E-Bike Mechanic/Advocate
Hi, I am Mitch Rice, you may have seen me riding my bike around town running errands, or out on our county roads for fun & recreation. I’ve ridden my recumbents on most of our county roads, and explored portions of Lawrence and Brown counties, and blogged about the rides.
Around the time of my bypass surgery in 2017, I started riding a used Trek Cargo e-bike, and I loved the experience. In 2018 I bought a RadWagon, which is a beast of a bike that I have been happy with ever since. It’s carried both my grandsons plus cargo around town, and works remarkably well off road as well. We recently converted my classic Rans Stratus to a 36V/500W front wheel motor, and have been really happy with its performance out on the rural roads.
As a 25 year bike commuter, I can attest that e-bikes make those necessary trips amazingly easy and fun. You can arrive at your destination sweat free, no special clothing, no extra effort, no stuck in traffic, plus the knowledge that you are reducing your carbon footprint while having a good time!
In my working years I have picked grapes in California, as well as pick cranberries on Cape Cod, after which I then spent a decade as a vegetarian cook/restauranteur in Cleveland and Miami. My main work through the 80’s and 90’s was as a carpenter/contractor (Bloomingfoods East), a mason (Kirkwood Gates). After a few years as webmaster for the EPA’s PCB cleanup and numerous community groups, I signed on (and worked for 18 years) as the IT guy for IU Studios (formerly IU Communications, New Media, & Publications).
My fourth major career path (ebike mechanic) may be the best yet, as it combines several of main themes in my life: the joy of bike riding, being a part of nature in all seasons, and re-creating our world (one ebike at a time) so that it is sustainable for our children to the seventh generation.