Originally Posted by
Smaug1
Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of utility eBiking!
You made a smart choice by getting an eBike that is reasonably pedal-able without power. They supplied it with good tires, it looks like.
In SoCal, you can bike year round, but I understand there is a rainy season in June.
Watch out for the pannier straps in the spokes & sprockets. Watch out also for the weight limit on that Beam Rack; it's usually 20 lbs. You might consider adding a "proper" rack at some point.
The wide, flat bars are all the rage for commuters these days. I'd prefer drops, but don't want to spend a lot of money making it happen, so I just put bar ends inboard of my brake levers on my last bike. Cheap, more aero, and effective, and they don't catch on things as much as when they're on the ends of the bar.
{snipped image} Can you put bar ends inboard of the brakes/shifters like this?
Yeah, I have looked at the inboard bar ends. I just prefer narrower bars, especially for the city riding I mainly do.
Our rainy season is actually potentially November through February or March, but some years even those are dry months. In June, meanwhile, we get "June Gloom," which is when the dense layer of moist sea air pushes up into the L.A. "basin" (it's really a coastal plain). That's a pleasant time for riding before the brutal heat kicks in later in summer.