Pedego City Commuter review

Bought a 36v 15 AH City Commuter on EBay last week & I've had it only a couple days & clocked 45 miles here's my first impressions & a quick review.
Bike is big, a 29'er has 700c rims Schwable 28" tires & a 20" frame, it really covers a lot of ground & it's fast.
No suspension except the seat post & it rides really smooth..
Bike has a Dapu 400w geared hub motor, it's small the diameter of the freewheel & it's pulls real nice with excellent torque. It feels more powerful then my last bike which had the UM gear less hub motor that was rated @ 500w { I did lose 25 lbs though since my last bike }.
The motor reminds me of an elevator taking off the way it sounds if you go full throttle from a start, not in DB's but just the way it sounds, then it goes silent once your underway, you hear nothing. If you wanted to you could take off with pedaling & feather the throttle & it would be silent from the get go.
Bike is 50 lbs without the battery, 60 with & it has a light feel considering it's size, she pedals real easy without any juice & without the battery it's so close to a regular bike feel because the motor is so small & light.
Spokes are 12 G, I tightened them already they needed it, rims are nice & true hopefully no broken spokes on this one.
I'm 5'9" tall, was told by a couple people including the EBay seller I may want the step-through model @ my height so I ordered a low profile road bike saddle & that brought me down a couple inches & i can still use the suspension seat post , I can stand flat footed with an inch or so between the top tube & my crotch. So thats a tip for 5'9" buyers { those stock comfort saddles are funky looking anyways }, Bike size feels great.
Avid BB7 brakes are great, love them my favorite bicycle brakes..
The battery is a rear mount but the way the rack in integrated into the frame with welded tubes makes it part of the bike, handles fine, oh rack has a rat trap built in & is weight bearing to a degree for panniers which I ordered. She also has a built in headlight & tail light that runs off the battery & a trip computer that gives MPH's & lots of other info.
There's more for me to add but will list some cons.
They put Slime in the tubes I hate that stuff , tires came with 45 lbs PSI, I aired them to max 65psi with my brand new Joe Blow air pump, then aired up my brand new Air Zound air horn only to get slime in both the pump & the horn which took me 45 minutes to clean out the horn to get it to work.
The bike comes with a multi adjustable stem that adjusts the handle bars 2 ways using one lever, I pretty much think it's a gimmicky thing that adds a weak point , I'm installing a proper stem soon.
Charger seems cheap, has a fan but mine came damaged from transit & was buzzing & had a rattle in there { Pedego sent me another right out }.
Anyways I respect Pedego's customer service & warranty { bike 1 year, battery 3 years } they dont play hide & seek when you call them & are really nice people so it makes the fact I paid $ 2700.00 for the bike easier to swallow. Bike came 99% assembled & battery charged, pedals & handle bar install & your riding.
Well designed big fast bike that's great looking with excellent range, small Dapu hub motor has lots of torque/ power & is stealthy add the fact Pedego has great customer service bike is hard to resist, glad I bought one
pictures below

Congrats on your new bike. Thanks for sharing your review. It's a really solid bike and you should anticipate enjoying it for years to come.

Thanks ,I edited my post now it's legible, i'm a terrible writer but know e-Bikes pretty good so I'll add some updates & pictures to the thread. Just came back fom a 15 mile ride here in Sunny Florida I used to work in Lindenhurst where your old shop is or was, I moved off the island recently. Thanks for the reply & good luck with your business.

Thanks. Lindenhurst is a great town. It's unfortunate how hard it got hit from Sandy.

Did you bump the speed limit up to 25 yet?

I recently worked on one here in town, 48v version..

http://ypedal.com/blog/Blog4-20130809.htm

it does ride nice, and yes the spokes needed re-tensioning, that adjustable stem tends to buzzzz ( added clear tape to hold it down , got rid of buzzzz ), but the large size, comfortable frame and zip of 48v on a geared motor make for a great ride.. i really liked it.

