At the risk of considerable ridicule, I thought I would post an ongoing review of my Freego Raptor and the trials of a 120mile per week commute.
Before I am shouted down I should explain how I ended up with the Raptor.
I am 52, overweight with dodgy knees and quite used to cycling. i have had the luxury of working only 1.5 miles from home and my Trek 7.6fx hybrid was perfectly adequate for that very light use. My office is moving to a location where there is no parking, and the public transport options, though many, are not attractive (1.5 to 2 hours on a bus each way, or train into London and a 2nd train back out) Cycling is clearly the best option, especially as the route is almost flat, but I fear for my knees and stamina!
My bike lives outside, cannot go through the house and there is no way I can get the bike into the back garden other than lifting it over a 6 foot fence. Clearly that effectively rules out most electric bikes. I will freely admit that I'm a bit of a tart and don't like the continental style bikes with all the touring gear added, preferring the naked look, even if it results in a wet back.
I was also purchasing through a ride to work scheme and my employer mandates that I use Evans. Evans don't routinely deal in electric bikes and have an arrangements with ebikes direct.
So given those restrictions I was left with 2 real alternatives. The Momentum Upstart and the Raptor. Despite living in South London, I was unable to see or test either prior to purchase, which was a risk, but the sudden and unexpected reduction in price to £549 for the 11Ah Raptor sealed the deal.
I'm now 2 weeks into ownership and whilst not yet undertaking the long commute, have been using the bike daily. It was all good on delivery although I was expecting more that a folded A3 sheet for a handbook!
In use the range is broadly what I expected given that everyone is trying it out in the car park and friends have been taking it for a quick spin round the block, in that i am getting a little over 10 miles per battery. The feel on the road is a little odd, but the bike is considerably shorter that the Trek and seems a little less stable at speed.
I took the bike on the train into Central London and used it in what must be it's designed environment, finding it quick and easy to handle, certainly quicker than public transport. I have not yet got over the thrill of gliding past lycra clad warriors on their multi thousand pound machines!
I will keep this updated as the daily grind steps up and things begin to wear out!
Before I am shouted down I should explain how I ended up with the Raptor.
I am 52, overweight with dodgy knees and quite used to cycling. i have had the luxury of working only 1.5 miles from home and my Trek 7.6fx hybrid was perfectly adequate for that very light use. My office is moving to a location where there is no parking, and the public transport options, though many, are not attractive (1.5 to 2 hours on a bus each way, or train into London and a 2nd train back out) Cycling is clearly the best option, especially as the route is almost flat, but I fear for my knees and stamina!
My bike lives outside, cannot go through the house and there is no way I can get the bike into the back garden other than lifting it over a 6 foot fence. Clearly that effectively rules out most electric bikes. I will freely admit that I'm a bit of a tart and don't like the continental style bikes with all the touring gear added, preferring the naked look, even if it results in a wet back.
I was also purchasing through a ride to work scheme and my employer mandates that I use Evans. Evans don't routinely deal in electric bikes and have an arrangements with ebikes direct.
So given those restrictions I was left with 2 real alternatives. The Momentum Upstart and the Raptor. Despite living in South London, I was unable to see or test either prior to purchase, which was a risk, but the sudden and unexpected reduction in price to £549 for the 11Ah Raptor sealed the deal.
I'm now 2 weeks into ownership and whilst not yet undertaking the long commute, have been using the bike daily. It was all good on delivery although I was expecting more that a folded A3 sheet for a handbook!
In use the range is broadly what I expected given that everyone is trying it out in the car park and friends have been taking it for a quick spin round the block, in that i am getting a little over 10 miles per battery. The feel on the road is a little odd, but the bike is considerably shorter that the Trek and seems a little less stable at speed.
I took the bike on the train into Central London and used it in what must be it's designed environment, finding it quick and easy to handle, certainly quicker than public transport. I have not yet got over the thrill of gliding past lycra clad warriors on their multi thousand pound machines!
I will keep this updated as the daily grind steps up and things begin to wear out!
