Bike Review

So a few weeks ago I got my electric Bike.

 https://www.amazon.com/Vilano-Pulse-Womens-Electric-Commuter/dp/B01DAIOB1M/ref=pd_bxgy_468_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01DAIOB1M&pd_rd_r=6D2A7D91KMPSYTFS8XBQ&pd_rd_w=Vx0cc&pd_rd_wg=yBeuf&psc=1&refRID=6D2A7D91KMPSYTFS8XBQ

I got it for my commute. It's about 13 miles from home to work. On the express bus I give myself 50 minutes to get in, so my goal was to be able to do that by bike. I know that many cyclist can do this without the electric assist, but I'm not one of them. Hopefully this will help me get there. I'm still not quite there, but I'm much closer than I was the last time I was doing this on a purely pedal powered bike.

This is only a pedal assist bike, so if you're not pedaling the motor isn't pushing either. The motor is in the hub, and most of the wiring is inside the frame of the bike.

I've been really enjoying the commute. I've been learning, and getting healthier, and enjoying the alone time.

The bike is a good fit for me. 

The good:

• It's a comfortable ride. I'm not getting as much saddle soreness as I did on my road bike. It's more upright which makes wearing a backpack more comfortable.
• Also on comfort I like the easy step over. I've had to remind myself that I don't have to kick over the back of the bike. It's much more convenient.
• I like the bright built in headlight.
• The cargo rack is handy, and works with the saddle bag that I already had.
• The fenders are really appreciated this time of year.
• The controls are simple and easy to operate even with gloves on.
• The designers seem to have thought about making sure riders can fix some problems easily.

The less good:

• The connection to the headlight has come out twice, it's really easy to reconnect, but it wasn't clear that it was an easy fix on the morning ride in the dark and fog.
• This may be the assembler, but the screws that held the battery pack in place all came out (the last 2 Sunday) after less than 2 weeks of riding. On the plus side the cage of the cargo rack it didn't fall of or have to dangle. Groblek had the right screws to replace them, and now I know to check tightness periodically.
• It comes with a headlight, but not a taillight. There's a big tail reflector which looked like a light when I was shopping (not a major issue the bike shop that assembled it had a usb rechargeable one that wasn't expensive.
• I misunderstood the speed information. It's billed as 20 mph. I'm sure it gets there with a better cyclist than me, but I probably averaged 15 mph today, and that's better than last week. (this includes traffic interactions on bike only straightaways I was between 16 and 17 mph)
• The breaks are less responsive than I would like. Even if I pull them all the way back it takes quite a while to stop. This hasn't involved any issues or close calls, but I'd be happier if they stopped a bit faster.

Overall I'm really enjoying the ride. I like the built in exercise of commuting by bike. The pocket book appreciates the cancellation of my gym membership and bus pass (It'll pay for the bike in 8 or 9 months maybe a bit more if I punt to bus too often once February is over). Also it's just a fun ride.

Not really part of the review, but things I've learned:

• Things bounce out of the bike basket. I should really set up a cover. (I keep my water bottle in the basket, so I want to be able to get in, but a partial cover could help a lot.
• I need a good rain shell. People have also suggested rain pants (Which I actually have), but I'm disinclined to have to change pants/remove a layer of pants when I get to work.
• I need to work on my spinning.
• My glasses fog up. For many days defogger helps, but when it's really foggy the best solution is to just remove the glasses. I'm lucky enough to be able to do this while seeing well enough.
• Bundling for biking is different from bundling for taking the bus.