Zooming on a Bike

I started searching for a bike early this summer while I was on furlough due to COVID-19. The big box stores didn't have bikes. The bike shops only had the crazy expensive bikes or the niche bikes. I put myself on a waitlist with my local bike shop for a Marlin 6. I would still check out the various bike websites to see if anything came back in stock.

Ebikes came to my attention while I was waiting. I almost pulled the trigger with the VanMoof S3 but I kept hearing about negative experiences online. The S3 seemed to suffer from quality control issues, bad customer service, and the fact that it would be months before I could get one shipped.

While checking out ebikes on the Trek website I found one model that had stock. I went to my local shop and had them put in an order--the Allant+ 7.

It's a class 1 ebike so it is a pedal assist motor up to 20 mph. I thought about getting a class 3 which goes up to 28 but those are more expensive, they are illegal for trail use in Michigan and Indiana, and 20 mph is plenty fast for me.

I've had it for a few weeks and it hasn't been trouble free. I've had to have the rear brakes adjusted, a crank tightened, and a defective battery replaced. The guys at the local shop have been terrific in making sure that everything was taken care of. I now see the value in such places.

The Allant is a blast. The motor gets me up to speed with less effort on my part. I've never biked farther or longer. I've even done intercity travel with it. Work is 15 miles away. I've made the ride but I'm not ready to do it every day.