LongIslandElectricBikes , I plead the 5th, well I'll say this only when on private property !
Ypedal, I put cable ties & on the stem lever for now & i'm swapping in a different one soon.
The bike's design is great man it just gallops along @ a nice 25 MPH clip so effortlessly, or pedals so easily @ 15 MPH or so with little to no e-assist needed or wanted, so many times I don't even need the juice the bike rolls so well, rims have a nice quality feel to the touch, smooth & well machined & painted, the motor shines up like chrome with a little wd40 on a rag, the balance considering the battery's location is wonderful , no flexing nor movement with this rack design ..The riding position is great so comfy real easy on the back & I bought a Brooks B-17 aged tan saddle, also bought these " Basil " brand XL double wide rack panniers made in the Netherlands, they are awesome quality & looks & only $ 50.00.. will she hold up the quality seems there but time will tell, my first impressions @ 95 miles is is I'm very impressed. The roads I'm riding { so far } here in Florida are perfect for this bike not as many pot holes as up on Long Island, I just gotta watch out for the alligators & vultures..I'm going to post some pictures soon..Heres the panniers, a guy on EBay sell them,

Update 150 miles.
Spokes needed tightening again, I heard a tick tick tick & they were loosened up a bit again Without a doubt if your going to do any serious or even slightly serious riding on this bike you need to keep an eye on these spokes. I weigh 169 lbs have a light load in Panniers & always go easy on bumps & take my weight off the seat. I might sound like a hypocrite when I review this bike with updates, cant help it as I put miles on her somethings that impressed me @ first I may change my mind. Thee rims are nice as I mentioned but the spokes seem too soft. They remind me of the EBay Yescom kit spokes which were pretty good but very typical Chinese in quality maybe the same ones. 12 gauge but the spoke wrench cut into one while tightening & spun the wrench & I wasnt over tightening it. I for see maybe relacing the wheel with better spokes one day.
I'm glad I bought the bike still , The bike's flat black paint seems to be good quality & is holding up to my wipe downs, as do the welds. The crankset & kickstand take an 8mm, I bought a Park tool 8mm with a grip handle, they both needed a little snug up & I felt if I leaned into the crank too much I could easily break it with this tool, it's a light weight setup, the sprocket looks cheap too. I do kinda miss the Taiwan quality of my E-Maxi Mipower, but I can always upgrade components, the bike is a great starting point, motor, frame battery etc.. . The gears were getting harder to shift, some WD-40 on the deraulleur did the trick, all controls levers, gear shifter too needed to be tightened a little for the second time. I haven't had to readjust the BB7's I checked the mounting bolts & are nice & tight. Oh & this may seem a weak criticism but when the rear wheel had the tick my first reaction is to check the tire for a tack or other sharp object I may have embedded in there, it's really hard to do this with this bike you know roll the bike along & check the tire because the fenders & mudguards really cover the wheel for what that's worth. I would trade the cost of the fenders, mudguards for better quality spokes, the fenders seem to just get in the way & make cleaning the bike harder. I don't commute with it with nice clothes..they may come off soon. I'll link pictures, my Brooks saddle was lost or stolen in the mail still waiting for outcome from Ebay & have cheap low profile road saddle on there now, looks a little out of place on the bike but I need the lower saddle. Heres a picture on the beach in Florida today, Sat 12/14/13..

Quick 250 mile update, spokes are great, nice & tight, tightened them twice first couple hundred miles or so 1/2 turn approx. each time, now great, bike in nice groove, full speed ahead .New seat Velo Orange Australian cowhide Brooks knock off, longer rails & wider & designed for commuter style bikes, nice & comfy, $ 76.00 free shipping Ebay. Panniers excellent fits a helmet, always have one with me now.. Love the geared hub motor, no speed limiter kicking in & out, always " On "..getting 30 mile after 1/2 discharge according to meter on battery, should get 60 plus miles to flat battery I figure, maybe more. fun bike.. New pictures.

I'm told Pedego will have a triangle battery option in summer 2014. That will be the single best thing they could do to improve the handling. Having the battery and hub in the rear was acceptable two years ago, but not now. Their national marketing is very well-done, but marketing will only take you so far in todays competitive market.

I'd recommend a suspension seat-post. I have a Thudbuster, but there are several to choose from.

http://www.electricbike.com/suspension-seat-posts/

The marketing is great, i follow them on Twitter these bikes are on the streets of Rome, Scandinavia all throughout Europe. The rear tube welded rack feels perfect, will it hold up without snapping that is the question, i ride it with a measure of TLC.. Big advantage is quick battery release/removal. I had center battery mount bike last one, loved it but had drawbacks too, EDIT- comes with suspension seatpost, seems well made, no fiddling like the thud busters or tamer I had last, PIA all the adjustments & greasing.. Fun out of the box here, seems a great value this bike it does a lot of things right this bike, fast , big wheels & frame { damn thing is long ! }, light feel, small geared motor, schwables, Avid BB7's, good looks, the list goes on..The company did a nice job.
EDIT, added another picture, also quick update , 300 plus miles, was too fast to imply some components seemed cheap, they are light weight but seem strong, the bike is really impressing me although she's still barley broken in, time will tell but lovin it ! :wink: "

