 able to adjust your brakes in seconds without tools will make you more likely to do it, and make you safer.
Its impressive that Pedego chose to put BB7’s on their bike, because most consumers would not know the difference between these and the much less expensive Avid BB5’s (lack finger adjustments on both sides). The other components, however, (shifter, derailleurs, crank arms, pedals, etc) don’t quite match the quality of the brakes on this bike. To their credit, Pedego understands that on an electric bike, disc brakes are probably the most important bicycle component, and spent their money wisely. Says Don (President of Pedego), “Its important to go, but more important to stop.”
Shifting Components
The City Commuter uses a Shimano 7-speed Acera shifting system with a convenient twist shifter. I think seven speeds is plenty on an electric bike. The only comment I could make regarding improvements to the shifting, is that for me this bike would be aesthetically cleaner with no rear derailleur–in other words an internal gear rear hub, and a front wheel hub motor drive. This is the configuration chosen by the Faraday and the Juiced Rider. (rear hub motors do not allow internal gear shifters) which allows for a perfectly clean chain line and less maintenance. Also the new Smart EBike will use a 3-speed internal gear hub that is built into the hub motor (an innovation).
Throttle and controls:
Here you can see the twist shifter with its 7 speed indicator on the front left handle of the bike. As you can see your left hand has a lot going on here:
- Twist grip shifter
- Front Brake lever with power cut-off. When you squeeze this lever, not only does it activate the disc brake, but also cuts off the motor in case you are accidentally on throttle.
- Bike bell built into the front brake (see below)
- Mode selector. Here you can decide which level of pedal assist you want.
Pedal Assist
The City Commuter has 5 levels of pedal assist which you choose on the left hand grip. The higher the mode the faster the bike and the less efficient. If you want to double your range and get a lot of exercise, set the PAS to mode 2. Which mode you are in is displayed on the dashboard (pictured below). Mode 0 means you are on throttle control, which is what most users will opt for. The City Commuter uses a cadence sensor to determine how much throttle to apply when in PAS mode. That means it is measuring how fast you are peddling and applying throttle accordingly. Torque sensors which measure how hard you are peddling provide a smoother application of power but would add to the cost of the bike.
Dashboard
The Pedego uses a digital dash which is the latest and best I have seen out of China recently. The Pedego dash adds a few convenient features rarely seen in a China dash, a large speed read out, an odometer, and wattage the motor is burning. This still falls short of the functionality of the highly useful Cycle Analyst (see our review) which also displays amp hours used, and calculates watt hour per mile, and really is a great indicator of not only how much battery you have left, but also the general health of your battery. The Cycle Analyst is not cheap ($150) but worth the investment if you want an accurate indicator of your battery life.
The battery indicator on the Pedego dash has the deficit that all Chinese dashes currently have, they do not give a reliable reading of what battery you have left. The dash lingers on high longer than it should, and the lower the indicator drops the faster it falls, so you need to account for this when riding.
The Pedego dash looks great and even beats out the Cycle Analyst aesthetically which looks overly technical and hard to read.
No Front Suspension Forks
The Pedego City Commuter has no front suspension. To add quality suspension would add significantly to the price of the bike (around $600), and Pedego would rather have no suspension than cheap suspension. I agree with this ethos. Since this bike is designed for on road commuting, it does not need suspension. It does have a suspension seat post, fat Schwalbe tires, and a thick cushy seat to help absorb street bumps. Also remember if you are riding and see that you are about to hit a big bump, your legs are the best suspension you can ever ask for. Just raise your butt off the seat and stand up on the pedals and your legs become the best most elegant suspension shock-absorbers you will ever find.
Also the City Commuter looks a lot better with no front suspension forks than it would if it had them on it. Too many ebike manufacturers stick cheap Chinese suspension forks as a selling point on their Ebikes and it really takes away from the styling, adds to the weight and the complexity of the bike, and add to the cost of the bike.
Battery mounting:
Pedego has chosen on all its ebikes to go with a battery pack attached to the rear rack. This is the simplest solution to build an electric bike and it makes the Pedego look more like a conversion bike than a factory built bike. There are several problems with this battery in the rear rack design:
- The ebike with the motor and battery in the rear is back heavy…definitely not balanced and makes the bike feel heavier.
- The ebike is also top heavy because the battery rides so high, making the bike hard to lean over to step over the downtube and step onto.
- It takes a lot way from the bike aesthetically.
- It is easy to identify as an electric bike and loses its Stealth appeal (see our list the importance of stealth and ebikes)
- It is cheaper for the company to produce, and hopefully Pedego is passing this savings to you.
- It allows for an easily swappable battery which makes it possible to ride with 2 packs which will double your range (extra battery can easily be strapped to the top of the rear rack.
Rear Rack
Although the rear rack is bulky and ugly because it has the battery mounted in it, for a commuting bike a rear rack is a real pleasantry. Once you ride with your stuff in Panniers or on a Topeak bag on the rear rack its hard to go back to riding with a heavy back pack. In fact a backpack with some bungie cords could easily be mounted to this rear rack.
Panniers are especially recommended for this bike because they do a great job of hiding the rear battery pack which really adds to the look and stealth factor of the bike as pictured:
- Pedego City Commuter with Panniers
The Rack also has a book rack with a spring tensioned “grabber” for carrying books and such. I would recommend investing in some stylish looking panniers that hide the battery pack if you buy this ebike.
Kickstand
The City Commuter uses a center two-legged kickstand. This model is quickly and easily adjustable.
Although its obvious the kickstand is Chinese made and Chinese quality, it is designed well and does a good job.
This is a center kickstand so is slightly harder to manage than a regular kickstand. You have to roll the bike back while kicking the stand and the bike becomes partly elevated.
There are many distinct advantages to a center kickstand:
1. It is stable (much more stable than a regular kickstand) and can carry the weight of an electric bike no problem.
2. It can be used effectively even in uneven or rough terrain.
3. You can elevate the bike high enough to turn the wheels which is convenient for certain types of service to the bike.
Battery and range
The Pedego uses a battery pack consisting of 18650 lipo cells strung together to form the pack. Pedego does not list a name brand of their cells, and they seem to be generic.
Pedego has a lot of confidence in their battery pack and backs it with a 3 year warranty (rare to be this long in this industry). Expect at least 500 full charges with this battery before it needs replacement.
The Pedego comes with 3 different battery configurations.
- 36V 10-Ah (360 watt hours) 18 mile estimated range
- 36V 15-Ah (540 watt hours) 27 mile range
- 48V 10-Ah (480 watt hours) 24 mile range
1. 36V 10-Ah (360WH) $2395
2. 36V 15-Ah (540WH) $2690
3. 48V 10-Ah (480WH) $2795
As you can see the price of the bike is dependent on the battery size. This is because a quality lithium battery is by far the most expensive component of an electric bike, and the size of the battery is the biggest determinant on what type of real life range to expect. Therefore the best deal is to buy the 15-Ah Pedego since it actually has the largest battery, but of course the 48 volt version is zippier and faster.
Step Through Option
The Pedego comes in a step through option, where the top tube is much lower making the bike easier to get on and off. Although this is usually thought of as an option for the ladies, a step thru is especially convenient on an electric bike because you will never feel the weight of the bike more than when you are leaning the bike over to get onto it. With a step through you can can get on without tilting the bike. The Pedego has a