Pete Toemmes
New Member
- Region
- USA
Ok, admit it. Those of you that read the thread title might have wondered - if only for an instant - that this was going to be a negative post. Read on.
I have only been back to recreational/exercise oriented biking for 6 months or so. I am by no means an expert in this or any biking related area. But I am 73 years old and have some life experiences. And I am extremely research focused from my computer tech background I suppose - might even self admit to being anal attentive at times. My research lead me to Zen E Bikes among others.
But ZEN stuck and so I have a Zen Photon Pro large frame in White Ivory on the way.
Not all that interesting huh. Read on again.
A week or so ago - late on a Saturday as I recall - I sent in a few email questions to Zen support or sales - I forget which does not matter.
A short digression. I live in SouthEast Florida and my riding is almost exclusively flats which includes a penchant for running the levees holding back the "Everglades" from civilization. The levees are wide hard pack - just about anything you might think of - gravel, shells, rocks, a bit of asphalt etc often with integrated pumping stations to keep the neighborhoods/farmland dry. Long straight flat runs anywhere from 8 to 20 miles between access points. You get on - you are committed. You break down - you walk off - and maybe keep an extra open eye for alligators or snakes (invasive pythons unfortunately).
The next day - Sunday for those keeping count - I'm watching another heart breaking Miami Dolphin football game (loss). I am a life long Dolphin fan, but age has also made me much more a pragmatic fan than the insane fan of my youth. The phone rings. It's from Nova Scotia. WTF? Then I remember ZEN E Bikes is located in Nova Scotia. Nah...couldn't be. It's Sunday.
Yup - it was Ravi. Only as we chant it turns out he is in freaking Asia!!!! on business I assume (so maybe it's Monday there). Dunno. A 20 minute or so chit chat and it's clear he has my needs in mind whether that results in a ZEN sale or not. Frankly I am flabbergasted as I simply have become used to - which is different than accepting on a deeper level - that customer service writ large simply stinks and has for a long time. Oh there are shining good examples and Ravi certainly hit this one out of the proverbial park.
We exchanged several emails after that - including one that helped me wind down from the disappointing (for me) USA election results. I will NOT engage here in politics. Join me on BlueSky for that.
Net, net is that said bike is on order. It is set to ship in the "second quarter of November". Once I figure out exactly what that means - I assume Nov 14-21 - I'll get even more excited.
Yeah - the ZEN Pure would have worked very well too - we discussed that - but there were other needs/wants/desires that made the Pro the best choice - for me. And yes, budget was a consideration and I knew I would have to compromise cost to satisfy most if not all of my desires.
I have no doubt my "story" is not unique. But it still makes me feel a little special. ZEN E Bikes is very much worth anyone's consideration - and you might just a call out of the blue from "'the man". Turns out Ravi and his wife have some connections to Florida - where we might have crossed (didn't) except for the time period. It truly is a small world sometimes.
Pete
PS
A couple of requests.
In all the excitement I never got an answer whether the standard tube valves are Schraeder or Presta. I am pretty sure they are Schraeder, but need to make sure I have the proper inflator adapter.
If anyone with a Pro can respond with their "solution" to a 9L or so rear bag mount (no need for hanging panniers for me - click type or even simple velcro straps - would very much appreciate it. I'd be over the moon with rack pics and annotated dimensional spacing of the rails, cross supports, etc. Doesn't seem that ZEN has "locked down" compatibility with any one - or more - click attach solutions - and hey it does not have to be factory rack integrated from ZEN. There are mountable carrier plates and even bag adapter plates that permit flexibility. Can't get much more flexible than velcro straps I suppose, but perhaps a tad more functional/convenient without a click mount.
I have only been back to recreational/exercise oriented biking for 6 months or so. I am by no means an expert in this or any biking related area. But I am 73 years old and have some life experiences. And I am extremely research focused from my computer tech background I suppose - might even self admit to being anal attentive at times. My research lead me to Zen E Bikes among others.
But ZEN stuck and so I have a Zen Photon Pro large frame in White Ivory on the way.
Not all that interesting huh. Read on again.
A week or so ago - late on a Saturday as I recall - I sent in a few email questions to Zen support or sales - I forget which does not matter.
A short digression. I live in SouthEast Florida and my riding is almost exclusively flats which includes a penchant for running the levees holding back the "Everglades" from civilization. The levees are wide hard pack - just about anything you might think of - gravel, shells, rocks, a bit of asphalt etc often with integrated pumping stations to keep the neighborhoods/farmland dry. Long straight flat runs anywhere from 8 to 20 miles between access points. You get on - you are committed. You break down - you walk off - and maybe keep an extra open eye for alligators or snakes (invasive pythons unfortunately).
The next day - Sunday for those keeping count - I'm watching another heart breaking Miami Dolphin football game (loss). I am a life long Dolphin fan, but age has also made me much more a pragmatic fan than the insane fan of my youth. The phone rings. It's from Nova Scotia. WTF? Then I remember ZEN E Bikes is located in Nova Scotia. Nah...couldn't be. It's Sunday.
Yup - it was Ravi. Only as we chant it turns out he is in freaking Asia!!!! on business I assume (so maybe it's Monday there). Dunno. A 20 minute or so chit chat and it's clear he has my needs in mind whether that results in a ZEN sale or not. Frankly I am flabbergasted as I simply have become used to - which is different than accepting on a deeper level - that customer service writ large simply stinks and has for a long time. Oh there are shining good examples and Ravi certainly hit this one out of the proverbial park.
We exchanged several emails after that - including one that helped me wind down from the disappointing (for me) USA election results. I will NOT engage here in politics. Join me on BlueSky for that.
Net, net is that said bike is on order. It is set to ship in the "second quarter of November". Once I figure out exactly what that means - I assume Nov 14-21 - I'll get even more excited.
Yeah - the ZEN Pure would have worked very well too - we discussed that - but there were other needs/wants/desires that made the Pro the best choice - for me. And yes, budget was a consideration and I knew I would have to compromise cost to satisfy most if not all of my desires.
I have no doubt my "story" is not unique. But it still makes me feel a little special. ZEN E Bikes is very much worth anyone's consideration - and you might just a call out of the blue from "'the man". Turns out Ravi and his wife have some connections to Florida - where we might have crossed (didn't) except for the time period. It truly is a small world sometimes.
Pete
PS
A couple of requests.
In all the excitement I never got an answer whether the standard tube valves are Schraeder or Presta. I am pretty sure they are Schraeder, but need to make sure I have the proper inflator adapter.
If anyone with a Pro can respond with their "solution" to a 9L or so rear bag mount (no need for hanging panniers for me - click type or even simple velcro straps - would very much appreciate it. I'd be over the moon with rack pics and annotated dimensional spacing of the rails, cross supports, etc. Doesn't seem that ZEN has "locked down" compatibility with any one - or more - click attach solutions - and hey it does not have to be factory rack integrated from ZEN. There are mountable carrier plates and even bag adapter plates that permit flexibility. Can't get much more flexible than velcro straps I suppose, but perhaps a tad more functional/convenient without a click mount.
