Not a lot of action here, but AFAIK there are only a few hundred Propellas out there, so we're a small but special group.
I have a 2.0, which arrived at my house in November 2017. I live in Canada (Montreal), so by November the cycling season is pretty much over except for the hardcore crowd with their winterized bikes. I got a couple of short rides in, and then the bike sat in my basement until April.
Short version: I love this bike. It's a real game-changer for me (more on that later). I love the look of it and the fact that it's the lightest e-bike around (at least among the ones with conventional styling). But there are some issues. I feel a bit like someone who bought a vintage Triumph Spitfire and now spends his weekends tinkering as much as riding.
The two biggest problems for me are the frame's geometry and the skinny tires (700x28mm). I'm 5' 10" and I find the handlebars are way too low. I don't like having a bent-over profile as if I'm riding a racing bike with drop handlebars. I ended up replacing the stem with a Zoom adjustable stem (110mm) and setting it at 45 degrees. That helped a lot. (More there for a later post...)
But those 28mm tires. Man, I did not realize the bike came with such skinny tires. (Apparently the 2.2 has changed to use 32mm.) The streets around here are rough; bumpy as heck, full of potholes. Even the bike paths frequently cross streets, so there are bumps at the intersections. I commute 14km each way to work, and when I ride my bike there are at least 30 spots where I'm at serious risk of a blowout from the bumps.
And yeah. I've had three rear-wheel blowouts already this summer. The first was a "snakebite" (two punctures in the side of the tube at the same location). That generally happens when you hit a bump on an under-inflated tire. The second was just weirdly random and happened when I was half way across the Jacques Cartier Bridge, which runs for over two kilometers. That was a long and lonely walk home. And this morning the back tire was flat when I got the bike out of the shed. Catastrophic internal tube explosion which was most likely caused by the tire being fully inflated and then swelling in the heat and exploding (apparently that actually happens!), so basically it's a victim of global warming.
My cheap old non-electric hybrid with its clunky 37mm tires never had a single blowout in ten years of use. This does not give me confidence for going on long rides. :-(
Other small problems include my left heel constantly hitting the kick-stand mount, and both front and rear brakes squealing like pigs being brought to slaughter.
On the plus side, I have learned a lot about bicycle maintenance in the past few months.
I've learned how to adjust the brakes to make them work better and squeal somewhat less (I don't think they will ever be silent).
I resolved the kickstand problem by changing my pedals. I have a neuropathy in my legs that causes (among other things) a weak right ankle. The stock pedals simply would not do; my right ankle would be constantly rolling off the pedal, which would be both uncomfortable and dangerous. (This isn't a Propella issue; it's an issue with any small pedals.)
I resolved that by getting a set of Catalyst pedals (
https://pedalinginnovations.com/buy-your-pedals/). I have no idea if their talk about changing the position of your foot changes the power blah blah blah or not, but they're perfect for my big dumb feet, and the change in foot position resolved the problem of my heel hitting the kickstand mount. Also, I got the blue ones, which (close enough) match the blue trim of the bike.
I found the hand grips to be uncomfortable, so I switched to a set of "ergonomic" handgrips and wow, what a difference. I was able to re-use the cobalt blue clamps of the originals, so it still looks good. Seriously, this is something EVERYONE should do. In fact, Propella should change to using ergonomic handgrips as standard equipment. Once you've tried them you wonder why non-ergonomic handgrips even exist anymore.
Other small customizations include changing the saddle for a goofy-looking but very comfortable gel saddle, adding a Versa Rack to the back, some lightweight and minimalist fenders, and reflectors all around (there's a $300 fine here for riding a bike without reflectors).
Next issue: as of a few days ago the crank is making a racket. Lots of loud creaking. Tomorrow I'll tighten a bunch of things, because I can't believe the bearings could be worn out already.
OK, this is a long post. I would have split it into many if there were more chatter in here. Where are all the Propella owners?
