Review for the Pedal Clipper after 150km
Posted by that_hema_guy@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 3 comments
I haven't seen any review or anything for this brand or bike online so I thought I'd share my experience. Pedal is an in house brand from 99 bikes, a pretty big bike retailer down in Australia. I've had the bike for about a month and done about 150km and it's been a blast. It's worth noting that this is my first ebike and first serious commuter bike so my opinions might not match that of more experienced riders.
https://www.99bikes.com.au/pedal-clipper-grey-54cm
The good
- Price: This bike reasonably affordable at around $1200 AUD. From what I've seen this is close to other budget focused ebikes.
- Design: It's slim and hardly looks like an ebike, which is good if that's something you're looking for
- Weight: This bike is light, my old crappy mountain bike weighs about the same. Pretty quick and easy to get off the line and not tooo hard to pedal without the assist.
The bad
- Battery range: I get around 30-35km on around 2/5 assist level. This suits 90% of what I need but it sucks to have to charge it at work after a 20-25km ride in order to make it home.
- Doesn't come with fenders/panier rack. These can be added later and it keeps the initial cost down so I'm not too worried about that.
- Non-removable battery: Again this keeps costs down so it's not a deal breaker in my opinion
- Some of the welding on the frame looks cheap up close. Haven't had any issue with the frame (yet) but it looks kind of crappy up close
- Controller hub controls aren't intuitive, IE hold + for backlight, power and - for ODO trip reset, power to change display mode. You get used to it but it's not a user friendly experience.
Going through a bike retailer was a good choice in hindsight, I knew very little about bikes so having someone step through things was super useful. That and having a place to get it fixed, serviced and parts added has saved a lot of headache. Whilst not the most budget efficient as some of the online brands, the customer service has been worth it.
Overall I am loving the bike and finding excuses to get out for a ride. Whilst not the most premium ebike on the market it replaced the need for me to get a second car so it's been a ton of fun
TLDR: budget bike with budget compromises.
Thergin@reddit
On sale at 800 its a great bike. For an ebike quite light and aero. I wouldnt get another rear hub bike only mid drive but they are more expensive. I think at the price you dont care too much if it gets stolen. I have had issues with the charge left not being accurate, and the rear wheel has buckled slightly and gone out of round, the service guys did say that if you spend on anything upgrade the rims as they are quite cheap. Had the seat post recalled and replaced with a better one. I did find the seat comfortable for myself but I wear bike shorts with padding and weight is 85kg.
deklonez86@reddit
I would care if it got stolen
Fearless-Drama9621@reddit
yeah, even $800 still isn't nothing