500 mile update.
The Grip Shifter broke & i'm glad it happened will get to that later. The shifts were always too tight & never felt quite right . I called Pedego & got Don the CEO & he sent another right out. Don told me good LH 7 speed grip shifter's are hard to come by {CEO Blah Blah Blah BS}, I had a Microshift LH 7 speed shifter that never failed me on my last bike { MiPower} shifts were crisp & easy. This Pedego bike is long & the cable is long so to make it shift right it needs a ball bearing shifter or @ least a better one the the " Concorde " brand on there now which is pretty much junk .
I dont believe the cheap shifter reflects the bike's components or the bike in general I really love the bike, it's big fast & special but a road bike make no doubt, not for the trails.
Ok, this is why I'm glad the shifter broke, this bike was born to be a single speed !!
The motor pulls so hard from a dead stop, you dont even need to pedal, the simplicity of a single speed really adds to the whole experience,it's better because there's less to think about { it's amazing how much of your brain thinks about shifting gears } & for my weight & these roads I ride on this bike as a single speed is freaking great 8) best way to describe it. I'm going to install a single speed freewheeling cog & chain tensioner kit when i get a chance maybe Pedego can suggest a conversion kit I have to contact them or I'll do it myself . Sheldon Brown claims the conversion makes the bike a little quicker & worth doing, cant wait simpler is better..
Quick " range " report, doing 50 plus miles & meter on battery shows 2 green LED's meaning 1/2 charge, left ! I do pedal along almost always as I love & need exercise but I bet I can easily go 75 plus miles with this thing with my riding weight of 175 lbs. { 36V 15 option AH battery }.
I'm really glad I bought it thus far, warts & all, very special bike..I doubt I'll ever go back to gear less motors too from the weight savings, to the smaller hub which means longer spokes & more discreet & better looking, the torque.. Phew love it...The Easy Motion Neo Jumper guys know what i'm talking about I bet.. :wink:

Gears often seem to be "optional" IMO. I went through the trouble of a single speed conversion on a bike but found it way over-rated.

I now just go with 13-14T freewheel and lock the derailer onto high gear. I also learned derailers help maintain chain tension and act as a guide to prevent your chain from hopping off.

Lose the cables/shifters and figure out a reasonable way to lock the derailer into the desired cog.

Even with low gearing pedaling a heavy, dead eBike is insanity. You might be able to do short distances on level ground in higher gear but any hills I think it's just as fast to walk it up.

The way I have it now it's set on the smallest cog & it's lined up real well { I slightly adjusted the barrel adjuster on derailleur lined it up} . The cable is presently still in place too. When it broke it jammed & these little plastic tabs/bits came out & the shifter wouldn't click in place & stay put but when I twisted the shifter the derailleur still moved just wouldn't index & lock up. So I have proper tension, great alignment & I simply took a few strips of black tape & taped the shifter off so it wont move as I re-trained myself not to shift anymore. This happened about 80 miles ago & it's in a good place, feels well aligned & it's safe I believe. I wonder if maybe you installed a conversion kit that wasn't that great or maybe something didn't line up right or went wrong, I'm looking forward to install a kit to improve it but now I wonder..It's working well now, this bike I could climb a hill with it stuck in 7th gear the motor pulls so hard, well there's not many hills here anyways..
I really like the single speed effect though I couldn't quite figure out why & after reading Sheldon Brown's comments on how there's less to think about Eureka tha'ts it :lol: , makes the whole riding experience better.
EDIT, added a picture taken today..

Update 5-19-2014
I was away for over 2 months so bike was in storage & got no use, but since returning about 3 weeks ago I put 300 or so miles on it has approx. 950 on the clock as of today.
I've been running it as a single speed bike as mentioned { love it this way } & I recently totally removed the shifter & shift cable to clean things up , works real well, even better I would say without the cable in place & alignment adjustments are made with the 2 small screws on derailleur .
I like the small mods I did to the bike which has made it more user friendly from the non adjustable handle bar stem, the removal of the shifter & cable & the Leather Velo seat has really worn in nicely.
The spokes on the rear wheel are good, no tightening has been needed since last time, I did do a front wheel tightening job for the first time last week, the wheels are still true after 950 miles, I do " horse it " through grass & trails sometimes & over some bumpy road conditions but for the most part the area where I ride the roads are smooth, having said that I do treat it with a measure of TLC because although I love this bikes design & performance it still has a Chinese frame & wheel set with some quality parts bolted on BUT she's doing well & I'm enjoying the bike a lot
Here's a couple pictures I took today

Glad to see you're still riding brother! I'm looking for a great controller for the emaxi as I blew the stock one somehow. I know it had a long life due to your meticulous documentation. I'm going to make a post and try to get some input. Still very happy with the purchase!

