more, in all sorts of ways, including his wonderful Garden Tower Project, which as I write this is being tooled up for manufactured production in I think it’s only one month. However, ahem, his body has also been “grounding,” in a way that does not serve him and scares the hell out of his mom and brother!

Some months ago, Colin began a meticulous internet search for an “E-bike,” i.e., a bike also convertible to electric. About a month ago he told me his findings, a bike from Spain designed and built from the ground up as an E-bike, rather than a mountain bike converted to electricity. And wow, is he excited!

Yesterday, he rode his new Easy Motion bike over here to show me (about four miles, one fifth of his daily mileage since he got the bike four days ago), and to ask that I take a “Before” picture.

“BEFORE.”

Says he’s determined to release 40 pounds and then return for an “After” picture.

Of course I’m thrilled.

He tells me that his knee (which had been bothering him when he rode uphill on his old bike, so he rarely rode it; now he can just switch to electric on hills) is already better, stronger, and no longer hurts at all — after only four days!

A design-freak like his late father Patrick Cudmore, Colin proclaims: “this bike is the best-designed ergonomic machine I’ve ever seen.”

Here he is showing me its various hi-tech features, none of which I understand; nor can I even remember their names. A couple of them have to do with the bike’s computer, I do remember that. And I remember that this one shows the the long and wide white/red section where the hidden (did he say “cadmium”?) battery is stored.

Here are the others.

The bike retails for $4000. He got it for $3200.

http://www.emotionbikesusa.com/ebikes/EB414

Seems gaspingly expensive, until you factor in allopathic expenses that come from any chronic or acute medical condition, even with insurance. This e-bike IS his real insurance. He claims he’s going to put steel-rimmed studded tires on and gear up to the point where he can ride all winter long comfortably, down to 20°F, except when it’s icy. Says he’s going to design and build a cart to pull stuff, and will “completely retire” his car. We’ll see. He’s been right before. I certainly didn’t have any idea the Garden Tower would take off the way it has.

It’s interesting that son Sean is also riding mega-miles now, on his new, ultra-light street bike; and he’s riding it to early morning yoga classes three times a week for the first time in his life; this past August when he and the kids were here for a visit he told me that in two months he has dropped 15 pounds; I see him walking with a new spring in his step. Sean’s new light bike is the opposite of Colin’s new heavy bike (which Colin is happy about, since it forces him to get more exercise when he takes it off electric).

And with that whirlwind Show and Tell, happy as a lark, Colin rode off to complete his daily 21 mile ride.