Hi folks,
My new (to me) house is on the outer edge of a small town/large village, and I hope to move over later this year.
The house is about 10mins walk from the nearest boulangerie and 20 mins to the centre of town/bar/supermarket (2) etc.
Walking to these facilities will form part of my daily routine while I endeavour to gain back a basic level of general fitness that I had pre-covid.
While walking will be quite pleasurable when I have time on my hands and the weather is nice, I’m thinking that I might also want to make a quick(er) trip to town to pick up some essentials and get back home. I will have a small car, but thought I might also like to have a bicycle as the road into town is relatively flat and straight and in good condition, and cycling will be healthier for both body and wallet.
I recently , and very briefly, tried to ride a bicycle after a lay off of 45 years and failed miserably - I’m sure with more practice I will probably be fine.
Beside I bicycle, I also wondered about the alternatives such as the old VeloSolex - French motorised bicycle - or indeed a tricycle.
I was wondering if anyone on here had added a bicycle to their stable, or use a trike or a VeloSolex and how they got on with them . . . 
As long as you don’t get tempted by these evil electric trottinettes that plague the roads and pavements with no thought for anyone else. Was at red light earlier, a woman and child were crossing and a trottinette user came up on the inside and kept going, the poor woman had to push the kiddie out of the way. I hate the damn things as you may have guessed. As for a bicycle, I bought a new one some 25 years ago here, the fad lasted a couple of weeks and I never rode it again yet as a child and teenager, I was glued to my bike and rode it everywhere.
I do indeed, and very good it is too, but a word of warning. If the power of the assisting motor (it does only assist, you must pedal to keep it working) drives the front wheel, as mine does, you will find there are some situations where it is very difficult because the bulk of the weight, ie you, is on the back wheels and on anything less than a completely solid surface on a hill climb, the front loses traction, and worse, can drift to one side as a result. That doesn’t necessarily mean you end up in the ditch because you can stop. But then re-starting is even more difficult
When I first got it I tried to mitigate this by fitting a front panier containing a 5 litre cubitainer of water in it which did help and I was able to do without it with practice. Difficult though because, unlike a bicycle, where you can throw your weight forwards by standing up on the pedals, the geometry of the trike makes this impossible.
If I was to buy another, I would make sure it was a rear wheel which was assisted. But I have a problem which you might not have. I live halfway between 2 10% hills so wherever I go I have at least one of them to climb and often both and, as the council in their wisdom chuck loose gravel on the road from time to time I find it very difficult to go out on it, and sometimes, impossible.
One thing to remember whatever you buy and whatever your situation, you can’t lean the machine into corners like a bike, what you have to do is lean your body outside of the footprint of it, a bit like a racing motorcycle sidecar passenger. But it is thrilling with the wind in your hair, body thrust sideways at 25 km/hr. as I find coming down the long hill and trying to maintain momentum for the lower 10%er. 
Not to nit-pick too much, but the evil is the human driver, the trottinette being entirely neutral. 
This holds true for many of the other things we in general blame too. 
One of these?
There’s a young-ish lad in our town who has an electric bike of some sort. He and I have somehow got in sync as he’s very often riding it when I’m out walking the dog of an evening.
I always thought electric bikes were not particularly fast but this thing goes like a rocket. I’d like to stop him one day to enquire about it, but the thing is pretty silent so by the time I notice him he’s whizzing straight past me and Charlie.
Personally I think you should take a leaf out of @John_Scully’s book and get yourself a Honda Monkey.
I keep misreading the title of this thread as “Talking to a bicycle”, which would of course be a silly thing to do.
I have a Trek mountain bike which I bought 14 years ago thinking I would use it to get myself fit - it gathers cobwebs in the garage unfortunately.
Maybe when I retire it will get dusted off and see some miles!
So do I. 
…which means it is probably illegal &/or hacked, unless it’s fully recognised as a “cyclomoteur” with all the attendant regulations, permis, etc.
Electric bikes are great and have pushed the age back at which people can still cycle.
I love mine.
However, they are heavier (~25kg) and faster (though legally capped at 25km/h), so if your route is quite flat perhaps a normal light bike might be the safer (and cheaper) option.
The advantage of an electric bike is you can be fast off at the lights, which adds a degree of safety as the other cars can see you.
My great-grandmother rode a bike well into her nineties, it’s definitely worth getting back on the saddle. Health benefits galore and it’s so much fun!
I cycle but a bike is something that is personalised to an individual, my road bike probably wouldn’t suit you nor your bike suit me.
I think firstly you need some practice and you will become more stable and very quickly start to find the 10 minute journey easier and easier… If you want to get fitter it sounds like a great plan to use your bike before you make any decisions about changing to an electric version or something else. Good luck with it.
I keep thinking about a bike - ordinary or electric - but what puts me off is the rain. My goodness does it rain here and for such a long period of the year! With ageing bones cycling in the rain is rather more risky than walking in the rain but if you live somewhere without the climate of Normandy @Mike313 I would definitely suggest sticking with the bike for now and seeing how you get on for a while…
I bought an electric bike (from Decathlon) for just that purpose. Most of the time my ten minute journey to the boulangerie is along a quiet road with a river on the other side. An electric bike means that although cycling, I’m whizzed along. It’s still a pleasant experience.
I live at the top of a steep hill. On Saturday I saw a mature-looking person with a nice bike and all the kit going up it at approximately a metre and a half per minute. He can’t have looked at the map.
Could have been Sir Bradley Wiggins on holiday. 
while we’re talking “bikes” can I ask if any of you use the bell to warn walkers that you are silently whizzing along… especially when they are looking the other way…
OH and I go strolling along the narrow lanes … no pavements… but we take care… we walk facing oncoming traffic.
however, having a bike rush past from behind us… “out of nowhere” …has caused me to wobble alarmingly at times … and I’m not even on a bike !!!
a warning ring-a-ling… well in advance… and OH would grab me, we’d step onto the narrow verge and wait for “whatever” to roll on by…
Bells on bikes are optional, like indicators on cars!
Seems you can be fined if you don’t have 'em…