Yeah man, racking up the miles as matter O fact,I need it like an addict factor in the great Fla. weather & cool roads down here it's intoxicating, I come come home everyday with a big smile plastered on my face it's like natural endorphin high
R. Martin is still doing business under a different name { @ least he was about 3 months ago } he has those controllers I bet, or Pacific cycle as well as other places, you may need to contact E-Maxi directly through their site EMaxi.com.TW..you got a nice deal the " gotta get out of Dodge" special..

It's been great reading the ongoing review of the city commuter. I built my first ebike about ten/eleven years ago by converting a Jamis Boss beach cruiser with an Crystalyte 1000 watt front motor and with the 48 volt lead acid batteries. This made for a HEAVY bike with relatively short range but there was room for the charger which I carried with me and "opportunity" charged. About 2007 I put LiPo4 batteries on and increased the range reduced the weight but the bike was still heavy, required careful handling and braking but it did the job and I wound up with over 3K miles on it. It did not like rain and had no problem blowing a controller or requiring the motor being disassembled. (ypedal was a FANTASTIC help supplying me with instructions and pictures)
In addition to normal transportation I would ride with a local group on Sunday mornings, about 30 miles or so and would put up with the friendly jibes about me using my electric while they were "exercising". The social aspects were fun but eventually the LiPo's were fading and were lacking the range and this was NOT a bike you could pedal very far. So about a year or so ago I sold it and missed it. A lot. I wound up not going to Endless-Sphere very often, not riding on Sunday mornings, (I did buy a Trek hybrid but 30 miles was too much for me every week)
Wanting another e-bike I went back to Endless-Sphere, read reviews, looked at everything on I could find and wound up a couple of weeks ago with the Pedago Interceptor. Compared to my old bike this is a Corvette that rides like a Buick. The pedal assist is fantastic, the range with my 71 y/o 250 lb body is fantastic and it did a 31 mile ride with my Sunday group with lots of battery to spare. I do not have the hours or miles 50yearoldbiker has on his but can say I'm thrilled with this bike and truly hope my wife will allow me to buy her one (with the step through frame).
Palm Coast, Florida is blessed wth miles and miles of gorgeous bike trails that meander thorough residential and wilderness areas and Oceanside vistas. Our hills are limited to bridges but they are big bridges which the Interceptor laughs at. I'm pleased with the construction, battery, style and comfort this bike provides and am quite happy I didn't have to build it myself. Again. Plus, and it's a big plus, it fairly stealth and doesn't garner the attention my home made one did.
Kudo's to 50yearoldbiker for his reviews which helped me decide on the Pedago.

MDVadventure- if you can take a City Commuter model for a test ride, they have a step through model, I don't know if you tried a geared hub motor bike but iMHO it's a more fulfilling experience, they are smaller, lighter & the way they power on " blam " with plenty of torque & no rev limiter kicking in & out not to mention the City Commuter has a 25 MPH setting for Eheem " off road " use combined with the fact it's a 29'er bike , a 15 AH battery for 40 plus range most days, makes for a light rewarding combo;

The way I look @ it with the E-Biking hobby as far as the health rewards go is they offer is a little bit of something { exercise that is } which is is better then nothing, my blood pressure went from full blown hypertension to normal & I'm down to my high school weight @ 52 years old .. I/m @ 1300 miles already..really digging it Thanks for chiming in..

