What is an electric bicycle?

Day 4.  I have not driven my car since Saturday and I have not missed it one bit.  The weather has been perfect and I've really enjoyed riding the A2B.  I've been zipping back and forth to work, showing property and running errands.  It's very similar to riding my scooter except that there is no noise...and I can park it anywhere...and it doesn't need gas or make smoke.  Although it's a little slower than the scooter, I can manuever much easier and getting places just seems easier and definitely more fun.  Riding this bike draws attention...kind of like when you have a puppy - people just come up and start talking to me about how much they like the bike.  They are drawn by the great design of this bike but most people don't realize that it's electric.

When I tell them, they inadvertantly ask, "What's an electric bike?"  It seems like such a strange question to me but they all ask it.  So, I guess it deserves an explanation. 

The bike I am riding now (see picture above) has a battery built into the frame and is charged by plugging it into a standard outlet.  The bike can be pedaled just like a regular bike - it has seven gears - but you can also just turn the throttle and go up to 20 miles per hour without peddling - up to 20 miles per charge (40 with a second battery)!   You can also use the throttle and peddle at the same time - which can make you go faster or increase the range.  It's a phenomenal experience and everyone I have let test the bike comes back smiling.

This bike has a very comfortable seat, shock absorbers in the front and back that really smooth out the Miami Beach potholes, and insanely wide tires that are wide enough to comfortably ride on the hard packed sand on the beach.  It's like the Harley Davidson of bicycles and so far I look forward to every trip.  I bring it up to my apartment and plug it in at night to charge it, and it has definitely had charge left at the end of the day.  I will do distance test sometime soon.

It's fun to use the throttle only, but I do love riding a bike and I have found myself pedaling along with the motor to get maximum speed and pickup...it's difficult to describe the feeling of freedom.  It's a trip to pass other people riding bicycles with no effort at all, even with a headwind.  So far the weather has been perfect...sunny but not hot or humid yet.  We'll see how it goes once it starts to get humid and rainy.