I have been thinking about ways to go green, and ways to shed some extra weight (I am 35 lbs overweight) and thought that riding a bike 18 miles round trip to work each day might help with that. Neat Idea, but there were some problems. Problem One: I'm 53 years old, I haven't ridden a bike in a meaningful way in over 30 years and I'm out of shape. Problem Two: I live and work in the Seattle area (which is actually two problems). The ground isn't flat here. There are hills and long grades everywhere. It rains here a lot.
So my gear will be getting wet and I can't get up the hills because I'm too old and out of shape. I guess that idea is gone. But I didn't let it go. I kept thinking about it. I finally caught onto the idea of bikes that provide electric assist when you need it. I began to do research. I wasn't looking for the cheapest thing I could find. I was looking for the best quality thing. I recently spent some time in Amsterdam and became interested in their traditional commuter bicycles. People there don't put on racing gear and hunch over the handlebars. They ride sitting upright. The bikes have full fenders to keep the rain off and chain guards. People wear whatever they are wearing to work. Riding a bike isn't some sort of enthusiast passion, it is simply getting back and forth to work, or wherever.
So who makes the best traditional commuter bicycle that provides electric assist? After all of my research, the winner was the Pedego Classic City Commuter. The bike got compared to many others and came out on top in every area. The company also got high marks for customer care and responsiveness. So I bought the bike. I bought the 48v version because I'm a big guy and I wanted to make sure it could handle my weight and the hills. I also mounted a storm case to the rear rack to keep my gear dry. By the time I had the bike three days I had experience on two fronts: The bike itself; and the Pedego Company.
The Bike: The Pedego Classic City Commuter is beautiful. It is incredible quality with obvious attention to detail. I can get back and forth to work and up and down the hills with plenty of power. I am going 17-20 miles an hour up the hills and going 30 coasting down the other side. My 25 minute commute by car takes 32 minutes on the bike. I couldn't be more pleased.
Pedego the Company: Prior to making my purchase I wrote Pedego with some questions about the rear carrier rack. I wanted to get some details to assist me with selecting a rear carrier. That same day I got back details that included photos, dimensions, etc. The speed and thoroughness of the response, to someone who wasn't actually a customer yet, totally exceeded my expectations. The next interaction I had with them was also outstanding. The seat on the City Commuter was too hard to suit me. So I wrote Pedego and asked them if the mount was a standard size so I could order a more comfortable seat. They called me back on the phone again the same day, within a few hours. They guy I talked to said that he thought the seat on the City Cruiser was a more comfortable seat and offered to ship one to me, and I hadn't even asked! I was prepared to go find a seat on my own that I like better. I can't remember the last time I had this sort of experience with a company. Totally amazing!
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