Pedego Electric Bikes, Behind the Scenes CEO Interview
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- electricbikereview.com/brand/... While visiting the headquarters of Pedego Electric Bikes in Fountain Valley, California, I was able to hang out with the co-founder Don DiCostanzo and talk about the latest models which include a premium full suspension trail bike with Shimano E8000 called the Elevate, a Brose powered speed pedelec for urban riding called the Conveyor, and some new mid-motor models powered by the Dapu centerdrive. It was neat to see a dual-motor cargo electric bike (the upgraded Stretch) which is capable of hauling heavier loads and ascending hills more easily.
Pedego began as a beach cruiser ebike company (actually converting traditional bicycles into ebikes) to now offering fourteen different models! They had 12 in 2017 and are launching a commuter bike and full suspension mountain bike. One of the big goals was to enable more types of cyclists to find a great product that fits their needs whenever they enter into a Pedego store. Pedego has expanded globally and has one of the largest networks of dealers in the USA right now, making it easy to get fitted, take a test ride, rent an ebike and go on a tour, and make a purchase.
Don explained that throttles are an important feature for their cruiser e-bikes and that they wanted to try a mid-drive but not lose the throttle... With the Dapu mid-motor they were able to do this. Don went on to explain that Pedego designs classic frames and doesn't emphasize model years the way that some other companies do. they introduce incremental updates along the way as technologies advance, refining it with better components etc. We dug into the Pedego Conveyor a bit, talked about the belt drive system (that's clean, reliable, and quiet) and internal gearing. I was told that it will have GPS tracking, Bluetooth app, and other sophisticated / cutting-edge technologies like an integrated motor and battery design. Another updated model is the Pedego Stretch with dual hub motor system for improved efficiency under heavy load. It has a low speed and high speed motor that work together to optimize range but also add power. Pedego now offers a two year comprehensive warranty, one of the leading warranties in the industry. Don also compared riding an electric bike with your family to skiing but without all of the misery because you don't have to lug equipment around. Pedego is one of the few brands that really promotes ebike tours and has partnerships and dealers all over the world.
Don also told me that with their folding model, the Pedego Latch, people who own electric cars like the Tesla will park and charge for an hour and go exploring on their ebikes... which is a cool concept. Pedego is also offering these mile marker pins for people who have ridden long distances. This goes along with their wearables and other clothing accessories like jackets, watches, sunglasses, and hats. Don told me that one of their customers has ridden 40,000 miles on his original Pedego ebike! Pedego has partnered with Brooks, Thule, Sena, and others for their accessory line. EBR was paid to perform this review #Sponsored We try to be honest, thorough, and fun! Comparison tools, shop directory, and forums at: ElectricBikeReview.com - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Great video. I’ve been researching electric bikes and have come away so impressed with Pedego. If I take the plunge, this is the company I will buy from.
Yesterday I randomly stumbled across a pedego shop near me and it was a beautiful showroom with lots of awesome bikes and two very enthusiastic sales people. Today I watched this video and am now pumped about pedego as a brand. Strangely, as long as I’ve been watching ebr reviews, they (pedego) were never really on my radar before yesterday. I’ll be saving my coins to hopefully buy one of these bikes in the spring of next year!
Great review! CEO Don is very passionate.
Hello I just tried my first electric bike with pedego and I love it
I use my Pedego to bike a lot on the Irvine bike trails all the way to Balboa Island. I've even taken it on the ferry to Balboa Peninsula and driven it to the wedge or to Huntington Beach Pier. I've also driven it to work a few times. I also take it towards the Spectrum area in Irvine. A wonderful bike trail.
First class customer service and repair.
wow , the CEO really knows his products , I never knew they were this big.
So glad you enjoyed this! Don's a good guy, everyone I've ever worked with at pedego has done an excellent job. They balance fun and friendliness with running a clean, tight ship. It's neat to see them branching out of cruisers with stuff like the Elevate :D
and hats off to you for doing an amazing job for the electric bike community . you are the number one source for the best info. cheers.
Which folding bike do you like the most?? Pedego or Radmini ? Not sure if reviewed Bagi Folder. Notice you've mention motor on Latch, slipping on wet grass bc of motor being up front.
@metallica breath Who is he? Is he in the perfume business ? 😂
a question for Pedego.... I ride a electra townie 7d e bike because it's the only bike that I have found where the sprocket is shifted more forward for people that can't bend as good, like people with knee replacements, older folks etc. if Pedego designed one like the elctra 7d go model I'd buy a pedego.
Enjoyed the video very much. 👍
Sweet! Glad to hear it, thank you Mark :D
The old place was on Armstrong in Irvine? I test road once a bike there and bought a used one three years ago.