Sunday was a 34 mile round trip ride with about 40% battery left after hauling my 250 Lbs in pedal assist mode averaging 14 MPH on the first half and 16-17 on the return, flat road, 80% bike path) moderate wind from the east (which is sideways on this N/S trip). For the last 1/4 mile I put it in throttle mode and wound it all the way up to 21 mph and the battery still showed two bars but went back to three when I left off the throttle.
The Pedego Interceptor is a geared hub motor, 48 volt but only a 10 amp hour battery is available. Initially I wanted to order a spare battery but the dealer talked me out of it saying it wasn't needed for a 40 - 50 mile range. I do believe 50 miles is possible using moderate peddling at a 12 - 14 mph pace.
So far, only about 150 miles, the bike has been flawless, possesses awesome brakes and the only change I could think of would be a thud buster but that isn't really necessary. I do wish my wife would let me buy her the step through model and join me on my rides but so far, not so much.
I really have to agree with 50yearoldbiker with the Pedego being a fine ebike.
Mike

Ok that model { The Interceptor 2 } uses a geared HM just checked that bike out really cool better then the original much like the City Commuter , your getting good range out of that 10 Amp, the 48 volts are good for your size too .
Good idea now to check your spokes @ the 150 miles if you haven't done so, really important as matter of fact. Youtube has a video Pedego spoke tightening which the tech shows the best way. I check mine from time to time keep my rims clean & WD 40 the spoke nipples too now & then but I haven't had to tighten them in over 1000 miles now they are fine , I bet your on top of this figured I'd th-ow it in

The headlight wires snapped somehow {maybe when the handlebars were full locked for the first time I figure } but they grounded out against the frame & blew the display unit computer thing leaving me dead in the water so to speak. What Pedego did was take up the HL wire's slack by wrapping it around the bracket a few times but it was too taught . I would check if I had a Pedego with this HL setup to make sure there's enough slack with HB's in full lock position. What I did was use zip ties attacking wires to the main loom that goes into the frame after making the repair with black tape & it's perfect now , as was Pedego's customer service regarding this incident.. Back in the saddle again..over 1400 miles now bike is doing well & I'm using it a lot & will continue to use it a lot so stay tuned for updates ..

One more update on my Pedego Interceptor: With a few more miles on it and a couple of adjustments to the seat the bike is simply getting better. The pedal assist mode has five settings with the first one being very light and the fifth one quite capable of 17 MPH with normal pedaling but obviously using more battery power. I've found while riding by myself and being satisfied with a 12-13 MPH speed that the second setting is very satisfactory but find myself bumping it up to three or four for the last couple of miles on the ride back home. When riding with a group of Lycra's, which I do on Sunday Mornings, I go between two and three depending on wind and how fast they want to go, generally in the 14-15 MPH range. (These are serious riders but are all pushing 70 or better y/o)
With a ride of around 30-35 miles battery life is something I watch but so far it's been a worry for nothing as I've yet to use 75% of what's available and bear in mind I weigh 250 lbs. Thus far, except for the seat, I've made NO adjustments, the brakes are awesome, it shifts beautifully, the built in headlight is fantastic and despite the fact there is no suspension except for the seat post, the bike is comfortable.
Mike

Mike thanks for the update.
I've clocked over 1800 miles so far & except for the fact I'm getting a cut/rash type injury on mostly one of my thighs where the bottom edge of the leather is cutting into me I too still like the bike. I tried many different adjustments on my Velo Orange, went back to the original Pedego comfort seat for a short time that was too high & caused more friction now I've been doing better with a skinny Velo road bike saddle.
What I think is happening with me is I lost 50 lbs. down to 157 & the suspension seat post doesn't compress @ my weight, no spring action factor in the florida summer weather = NG. I may try a thudbuster type seat post in the future..
Bikes been on some sandy trails lately also, handles them well .. Also my rear tire is balding but still has some more life I think, I hope these Schwables don't need replacing too soon..thats my update, signing off 8)

Thank you for your effort to describe your experiences with the City Commuter. Your posts were very helpful making up my mind and I ended up buying a step through 36V 15ah City Commuter a few weeks ago.

I am in New Zealand and due to local laws the bike is limited to 300W here - a bit more power would be great on steep hills. Still, the experience with the bike has been awesome so far. I wonder whether the bike actually uses the same motor and the 300W limit is just a controller setting?

The one thing that I am not sure about is the battery charger. It does not match the quality of the bike. The fan is very loud and the device looks and feels overall rather cheap. I hope it will go the distance...

It might be helpful for others to point out that Pedego has further upgraded / changed the bikes specs this year:
- The throttle now works in all modes (0-5). You can use the throttle while in PAS mode, e.g. without pedalling or when stopped at a traffic light to give you a "push" from standstill without having to turn the PAS mode off (0)
- The main On-Off switch under the battery has been improved with the addition of a soft, clear silicon cover to enhance water resistance
- The adjustable handlebar stem is different - a more squared / less rounded design

Cheers, Thomas