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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 Comments 10 Email Share Tweet Tweet 39 5 The motor makes hills and head winds a breeze, and there's no need for a motorcycle license and insurance as there would be with a scooter. By Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times June 1, 2013 Membership Serv ices Jobs Cars Real Estate Subscribe Rentals Weekly Circulars Custom Publishing Place Ad BUSINESS LOCAL U.S. WORLD BUSINESS SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH LIVING TRAVEL OPINION SHOP TRENDING NOW 'DEACON' JONES ZYNGA POWERHOUSE FIRE YASIEL PUIG VINE IRA DIO 'GAME OF THRONES' Search Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train station 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 Recommended on Facebook DJIA NASDAQ S&P500 'All in the Family' star Jean Stapleton dies at 90 47,030 people recommend this. Like magic, the price to enter Disneyland just went up 2,072 people recommend this. Jean Stapleton dies at 90; was as of 10:23AM ET 6/4/2013 15277.68 +23.65 3475.04 +9.67 1644.01 +3.59 QUOTE: Symbol or Name GO Connect Like 475k advertisement advertisement THIS WEEK'S CIRCULARS Get Bonus Savings on Inspiring Ingredients Save Mart Choose the Perfect Furniture Set For Your Backyard Menards Discover Delightful Deals on Dog Essentials PetSmart USA MORE CIRCULARS » MONEY & CO. TECHNOLOGY HIGHWAY 1 COMPANY TOWN PERSONAL FINANCE JOBS REAL ESTATE CARS Electric cars are getting as cheap as gasoline rivals Motorcycle mpg: 10 very fuel- efficient bikes A Pedego City Commuter electric is shown bicycle at the Metrolink train station in Tustin.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. (Peter Pae, Los Angeles Times / May 30, 2013) Recommend 414 Bart_Reed Like 475k

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Page 1: Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train Connect … · 2013. 6. 1. · long workday. The road bike went back up on the rack in the garage. I considered a scooter, but that

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

Comments 1 0 Email Share TweetTweet 39 5

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

Membership Serv ices Jobs Cars Real Estate Subscribe Rentals Weekly Circulars Custom Publishing Place Ad

BUSINESS

LOCAL U.S. WORLD BUSINESS SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH LIVING TRAVEL OPINION SHOP

TRENDING NOW 'DEACON' JONES ZYNGA POWERHOUSE FIRE YASIEL PUIG VINE IRADIO 'GAME OF THRONES'Search

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

Recommended on Facebook

DJIA

NASDAQ

S&P500

'All in the Family' star Jean

Stapleton dies at 90

47,030 people recommend this.

Like magic, the price to enter

Disneyland just went up

2,072 people recommend this.

Jean Stapleton dies at 90; was

Edith Bunker in 'All in the Family'

15,754 people recommend this.

as of 10:23AM ET 6/4/2013

15277.68+23.65

3475.04+9.67

1644.01+3.59

QUOTE: Sy mbol or Name GO

Connect

Like 475k

a d ve rt i se m e n t

a d ve rt i se m e n t

THIS WEEK'S CIRCULARS

Get Bonus Savings on InspiringIngredients

Save Mart

Choose the Perfect Furniture SetFor Your BackyardMenards

Discover Delightful Deals on Dog

EssentialsPetSmart USA

MORE CIRCULARS »

MONEY & CO. TECHNOLOGY HIGHWAY 1 COMPANY TOWN PERSONAL FINANCE JOBS REAL ESTATE CARS

Electric cars are getting as cheap asgasoline riv als

Motorcy cle mpg: 1 0 v ery fuel-efficient bikes

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 )

Recommend 414

Bart_Reed Like 475k

Page 2: Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train Connect … · 2013. 6. 1. · long workday. The road bike went back up on the rack in the garage. I considered a scooter, but that

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

Comments 1 0 Email Share TweetTweet 39 5

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.

[email protected]

Copy r ig h t © 2 01 3 , Los A n g eles Tim es

453

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Page 3: Pedego electric bicycle juices up commute to train Connect … · 2013. 6. 1. · long workday. The road bike went back up on the rack in the garage. I considered a scooter, but that

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 3/4

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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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