So I'd been umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether or not to go for an E-bike to ease the commute from my usual digs in west London to the centre - anywhere from 5 ish miles to Shepherds Bush up to 8 or 9 for the city. I could manage the shorter one fine, and even enjoyed the longer one but for the fact I'd end up pretty sweaty by the finish - fine going back home to digs but less so sitting in a small edit suite all day with colleagues and nowhere to shower.
So a folding pedelec seemed the obvious answer, and the Kudos Secret seemed a good choice. I'd finally decided to order one last week, but work came in a put the kibosh on that plan. Finally committed to doing the deed on Friday, but thought I'd check eBay one last time. Lo and behold - a brand new ad for a five month old Secret in black with a larger chainring that had been lovingly looked after...
Anyway long story short saw me on my first commute this AM. Started with no assist (wanted to get a feel for the bike just as a bike) and gradually played around with the levels and throttle - and overall I'm really happy with it. I was on track for a record-breaking commute (sub 40 mins as opposed to 50 mins on my Ridgeback folder) when I felt like I was really having to battle against the bike. You've guessed it - puncture time.
One shop fully booked, one refused to touch it as it was an e-bike (what happens if we break something?) but finally found somewhere to fix it, and stick a Marathon Plus on it for good measure. So a mixed bag on that front...
Overall though first impressions are good. And the 9 mile commute hasn't knocked one light off the battery yet... Review to follow after a few miles under my belt.
So a folding pedelec seemed the obvious answer, and the Kudos Secret seemed a good choice. I'd finally decided to order one last week, but work came in a put the kibosh on that plan. Finally committed to doing the deed on Friday, but thought I'd check eBay one last time. Lo and behold - a brand new ad for a five month old Secret in black with a larger chainring that had been lovingly looked after...
Anyway long story short saw me on my first commute this AM. Started with no assist (wanted to get a feel for the bike just as a bike) and gradually played around with the levels and throttle - and overall I'm really happy with it. I was on track for a record-breaking commute (sub 40 mins as opposed to 50 mins on my Ridgeback folder) when I felt like I was really having to battle against the bike. You've guessed it - puncture time.
One shop fully booked, one refused to touch it as it was an e-bike (what happens if we break something?) but finally found somewhere to fix it, and stick a Marathon Plus on it for good measure. So a mixed bag on that front...
Overall though first impressions are good. And the 9 mile commute hasn't knocked one light off the battery yet... Review to follow after a few miles under my belt.
