The Pedego City Commuter is an amazing electric bike. In fact, they are our best sellers. Just over half the bikes that Blue Monkey Bicycles has sold since our store opening early this year have been City Commuters. As you may know, we have some pretty long and steep hills here in Northern Utah. There have been several opportunities to personally test these bikes on sustained climbs and we have many favorable reviews coming in from our customers as well. There are still some more local climbs on our list to tackle, but here is a rundown of our experiences so far.
The City Commuter comes with either a 36 volt battery and 400 watt motor combination or a 48 volt battery and 500 watt motor. Both are very capable bikes and both can get you up that hill, albeit the 48 volt gets you there quicker. That being said, I was very impressed that a 36 volt bike took me up to the ‘U’ on the mountain above the University of Utah riding from downtown. I did not record the elevation gain but locals know that its quite the climb. With a 170lb rider, there was pedaling involved but I was not out of breath at the top and felt that I had gotten a decent pedaling workout.
For the 48 volt City Commuter test, I rode up City Creek Canyon which is a trail located just above the Utah State Capitol. I chose to put the bike on pedal assist level 2 out of 5 as I wanted a little bit of a workout. I found I was still going between 9 and 12 mph up most of the canyon. The 48 volt version is extremely powerful and I probably could have powered up the hill with little pedaling if I had wanted to. The trail was quiet that day but I did pass a few road and mountain bikers on my way up. I have pedaled a regular bike up this canyon several times over the years but I found it so much more enjoyable with an electric bike as I was able to concentrate more on my surroundings and the lovely scenery.
In a past blog entry, we hinted at the off road capabilities of the City Commuter. While it is designed as a city bike, there’s no reason it can’t keep going when the pavement ends. We were prompted by a customer to find a more aggressive tire than the stock Schwalbe Fat Franks so that they could feel confident while riding groomed dirt/gravel trails such as the Park City Rail Trail. We found Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour tires for our customer and he couldn’t be happier. We decided to outfit one of our rental bikes with these tires and try them ourselves.
Well, the bike performed very well on packed dirt and light gravel and made it effortlessly up several hills. Obviously, with a name like the City Commuter, it was not designed to be a mountain bike but it’s nice to know that given the opportunity, you can keep riding when the trail turns into a path.
So now you know a little more about the capabilities of the Pedego City Commuter, why it is our most popular bike and why we’ve lovingly dubbed it the Salt Lake City Commuter. At the time of this writing we have both frame styles and voltages in stock. They are quickly becoming the world’s most loved Ebike so they don’t stay in stock very long. Come by Blue Monkey Bicycles and take a test ride around the block or rent one and try your commute. With Pedego’s reputation for outstanding products and customer service, the City Commuter should be at the top of your Ebike list.
-Duane