It is time to evaluate the success thus far with the pedelec. Here is the raw data. 142 hours, 3250 km.
I have succeeded to use the bike on my work trips. I have only driven to work around 5 times with in the 8 months. During the summer ride was nice, yet the true power of Pedelec was really proved at the stormy weathers of Fall and Winter. The ride time to work remains pretty constant about 30 to 32 min one way (less than 13km). With car there is more fluctuation on the ride time as the traffics impact is greater than on the bike lines. Yet on my commute car would be little bit faster.
Range from that 400 Wh battery has been kind of ok. During the summer I managed to squeeze 3 work trips (about 75 km) to single charge, but that was kind of pushing it. I had to play with the assistance levels in order to achieve that. So I started to recharge the battery every other day. During the fall as the temperature dropped I had to start to recharge the battery daily. At zero degrees centigrade with my cycling profile the range is around 35-40 km with full assist.
Time wise the biggest difference on cycling on summer vs winter thus far is the clothing. It takes longer to dress and undress for ride during the winter. Against even heavy head wind you can keep the constant 24-25 km/h. All this without really tiring my legs.
So far I have failed to use Pedelec on daily shopping. I have only used it for few times to get the groceries. There are several reason for it. If you are not going to store alone then it is time for a car. When I got the bike I decided that I won't let security matter, however it has mattered to some extent. I have ridden bike to downtown few times and parked it there. When I do that I use wire to lock the bike to something solid and I take the battery with me as well. But on the back of my mind there is the fear of someone stealing or breaking the bike for just for the fun of it. At the winter there is also the question clothing even on short rides - or so I tell to myself. Lets see if the New Year brings any change to those points.
As starting to ride the Pedelec to work I can feel the difference in my body. I simply feel better. 2x30 min of steady exercise. I do need a shower, but it don't feel like doing real sports. Well you could really ride it hard, just turn the assistance off or lesser setting. Specially the morning ride is very refreshing. Actually the same goes in the evening as well. When I get home I feel more energetic and refreshed compared to driving by car.
I have noticed that I'm safer rider with pedelec than with normal bike. I've concluded that it is due the fact that there is no worry about the acceleration. While riding the regular bike I really hated to lose velocity. I had to re-accelerate, so I did not always slow down even the traffic situation would have so demanded. With pedelec slowing down does not matter as you get the speed back so easy.
So far I have used less than 4000 euros for the bike, accessories, parts and new riding gear gear. The gasoline bill for driving to work was around 140 euros/month. On gasoline alone I have saved about 1000 euros so far. Naturally one could get the expenses of Pedelec down considerably by buying cheaper pedelec and not spending for hi-tech gear, but I think that one has to have right tools for the job, it makes everything more enjoyable. For winter commuting good riding gear is mandatory.
I have turned to be a firm believer: e-bikes and pedelecs are very good in today's urban and suburban environments for commuting. I must admit that S-Pedelec or Pedelec 45 or E-bike intrigues me and I would very much like to test that speed monster, thus far the legislation is kind of dragging behind at least here in Finland on those.
