robotech_master

So, today is when I was set to go try out the e-bike. I caught the bus up north to Carmel, near the "Pyramids" buildings. (I swear, those buildings look like they belong in a science fiction movie.) I made sure to catch the ride a couple hours early, so I'd have time to go around and do some Ingressing. Which was nice, except...

...as I was doing it, I heard a sound like a gunshot, and my rear tire went flat. The culprit? A beat-up old thumbtack, denuded of its colored shell and undoubtedly lying point up in the parking lot like a caltrop, waiting for an unwary bike tire to pass. So there I was, stranded 18 miles from home, and still 3 miles from the bike guy. What could I do? If it had been any other day, I could have walked to a bike shop (Yelp said there was one only a mile and a half away) and had them patch it up before going on to the appointment, but it being Labor Day everything was closed. And I couldn't even take a cab since I don't have that much money in my bank account right now, my paycheck not having cleared yet. It was like, the perfect storm of stupid bad luck. In the end, I texted the bike guy and started walking. Twenty minutes later, he texted me back and came to pick me up.

And then I test-drove the bike. It was an interesting experience. The Juiced Rider really is basically just a bog-standard three-speed bike when you get right down to it...except for the big battery and motor on the back. You can pedal it without the motor just like you could any other bike. Then when you twist the throttle and get going, you can shift to high gear and pedal along at a reduced level of resistance, like you were riding a regular bike down a hill. And that thing can really move!

I took it east to a nearby park, and did some Ingressing while I tried it out. Finally brought it back, and talked price with the guy. This particular bike retailed for $2,200, but given that it was last year's model, and the guy thought I would make a great ambassador to demonstrate the bike to other people and get folks interested, he cut me a rather better deal than that, and even threw in some detachable panniers for the cargo rack. He'll let me pay it off in installments of $500 each paycheck; I should be able to do that without undue financial hardship. And...well, after having test-driven the bike, I really didn't want to wait to have it—especially since he didn't have a technician available at the moment to fix my flat, so I was going to be stuck getting in to work the next day anyhow. So I went ahead and used PayPal credit to pay the first $500 now. (I get no interest for 6 months as long as I pay it off by 6 months from now.) He threw a bike rack on the back of his SUV, put my e-bike in the back and my regular bike on the rack, and drove me home.

The bike I test-drove was green in color, but the one I ended up buying was purple-gray. I didn't want to ride a bike the color of the Enlightened in Ingress. :) Also, I liked the color better, and it included a friction-driven headlight so I'll be in compliance with the safety laws. He's got a few more of those bikes in case anyone local wants them.

I'll probably head back out in a bit. Hit up some Ingress portals, get something to eat, see how it works. I should probably pick up some tie-downs for attaching heavy stuff that's too big to carry in the panniers. I also should check and see if it can fit into a bike rack on the front of one of the buses, and probably ought to do that while I still have this all day bus pass I bought when I thought I'd be coming home that way.

I've just transferred my bell from my old bike to this one. Just about time to go out and see what it'll do.

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Sep. 1st, 2014

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