I have just ordered my first bike since I was a teenager. I am 54. I have ordered the Pedego Comfort Cruiser. It will be arriving next month and I am so excited. I just hope that I can ride it now. I have two artificial hips and bad back... all thanks to breaking my spine after a fall from a horse a few years ago. Then, to put the icing on the cake, I spent the last few years getting over a nasty bout of cancer. So, this bike is going to be playing a massive role in me building up my stamina, fitness and help me in losing weight. Wish me luck... lol ... PS Do you sell the accessories online? I will be looking for a basket soon
You can buy the accessories online however due to still catching up on inventory caused by COVID there are still many things out of stock on the website but if you have a local dealer they might have what you are looking for!
How is your bike? I am 54 also. I had a back injury. My knees are giving me trouble. I have chronic back pain. I have been using the rental e bikes and I love them. I am looking for a bike. I want to make sure it’s comfortable. I want a mid mount motor but I also want it to be fast on the throttle. Not sure yet if Pedego allows the computer to let the bikes go over 20
@@Capronice Hi there. I am absolutely loving the bike. I am in Ireland so the throttle facility only really works on initial take off or for a boost when you are changing up to a higher pedal assist going up inclines. The Pedal assist is fantastic but over here we can't use the throttle for cruising. On the Pedal assist I am able to get assistance up to 25km, but I find when I am on the flat it goes a bit faster when I am pedalling. It makes you feel like you have bionic legs. I really do wish I could have more throttle mainly for the experience of using it or having the choice to use it from time to time. I have dodgy knees and although I had both hips replaced, the right one has always continued to give me pain. Using this bike has actually helped me. It takes that harsh impact on the joints that occurs during walking away. Today I have had the bike for two full weeks. I have been out on it every day and I have been on a lot of different terrains. I actually went through woodlands an on gravel and muddy tracks yesterday. It was great, I didn't have the suspension of a mountain bike but I certainly had a great time and the bike was perfect. I have a huge amount of hills where I live and it is one of the reasons I wanted so much throttle as some are long and very steep. It was not until I had purchased my bike that I found out the throttle was not as available as I would have liked here, however it was not something I had researched properly simply because it did not occur to me that there may be restrictions. What I do is drop gear to the lowest and ramp up pedal assist to 5 and there you go it is much easier to deal with inclines. In a way it is also good for me because I would probably use the throttle a lot. This way I can get more exercise than I would have. I cycled 30km on Friday and got caught uo in a rain and hail storm. What an experience. 😂😂 yes I am loving it. My life has gone from being indoors daily, maybe walking once a week, to being out cycling for at least an hour every day. Despite the weather. Originally I was getting the Comfort Cruiser, but because I wanted the bigger battery, only the interceptor was available with it. We are exceptionally restricted here in Ireland with choices but in all honesty, it has not been a deal breaker for me. I truly am loving my new lease of life and my bike. Good luck buying yours I hope you get the enjoyment I have with mine. 😀😀
Me gustan las bicicletas eléctricas . Tienen una tienda bien surtida. No sabría que escoger . Fantástico ¡¡
I recommend you buying this.
Have to give the co-owner credit for knowing all the right things to say and nothing he says seems deniable. One question: what are the typical sources for their "pre-loved" series?
Great question Lance, maybe someone from Pedego will chime in. I can't say for sure :)
Hi Lance, Pre-Loved are the bikes from the dealers Rental Fleet.
I own a Pedego, someone told me the other day they are all imported from China. I thought they were assembled in their factory?
Great question Mike. I think that nearly 95% of all ebike parts are manufactured in China, Taiwan, or Vietnam. Some companies have more custom design happening in the USA and even assembly (Pedego is one) but it's like trying to find a smartphone made in the USA... Apple's headquarters are in California, but they manufacture in Shenzhen, in the southern Guangzhou province of China ;)
Color is important to me! Wish the black edition city commuter came in all the city commuter colors.
Anne McCarthy I am certain they can put the features (gears, better brake, and better shifter) from the black edition on to a standard city commuter with a colot od your choosing
No not with mag wheels they can't. We had bikes on order for 4 months and had to give up and just order the black.
Anne McCarthy ahh Mag wheels. Yes the mags only come on the black edition of the city commuter. They wont fit the frame on the standard model.
Yes but it does look wicked cool in black with the mag wheels. The matt color is different. They give gloss touch up paint with it but I found a matt black nail polish online that matches perfectly. Hopefully I won't need it much!
No they said they can not.
