Got mine today; first impressions:
1) Wider tires make a big difference in how a rider 30+ years off of a bike 'feels' in terms of confidence at speed and not. The wider tires on the Peak gave at least 'me' the confidence to try and pedal even faster..which along with the increased torque per stroke increased my average speed significantly.
2) I miss the (20 mph) smooth throttle as an option. The Peak's 6-8 mph throttle is sufficient and nice yet I found myself looking for that maybe 10-12 range in low speed situations. What is nice...is that when the power does comes on (seems like a little delay as compared with the Peak; could be me) it is substantial from 'stopped', as it is with the PA modes.
3) It's a blast to ride. Well balanced, better suspension, much more torque per stroke, the list goes on...it's $400 'more' well spent. As mentioned, I found myself going even faster (and beneficially working harder) than on the Dash (using the highest gear and PA) simply because I craved that extra power per stroke.
4) The two bikes are a nice compliment to each other. We've now got an extra battery. The two of them together don't necessarily break the bank (see Ravi's old posts for more) and it should be fun to switch back and forth on the maintained trails.
More impressions from our first legitimate ride together yesterday (16 mi. total; std asphalted/non-maintained RR grade in need of replacement):
As stated earlier, my wife simply does things right (in general, as well). She simply gets on the Peak or Dash (no assist) steady pedals until she's tired and uses the assist to get back to the trail head (pedal/coast a bit more). I, on the other hand, am a 'coaster' (at least now) due to the fact that she is taking it very easy in terms of speed (thank you, Lord) and that I have no interest in pedaling 16 miles right out of the gate (one knee in particular would protest). In following her, I basically put the Peak in pas4, the most difficult gear possible (or one below), get up on the pedals for a few rotations and do nothing but watch the world go by for 80% of the ride (while keeping up very nicely with her). The Peak's torque allows one to gain ground fast and the more aggressive tires/wider width don't deem to be much of a disadvantage in terms of rolling resistance on pavement.
Switching back and forth on a pretty fair trail surface brought us to some conclusions in terms of the way that we both ride:
The seats are going in the trash and articulating seat posts are a must. The Peak's seat (for me) is 'unsittable' while the Dash's is more 'perch-able'...but not by much.
You really appreciate the decent front suspension on the Peak even while you're standing up on the pedals much of the time. Hop back on the Dash?...everything's perfect save the ride (similar to the Peak, where everything's gravy save the seat and missing full on throttle).
Bottom line: We would have never done 16 miles as decades long newbies on our first day back out or enjoyed what we did without these bikes. There are 3 tightly spaced rolling hills in a half mile or so from where I wiped out in some loose sand in front of a serious biker because I didn't want to roll out in front of him. The Peak caught the guy with no problem and I'm sure gave him cause to wonder what just happened. You're simply going places and doing things that wouldn't pass one's mind ever again without this tool (especially if you're older). I was pretty high on the gear drive Peak in my last post yet hopping back on the direct drive Dash makes me wonder which I truly enjoy more (there being plenty of get up and go in the latter as well).
Thanks for the encouragement, Rusty and Ravi, along with the offer of help which you have both provided already in spades. I think that a lot of us on here pray that others could someday experience what we have been blessed to already as these things are
definitely (quality of) life changers.
