Like many I was interested in reducing my carbon footprint and want to 'GO GREEN' with a vehicle to scoot around town in. I live in a northern suburb of New York City and been an avid bicyclist for decades. Looked into Piaggio Scooters-again gas is used and really wanted an electric powered bike for local errands.
There are several reasons why I purchased my ZUGO Bike. First off the design and styling is pretty cool. I ordered the STEP-THROUGH frame, large tires and has that moped look that was so popular in the 1970's and 80's. Dare I say the design and styling of ZUGO beats all of the other electric bikes on the market today. Biggest attraction for me was the moped/motorcycle style seat and large motorcycle width tires. No other electric bike seat on market has that design. I can't tell you how many people inquired about my ZUGO when I stopped at post office or grocery store. With a code provided by ZUGO you can even program bike to go from normal capped top speed of 20 MPH to 30 MPH but to be honest with my 185 lb. weight my top speed is 24 mph but I'm okay with that. On a steep hill that lowers to 16 mph. Again not bad for 2 thousand dollar electric bike.
However add the optional long range battery pack adding-$500.00 to cost of bike and another $100.00 for the Zugo Super Charger that charges the battery much faster than the standard charger that comes with the bike.
Then there the other options. Side View mirrors /Ergon Handle Bar Grips / Cell Phone Holder /Zugo Horn with Wireless Remote. I ordered all of these including Rhino Rear Rack.
Doing the assembly myself is not that difficult-anyone handy can do it. But I did decide to only keep and install only 2 optional items-the side view mirrors- which is essential if you ride in street and the bike rack which is also essential if you want to transport and bungie cord small items.
I love zipping around town in my ZUGO and not be burning fossil fuel which would of been the case with a gas scooter. No insurance/plates needed/can ride on bike paths as well as street. It has a powerful headlight which I love. It also has a rear red tail lighted intergrated in rear of battery pack -however it never worked and I am currently working with the folks at ZUGO to troubleshoot it- I mounted a rechargeable rear red light for now as a quick fix.
Draw backs- NO REAR SUSPENSION and ZUGO rides hard and doesn't take kindly to bumps and uneven surfaces. That hard ride tends to loosen screws and nuts and you have to check then occasionally as well as hard ride on your butt with a not too supportive seat. Also no turn off key so a thief can just power it on and zip away- but to be honest you have to cable or chain secure it just like a regular bike because they can peddle away with it too! Also has flimsy passenger foot pegs which I choose not to mount and I have read several reviews that state with hard ride bolts tend to get loose.
Another draw back is ZUGO is located in Austin, TEXAS. They have no network of authorized bike shops in my area-New York Region to service and repair bike-so if you have issues with it; like my red tail light not functioning you have to rely on their CUSTOMER SUPPORT TECH people-but just shelling out $2600.00 shouldn't I be able to go to a local repair shop and not have to do it myself?
To surmise-do I love my ZUGO- yeah baby- but I hope they step up and not only make improvements in future models but work on having authorized repairs shops and bike dealers who sell ZUGO's. Right now you can only order online or going to their store in Austin TX.
Hope this helps you guys & gals & ride safe & always wear a helmet.
Mike
There are several reasons why I purchased my ZUGO Bike. First off the design and styling is pretty cool. I ordered the STEP-THROUGH frame, large tires and has that moped look that was so popular in the 1970's and 80's. Dare I say the design and styling of ZUGO beats all of the other electric bikes on the market today. Biggest attraction for me was the moped/motorcycle style seat and large motorcycle width tires. No other electric bike seat on market has that design. I can't tell you how many people inquired about my ZUGO when I stopped at post office or grocery store. With a code provided by ZUGO you can even program bike to go from normal capped top speed of 20 MPH to 30 MPH but to be honest with my 185 lb. weight my top speed is 24 mph but I'm okay with that. On a steep hill that lowers to 16 mph. Again not bad for 2 thousand dollar electric bike.
However add the optional long range battery pack adding-$500.00 to cost of bike and another $100.00 for the Zugo Super Charger that charges the battery much faster than the standard charger that comes with the bike.
Then there the other options. Side View mirrors /Ergon Handle Bar Grips / Cell Phone Holder /Zugo Horn with Wireless Remote. I ordered all of these including Rhino Rear Rack.
Doing the assembly myself is not that difficult-anyone handy can do it. But I did decide to only keep and install only 2 optional items-the side view mirrors- which is essential if you ride in street and the bike rack which is also essential if you want to transport and bungie cord small items.
I love zipping around town in my ZUGO and not be burning fossil fuel which would of been the case with a gas scooter. No insurance/plates needed/can ride on bike paths as well as street. It has a powerful headlight which I love. It also has a rear red tail lighted intergrated in rear of battery pack -however it never worked and I am currently working with the folks at ZUGO to troubleshoot it- I mounted a rechargeable rear red light for now as a quick fix.
Draw backs- NO REAR SUSPENSION and ZUGO rides hard and doesn't take kindly to bumps and uneven surfaces. That hard ride tends to loosen screws and nuts and you have to check then occasionally as well as hard ride on your butt with a not too supportive seat. Also no turn off key so a thief can just power it on and zip away- but to be honest you have to cable or chain secure it just like a regular bike because they can peddle away with it too! Also has flimsy passenger foot pegs which I choose not to mount and I have read several reviews that state with hard ride bolts tend to get loose.
Another draw back is ZUGO is located in Austin, TEXAS. They have no network of authorized bike shops in my area-New York Region to service and repair bike-so if you have issues with it; like my red tail light not functioning you have to rely on their CUSTOMER SUPPORT TECH people-but just shelling out $2600.00 shouldn't I be able to go to a local repair shop and not have to do it myself?
To surmise-do I love my ZUGO- yeah baby- but I hope they step up and not only make improvements in future models but work on having authorized repairs shops and bike dealers who sell ZUGO's. Right now you can only order online or going to their store in Austin TX.
Hope this helps you guys & gals & ride safe & always wear a helmet.
Mike