I wish Pedego would build a bike for disabled that CANNOT PEDAL (I can walk maybe 50 feet, with the aid of a cane, I have to use electric shopping carts, and I have a mobility scooter) but I used to ride a bicycle. I rode a bicycle for nearly 50 years before winding up in this condition. I could still ride a bicycle, IF I didn't have to pedal (AT ALL) and if it had a step through frame. It would need the 350 pound alloy wheels (I weigh 240, that's pushing it for the wire spoke wheels) a nice cushy seat and suspension seat post. It would need the biggest battery you have. It would NOT need more than one speed, which would eliminate a lot of very expensive and completely unnecessary parts. It would not need a pedal assist function, which would eliminate some more expensive parts. It would NOT need hydraulic disc brakes, in fact it would not need disc brakes at all. Rim brakes would be fine. I would not be riding more than 7-8 mph. Back when I was able to ride pedal bikes I could do stoppies with rim brakes. Leaving off all the unnecessary stuff would make it lighter, simpler, and cost less. The step through frame could be a little longer, I'm 6'1" and a little cramped on the Interceptor. But there is no way I could get on or off a bike with a high top bar. Build something like that and I think you would sell a lot of them. An Ebike is the perfect thing for a disabled person that still wants to ride a bicycle. Yet all Ebike companies, yours included, hard sell the pedal assist, and don't give range numbers for NO PEDAL riding. It would be easy enough to do on flat level roads. Just get a few riders of different weights, have them take a few rides at different speeds (keeping in mind that a disabled person is not likely going to be going 20 mph) and publish the results. I want to ride a bicycle almost entirely for recreation, meaning long, slow, leisurely rides. This would add a whole nother dimension to my life. And I think it would do the same for many, many others.
You can use strictly the throttle for assist without pedaling! You wont get as much range that the battery is rated for but there is a throttle only level which you can use at all times if you cant pedal.
In My humble opinion the carbon fiber gates belt drive is THE way of the future of ebikes ( if Someone could just make them affordable for Me )
I see Pedego is in Europe but I would ie. today open a Pedego shop in Interlaken Switserland. Ideal for a ride in mountainous environment. In Belgium France and Holland it isn't worth it because the price is way over our budget. Look for mondain places in Europe like Vienna, Rimini, Monaco, Andorra Cannes and Biarritz to settle. There will allways be a market amongst wealthy people. Apart from the price I'm no so certain if I would buy a Pedego. It comes over as a 100% American design which I am not familiar with. Anyways the sales progress shows it is a valid competitor in the field. Now I ain't got that kine of money man to spend on an all American bike.....
Fair points, it's nice to have an American contender in the space since so many of the leaders are European. Germany is a clear leader with companies like Bosch, Brose, and Haibike
Hi Court. Sorry to hijack this video but I sent you an email on your forum on Sunday. I was hoping
you can take a look at it. The email details a new ebike that has some interesting features. I know you
probably get a few of these emails but this ebike might perk your interest. Thx =)
Hi Joseph! I'll check it out tomorrow, I'm about 900 emails behind right now and trying my best to publish videos daily in the midst of some technical updates and new team member training O_o
I think you need a destination vacation with ebikes, Court. =) I went on a casual 35 mile route and achieve
a 1.5 Wh/mile efficiency with the ebike. The ebike has a few new features that improve range and is great for touring, taking innovations from the DIY world and my own observations. Take a look when you get a chance. Keep up the good work though I enjoy the thorough reviews and perspectives.
Very informative, thought this was a gypsy company but clearly not after watching this.
Pedego has been around for about 13 years now and all we've ever done is Electric Bikes! Don has definitely created a great and reputable company with an amazing product.
I wish Pedego would fix the pedal assist not engaging on their 2022 bikes. Dealer says to contact factory. I have for over 7 months with only promises of updates and fixes. Problem is still not fixed. This problem did not exist on 2021 bikes. The issue it after pedaling above a set PAS speed for even 500 feet then encountering a rise slowing the bike the PAS does not kick in and the throttle is dead. You have to stop pedaling for a second then start pedaling and PAS then engages. Dealers can not fix until Pedego comes up with a solution. The can not or will not tell me if the problem still exists on 2023 bikes either.
Found out yesterday bionx went out of business
They went into receivership a while back, I wonder what the situation is now with their motors and how things will continue going forward for companies like EVO, Elby, and OHM that use them?
Went inexpensive to try out. Old retired guy... Ancheer 500W 36V/12.2 for 650. Maybe in time I will get a $3/4ooo bike. Weight is my concerns. 6"1" and 280lbs. Many won't work.
Pedego offers something called the MAG wheel and its rated up to a 400lb rider and very strong and sturdy!
Won't sell in France=) at least not under that name=)
Hmm... does the name mean something inappropriate? I tried using the Google translate tool but nothing came up. In any case, perhaps they will rebrand slightly someday so that they can sell in France :D
HAAAA!! i get it xD
"Child Electic Bikes" or something? I think...
Pede with the accent on the last e, is slang for fag.
All said true but prices are just heartbreaking