Pedego Interceptor

My wife and I received our Pedego Interceptors this week and we are very pleased. My wife got the Step-Thru design with the Creme Balloon package, and I got the Classic design with the Brown Balloon Package.

Note that the Interceptor Step-Thru design is not shown on the Pedego website, and is 2" shorter than the Classic design.

Our decision was based on the excellent write-ups by Jerome Daoust as well as a test cycle with Pedal-or-Not in Santa Monica.

During the test ride it was obvious that the Interceptor was faster and more powerful than the Pedego Classic Cruiser, and as everyone knows, more power equals more fun!

Steven at Pedal-or-Not refunds the price of the Santa Monica / Venice tour if you end up ordering the bike, as well as offering a $200 discount off the list price. Even though we are natives, it was a fun tour and we did end up ordering bikes from him. He delivered the bikes to our house a few days later, fresh from the Pedego folks in Irvine (about 60 miles south of us).

The weather in LA has been unusually cold and wet this week, so we have not had a chance yet to take them on some long rides, I'll add more later...

Today I took the bike out for a quick trip along the bike path that runs along the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles. I started at Will Rogers Beach Park, then headed south to the Santa Monica Pier, for a round trip distance of 6.3 miles.

Earlier I installed and carefully calibrated a Sigma BC1609 Cycling Computer on the front wheel. It showed a top speed of 25.84 mph; I made no attempt to pedal or help the aerodynamics. The battery was still showing a green light, so the trip did not use up much juice.

To get an accurate tire circumference for the BC1609 I put a spot of paint on the front tire, sat on the bike, rolled it forward six full revolutions in a straight line, then measured the distance. For me, it came out to 500.375 inches. Dividing by 6 gave me a circumference of 83.4 inches or 2118 mm.

The rear hub brakes on one of the bikes was making a crinkle / crunching noise when applying the brakes. I called Pedego to ask about it at 7:30pm, not expecting to get a real human, but Terry Sherry, one of the owners answered the phone!

He said it was not damaging anything, but he would send me some grease to apply to quiet things down.

Two small syringes of grease arrived in the mail. I removed the Phillips head screw on the hub brake used to access a hole and squirted in the entire contents of one syringe.

Problem solved, both bikes sound the same now, and the brakes feel the same.

Rear drum??

Sorry, I meant rear hub brake, I edited the original post.

Thanks.

How does that rear brake function? Looks weird.

I don't know how it works, but here is a close-up. This review comment says that they are DIA-Compe band brakes specifically designed by DIA-COMPE for Pedego. The green arrow shows the access port I mentioned.

Nice looking bikes. The disk brakes and the center stands are extra nice. The battery racks are interesting and I'm sure functional. The wife's bike with the creme balloon tires and the curvy frame looks like an antique bicycle. For fun you could have pictures taken at one of those booths with the victorian era costumes. 8)

What type of grease did they send you for the rear Dia-Compe brake.

Yeah, I have seen those Pedego Interceptors in person. The look and ride like real quality.
If i did not build my own I would definately order a Pedego Interceptor.

Hello all,

Can anyone answer this question:

Is it correct that if you turn the wheel while it is in the air, it will act like a generator, resulting in the lights turning on the bike's power indicator even if the battery is not connected?

This would also occur if going down a steep hill with the battery off or disconnected - do the power lights come on?

Thanks very much,
Peter

P.S. Sorry for the double post, there are two threads with reviews of the Interceptor and I'm not sure which (if either are followed) - thanks!

Review of the Pedego Interceptor (2015? 2016? Version) from riding one around in Boise, Idaho:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/outdoors/playing-outdoors/article78060592.html



"I never moved the pedal-assist selector above 2."
(Translation: Stayed in Pussycat Mode.)

[C]omments there include the usual fear and ignorance. [sigh]

For what it's worth: The Federal law normally trumps local laws and I carry a copy of both the Federal and State of Florida laws on my bike. That said I've been riding Electric Bikes for twenty years way back when friction drive was the way to go, later with 48volts of SLA batteries in saddlebags over the rear wheels with a Crystalyte front wheel motor and now with my Pedego Interceptor that has almost 3,000 miles on it. I ride mostly on bike trails and sidewalks, avoiding bike lanes and roadways whenever possible, and have NEVER been stopped by an officer of the law. My first bikes did not look stealth with heavy duty wires running everywhere and electrical tape holding them secure. These two were ignored except for a couple of occasions when I was parked a member of the local PD would ask about it and one asked if he could ride it.
My Pedego though is stealth and more so because I swapped the seat with one minimally more comfortable but the new one doesn't have Pedego written on the back of it. To demonstrate the point, I ride with a regular group of six to fourteen riders on Sunday mornings, we generally average around 30 - 34 miles depending on the route. These riders, like myself, are "senior" citizens and most of them ride road bikes with an occasional hybrid thrown into the mix. Our average speeds are 14-16 mph depending on wind which can be substantial as we live in an oceanfront community. It's rare for a new rider to even notice I'm "cheating" on an electric bike.
Three or four years ago I bought a Trek hybrid thinking I needed the exercise. That didn't happen and the Trek might have 500 miles on it and mostly hangs on the wall in the garage. The Pedego gives me all the exercise I want, dealer assistance has been marvelous (Island Life in St. Augustine) and an ebike suits my needs perfectly. Plus...the range is marvelous!