No commuting this week - I'm on vacation.
But yesterday on my way home from my recreational ride I saw a commuter about a block ahead of me who seemed to be having some sort of difficulty. She was walking the bike rather than riding. So I pulled up beside her and asked if I could help. Before looking closely I assumed she had a flat or her shifters weren't working. Then I took a close look at the bike. There was a motor attached to the left side of the rear wheel and a huge battery in the middle triangle where her water bottle was supposed to mount.


She explained that she was a new "bike commuter" (her first day) and hit a pothole a ways back and the motor stopped. Now she was faced with the dilema of walking/pushing/riding this very heavy contraption ~2.5 miles to get home.
After a short conversation and checking for loose wires, etc. she got it going again.
She said she bought the bike to save on the cost of gas and to lose weight? How do you lose weight riding this type of bike? I gave my best sales pitch for REAL commuter bikes and she said she would probably get one once she got rid of the excess weight.
Anyway, I mounted my trusty steed and passed her 1/2 block later. Hit the next hill and never saw her again.