Tina is a bike fan from Germany. She commutes with her Ampler Stellar around 8 km per day since 2018. We chatted with Tina about her love for cycling, her view on electric bicycles and her experience with Stellar e-bike.
Tell us about yourself.
I often cycle to work — it’s a nice balance to the office routine.
I try to travel as much as possible in my free time. My friend and I often make short weekend trips to new cities, longer tours along the Baltic Sea, or drive from our home in northern Germany all the way down to sunny Barcelona with our Volkswagen bus.
Whenever we make these kinds of trips, we always take our bicycles with us. Once we’re at a spot, I like to get on my bike and go riding. Cycling is the best way to explore the surrounding areas
What’s your history with bicycles?
I got my first bike when I was only five years old. It was a cyan-metallic kids-cycle with a white handlebar. I remember I used to ride it everywhere, exploring my hometown already as a small kid. At the age of seven, I started to ride a BMX bike. It was so cool and a lot of fun to ride.
I’ve always loved riding short bike rides — a few kilometres to the school or to the office. And I’ve always liked to ride fast. But I’ve never enjoyed the long cycling tours with strong headwind and with many miles across the country. Although, I must say that this has changed completely with my Ampler Stellar. Suddenly it doesn’t matter where the wind blows or how long the track is. Riding it is just so simple.
What do you love about riding a bicycle?
I love to be outdoors and in the fresh air, in the garden as well as on the move. As I said, I like to be fast, and cycling allows me to commute fast. The best part of riding a bike is to feel the fresh air in my face and the warm wind blowing through my hair. I like to cycle fast and without having to worry about the strong wind and the track.
Why did you decide to get an e-bike?
To be honest, like almost everyone in my circle of acquaintances, I was initially pretty sceptical about electric bicycles. I thought e-bikes are for old people who need extra support. But gradually, with a little push from my bike enthusiastic friend, I started to learn more about the different e-bikes on the market, and since I’m a curious person, I really wanted to try them out.
The first time for me to try an Ampler was with my friend’s Ampler Hawk.
As soon as I took a test ride with an Ampler, I was convinced that it is going to be my next bike. It was like a turbo drive, the bike almost went by itself and I didn’t want to dismount again.
The reason why I chose Ampler is easy: Ampler bikes are simply beautiful and the electric drive is unobtrusive. You can ride it like it’s a regular bicycle — it works with and without the support. I actually often ride my Stellar without the electric support. The Stellar is in fact even lighter and smoother than my regular city bike.
What’s your experience with Ampler Stellar?
I have three bicycles now. I think that rubbed off my bike enthusiast friend. I always use my Stellar when we want to ride longer tours or when I need to get somewhere fast. The Stellar is a good all-around vehicle and I see it as a complement to my city bike and my single speed bike.
I love to ride fast. Quite funny is that I often ride faster than the engine supports me and I don’t even notice it because the ride is so smooth. I was once riding so fast that my friend thought I had hacked the 25 km/h speed limit settings in the Ampler app, but actually, I hadn’t hacked anything. It was just a very easy and smooth ride. It is a great feeling.
Photos by Frank Glanert.