pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train connect … · 2013. 6. 1. · long workday. the...
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6/4/13 Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train station - latimes.com
www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-autos-electric-bicycle-20130601,0,3198699.story 1/4
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The motor makes hills and head winds a breeze, and there's no need for a motorcycle licenseand insurance as there would be with a scooter.
By Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times
June 1, 2013
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Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to trainstation
453
For years I contemplated selling my car and riding a bicycle
to work.
I would ride to the Tustin train station four miles from my
Irvine home on a bike path that would put me just half a mile
from the station. From there I would take the Metrolink train
to work in downtown Los Angeles.
But the few times I tried riding my road bike, I was exhausted
by the time I got home. Getting there was easy — all downhill
— but coming home was sheer agony, grinding up hills after a
long workday. The road bike went back up on the rack in the
garage.
I considered a scooter, but that ruled out the bike trail and
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A Pedeg o City Com m u ter electr ic is sh ow n bicy cle a t th e Metr olin k tr a in sta t ion in Tu st in .Th e m otor is
bu ilt in to th e h u b of th e r ea r w h eel, so th e on ly sig n of n on -h u m a n pow er is th e in con spicu ou s ba tter y
pa ck str a pped to th e lu g g a g e r a ck. (Peter Pa e, Los A n g eles Tim es / Ma y 3 0, 2 01 3 )
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6/4/13 Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train station - latimes.com
www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-autos-electric-bicycle-20130601,0,3198699.story 2/4
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FROM AROUND THE WEB
would require a motorcycle license and insurance.
Then I tried something in between — an electric bicycle from
Pedego, a 5-year-old company co-founded by Don
DiCostanzo, a former carwash mogul. He believes that
electric bikes are the future, especially in sunny Southern
California, and preaches this gospel to anyone who will listen.
He's winning over some high-profile converts: The Pedego
electric bicycle even gets a thumbs up from Google Inc.,
which has begun offering it at a subsidized rate to employees
at its Mountain View, Calif., campus. Apple Inc., Microsoft
Corp. and Tesla Motors Inc. are doing the same.
At first glance, it's hard to tell that the Pedego is anything
other than a casual bike. The motor is built into the hub of
the rear wheel, so the only sign of non-human power is the
inconspicuous battery pack strapped to the luggage rack.
But Pedego can get you up a hill, no sweat. Topping out at 20
miles per hour (the self-imposed limit to keep the two-
wheeler in the bicycle category), an electric-powered Pedego
can easily go spoke-to-spoke with the lightest, fastest road
bikes — yet it retains all the comfort and smooth ride of a
cruiser.
But the economics of the Pedego are what sold me.
Like most everyone who has bought a Pedego, I had to get over some sticker shock. The Dutch-style
city commuter I rode was nicely built, with top-notch components, but $2,500 for a bicycle? (Other
Pedego models range from $2,000 to $3,000.)
But then I started thinking of all the money I could save if I used this thing to commute. I could
dump my car — that's about $3,000 a year in gas, insurance, maintenance and registration, not to
mention the lump sum from selling the vehicle. And there's no need for new insurance or a license, as
with a scooter.
It's still a bicycle, after all, which meant I could cruise the extensive bike trails and lanes in Irvine.
And with the electric motor helping me out, hills or head winds would be a breeze.
It turned out to be a no-brainer. With a combination of pedal-assist and electric throttle, I could go
anywhere with ease.
In pedal-assist, the electric motor adds a little juice to your pedaling. That's handy for a middle-aged
man like myself, who wants to get a little exercise — or at least pretend to — without too much
exertion. I initially pedaled with the setting at "5" — meaning the electric motor at full power —
which required little effort beyond moving my legs up and down. After several days, I gradually
reduced the setting to "2" and got a little exercise. Now I sometimes pedal with the motor off
completely.
The Pedego costs next to nothing to operate — about $2.50 a month on my electricity bill. A full
recharge takes four to five hours using the regular household AC plug and gives the bike a range of
about 25 to 50 miles depending on weight, terrain and how much of the electrical power I use. I
usually plug in the charger before I go to sleep so Edison charges me a lower nighttime rate.
Bottom line: The bike would pay for itself in about 10 months, not counting the extra cash from the
sale of my car. And I've cut my daily trek down by about 15 minutes, compared with driving traffic-
clogged streets to the train station.
Riding the Pedego has proved so addictive, in fact, that I even find myself looking forward to the
commute.
Consumers can buy a Pedego bicycle online at http://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com (the company
delivers the bike to the home fully assembled) or try one out before buying at Pedego stores in
Cardiff by the Sea, Carlsbad, Corona del Mar, Dana Point, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Santa
Barbara, Santa Monica and Seal Beach.
A Pedego tent with various models for test rides is scheduled to be at Great Park Farmers Market in
Irvine on Sunday.
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6/4/13 Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train station - latimes.com
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Comments (10) Add / View comments | Discussion FAQ
RafeHusain at 9:51 AM June 03, 2013
i use my own 48lb 35 mph (with pedaling) ebike to commute 35 miles one way from coronato UCI.I use metrolink for 25 miles and pedal/ebike rest.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDGP7PO1__Qvideo of my bikehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4YAfCOjOJw
DonDiCostanzo at 2:22 AM June 03, 2013
M Roger Lindern,Bikes do get stolen but that's why they make locks!Cars get stolen and motorcycles get stolen.So don't buy a bike, motorcycle or car because they might get stolen?By exercising a little prevention, chances are unlikely your bike would get robbed.
M. Roger Linden at 2:57 PM June 01, 2013
The problem is this: bicycles get stolen all the time. It's almost inevitable. It's bad enoughwhen you spend a few hundred dollars on a bike and it gets stolen; it's a nightmare if the bikecosts $2500. So unless you can deal with the prospect of buying a $2500 bike and having itstolen, you are setting yourself up for disaster.
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