Wow. That’s a mouthful.

My name is Miles Howe. Among other things, I’m a musician.

Starting on Wednesday, September 8th, I’ll be riding an Ezee Torq across the country, from Nanaimo to Halifax. I estimate that this trip will take about two months. Let me first thank and acknowledge the Snuneymuxw First Nation for having me as a guest on their traditional territory over this past year. I have appreciated the hospitality.

Recent History…

So I was fresh off of a musical bike tour of Vancouver Island featuring Jon Bone and Matt Belcourt, righteous players and fellow brothers of the tribe of long distance cyclists. From July 29th to August 20th we put in about 550kms and played 15+ shows in the span of three weeks. There were a few crazy off-road days, with highlights for me including the 45km logging road stretch from Port Hardy to Holberg, and the 70km backroad jaunt from Woss to Gold River.

But…it wasn’t enough. Grandpa built me my first BMX bike out of old pipes, and I’ve been hooked since age five. Long distance cycling for me was biking across town to school, so I wouldn’t get beat up by high school students on the city bus. I learned early to appreciate the uphills, because a downhill was sure to follow.

Mom owned a Morris Oxford, once. She’s been a die hard cyclist since I can remember. I’ve been a bike courier, and once upon a time I rode from Ottawa to Winnipeg in seventeen days. Basically, the Island Trip rekindled my cycling addiction in a big way.

Give it away now.

Prior to the trip I’d been driving a 1986 Chrysler New Yorker back and forth across the Canadian West, touring. Playing shows to often uninterested crowds, losing the purpose in why I’d chosen to become a musician in the first place. It certainly wasn’t for the money. Or the settled home life. It wasn’t even for the lifestyle. It was to do something. To leave a mark. To entertain yes, but to transmit a message. Pushing a behemoth, gas guzzling, beast from gig to gig was not allowing me to get that message through. As an entertainer I was getting paid to be happy, hell my stage name is Happy Feet Howe, but it was a facade. I had become an embodiment of the old New Yorker. Broken down, busted up, paint chipping away, one hubcap left. 32 seemed like a make or break year, and here I was, settling grumpily into some semblance of early middle age. Good thing I’ve got the metabolism of a long distance runner, or I might have started growing a paunch.

I called up the Kidney Foundation. I had them come pick up the car. I don’t know how much money I owe my mom, even if she says I don’t, but I had them make out a tax receipt in her name. Enough was enough.

Scooter Underground

I presented the idea of a cross-country electric bike tour to the good folks at Scooter Underground, and they were all for it. We were all a bit hesitant on starting this trip in September, but the well had run dry in Nanaimo, and I’d be pedaling my way to greener pastures if I was going to get out at all.

I’m not quite sure what I said to the Scooter Undergrounds, but it struck a chord. There’s a certain age when you have to act on the dreams in your heart, or just let them be, and I think a few of the Scooter Underground chaps understood that I’d be riding out either way, and that we could help each other on this.

They hooked me up with an Ezee Torq electric bike for the adventure, as well as two chargers, and four batteries rigged together into packs of two. A single battery is supposed to last anywhere from 40-60km, depending on the terrain and if you help it along with your own pedal power. A battery takes about five hours to charge. Two batteries rigged together should theoretically last just about twice that long, and take ten hours to charge. Four batteries…should get me to where I need to go every day.

First Impressions

I’ve got to admit, when it comes to bikes, I’m addicted to lightness. I like race horses, not Clydesdales. Sleek aluminum racers with graphite forks, shadow thin tires, bullhorn handlebars, clip in pedals, and a back country highway. That’s my ride. I’ll wear my spandex underneath a conventional pairs of shorts though, thanks.

So it was a bit of a biased introduction to the Torq, which weighs in, when equipped with all its electrical components, as heavy enough to bend at the knees when you lift it. Its a touring bike. Front suspension forks, a big ol’ bulletproof frame, cushy seat, eight speeds only. I was thinking granny ride. BIG granny ride. As I throttled the Torq out of Scooter Underground and onto the streets of Victoria, I was looking for it to fail. This is the beast I’m looking to take over the Rocky Mountains, remember. So with a bee in my proverbial bonnet I gunned it straight for the Malahat in a rainstorm. At 350m elevation, its Vancouver Island’s highest point. I figured I’d kill the thing on its virgin ride and get the Scooter Undergrounds to customize my racer with an electric motor. Case closed.

IMPRESSED.

But it wouldn’t die. Instead, the Torq jetted me across the Malahat, up and over the continental divide in a microcosm, and dropped me barely sweaty, only two hours later in Duncan. Impressive Torq, very impressive. That’s a solid 60km of hairy terrain, and the Torq gobbled it up. I couldn’t have ridden the Malahat by myself in that time, and that was the litmus test I needed. Sorry for doubting you Torq, I guess bigger is better.

Ready to Go

So I’m back in Nanaimo for a couple of days, and then off across the country. We’re going into a bit of uncharted terrain here, as far as Ezee bikes go. Torqs run across South Africa on a regular basis, picking up wins and trophies in prestigious electric bike races. But this is Canada with winter coming on. And as I mentioned, I’m also a musician. So I’ll be asking this Torq to pull a trailer filled with CDs that gotta go and a mini amp, over the Rocky mountains, across the prairies, through the barrens of Northern Ontario, Quebec, and then down into the Maritimes. That’s close to 6000km. Its a electric bike test. Its a music tour. Its a kick ass adventure. And I’m your pilot.

BC SHOWS

Here’s the schedule for BC…

September 8^th: Duncan: The Garage Showroom

September 9^th: Vancouver: House Party – Foxy House

September 10^th: Hope: Skinny’s Grille

September 11^th: Princeton: Cowboy Coffee

September 12^th: Hedley: Gold Dust

September 13^th: Penticton: Fibonacci’s

September 14^th: Rock Creek: Prospector’s Pub

September 15^th: Grand Forks: Kokomo’s Coffee House

September 16^th: Winlaw: Cedar Creek Cafe

September 17^th: Nelson: House Party

September 18^th: Sirdar: Sirdar Pub & Grill

September 19^th: Fernie: The Brickhouse

September 20^th: Elkford: Sneaky D’s

Stay Tuned!

Now that we know each other a bit, I hope you’ll stay tuned. I’ll be sending regular updates from the road. If you see your town on the schedule, stop by and say hi. Or tell a friend. If you’ve got a bike and feel like cruising, the more the merrier. If you’re a bicycling musician, there’s always time for highway jams. If you are a an accomplished baker and/or cook and/or brewmaster, you can have my cellphone number. While I’m doing the electric cycling, my friend Peter will be attempting to carpool his way to every show. He’s an accomplished guitarist and pail player. If you’ve got questions, tips, advice, road beers, email mileshowe@hotmail.com. Press always helps, so drop a line or pass on the message if you know some media.

Peace and Blessings and wish me luck.

Miles