Electric Bikes - Any feedback on Pedego bikes?

In about a month my company is moving and my new commute will be about 10 miles each way. I'm only 1.5 miles away and really enjoy riding my bike in to work. I'm looking at an electric bike to help assist me so I don't come to work covered in sweat.

I'm a fan of the cruiser style bikes and have ridden the Izip Urban Cruiser, a garage mechanic's special installed on a Schwinn comfort/hybrid and a Pedego comfort cruiser. I wasn't impressed with the Izip and the homemade was powerful, but going to be pretty expensive. The Pedego might do the trick and the seller is willing to let me make a test commute to make sure it can handle the hills.

The problem is that I haven't been able to find any independent reviews of the Pedego comfort cruiser using Google. All I can find is company produced post and videos... some appear to be MLM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing) which makes me a bit suspicious. Does anyone here have any feedback for me regarding this bike?

Thanks in advance!

More info:
- Pedego comfort cruiser specs: http://www.pedego.com/comfort_cruiser.asp
- The price I was quoted for the Pedego was $1,600, but he was willing to do $1,500.
- 36 volt lithium ion battery, LiMn2o4 type.
- I'm 200 lbs, 6' in pretty good shape (I surf daily).
- I don't plan to ride in the rain if possible, but will probably get caught in it anyway.
- Most of the time, half my commute will be in dark.
- I'll probably carry 5 to 10 lbs of items to work and back.
- There are some hills (I start at sea level and the office is about 450 ft).
- My budget is ~$1,500

Looks pretty good to me.
Front and rear disc brakes is a huge plus.
Nice chain guard too.
It says "lithium" battery. I wonder if that means LiFePO4 lithium. That case on the back resembles the generic Chinese 36V 10ah lifepo4 batteries so I think it is.
No price mentioned though.
I think I want to put those handlebars on my home built Ebike. They look comfortable.
I wonder how honorable that 1-year warranty is.

I think it should handle the elevation change no problem and sound like a good match for your commute.
Just make sure you throw a P7 flashlight (or two) on the handlebars and you'll be fine.

I think it could do the job. Curious as to the gearing.

Anyhow, bring the charger to work with you. Just in case....

It says "lithium" battery. I wonder if that means LiFePO4 lithium.

I don't see the price listed on the website - this is a good indication of LiFePo4. More than likely it's LiMnO2 (if under $1200), which is cheaper and more common on the Chinese bikes. But it would be worth looking into either way...

Although they have less power, personally I think theGreenline Electric Beach Cruisers are more attractive and come in a nicer "package":

Thanks for the replies. I updated the original post to include the price info ($1,500). I've emailed the company and here is the info on the battery: 36 volt lithium ion battery. It is not the LiFePo4 variety but it is a LiMn2o4 type.

I test rode the bike around a hilly area and the gearing worked well. I didn't count the teeth, but it does have a large rear... what I would call granny gear. At first, the shifter seemed ass backwards to me. But i do like the rapid fire as opposed to the grip shift.

The Greenline Electric Beach Cruisers is a nice looking bike, and that price is attractive, but I would be willing to spend more for more power. I don't like the smoked plastic chain guard too much, could that be replaced? Also, if I were to go with a front drive hub, I would rather have an internal geared rear like a Nexus. I know those 7's are pricey right now though.

Go for it, you can simply add a booster battery pack to increase the torque & speed later on when you feel like it. :)

I've got an itchy trigger finger and am really thinking about getting this, but I still haven't found any real owners to contact. Anyone here actually own one? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Just curious. Did you ever get an ebike? What did you get?

There were just too many unknowns for me with the Pedego. I just picked up a sweet Electra Townie 3i that i plan to put a kit on.

Unfortunately, my experience going with a kit has not been good. I went through Sun Coast Electric Bikes and the battery failed after only my third ride. At first, my contact was quick to help. However, once we narrowed down the problem I haven't had any contact. I naively expect to have a replacement on my doorstep pretty much everyday.

In retrospect, I wish that I would have worked with someone locally. That way, if there is a problem, you can work directly with them. I hope to have a positive update to this story soon.

Thank you for posting the update. This is very helpful for me as I am about 2-3 months behind you in the process of figuring out what kind of ebike to get or whether to build one.