Setting the Time

• press  button to power on the console
• press both & buttons together
• at CODE prompt, set CODE from 0000 to 0001 using button to cycle thru the digits, and buttons to change selected digit
• press button and hold until CODE is replaced with TIME
• now use to set to correct time
• to save settings, press and hold button for 3 seconds

Switching between PAS (Pedal-Assist) and POD (Power-On-Demand)

• press and hold button

Cycling between levels of assist

• press button to power on the console
• MODE will show you assist type last selected
• press buttons to cycle through various assist types

Night time viewing of console

• press and hold  button to turn on back-light or off

If you’ve discovered additional features, please add them as a comment to this post!

In minutes, attach the Ridekick trailer to your bike’s rear hub and you’ve got yourself an e-bike with throttle assist.  It’s even got cargo space for 2 tote bags, making it perfect for trips to the grocery store, library, potlucks, even a toolbox for neighborhood repair services – you name it!  The cargo area could conceivably also hold additional batteries to extend the range.

Unhitch the Ridekick trailer and in seconds you’ve got your bike back. The trailer can be used on multiple bikes – making it versatile for households where differently sized adults may need the electric assist on different days.

When riding, the Ridekick doesn’t change the feel of your bike. I felt equally light & nimble on my Globe Daily 2, barely feeling the trailer behind me, until a push on the handlebar throttle engaged the motor – and pushed me along till the terrain leveled out enough to pedal on my own.

Most electric bike conversions involve securing a motor, battery, controller and handlebar controls someplace on an existing bike frame.  Ridekick presents a unique approach in that the first 3 components are inside the trailer, with an easily installed Velcro’d cable from the trailer to the handlebar control.

With the Ridekick, bike maintenance is also simplified since you can unhitch the trailer and take the bike to any bike shop.

Specs

•    weight 43 lbs
•    max capacity 75 lbs
•    motor 500 watts
•    max speed 19 mph
•    battery 24v 12ah SLA
•    recharge time 6 hours
•    range on single charge 12-15 miles
•    tires 12-1/2 x 3″
•    tire pressure 20-30psi

The 36 volt 10 amp hour battery is encased within the frame, making this electric-assist bike look more like a bike. Recharge it while it remains inside the bike, or bring the battery inside to a power source.

Offering pedal-assist as well as throttle, the Stromer can take you far.   With the 600 watt motor and pedal-assist, you can travel between 45 and 60 miles per charge. You’ll be amazed at how quietly the motor hums.

The Stromer is one of the few electric-assist bikes offering a range of frame sizes and types, all in aluminum. With the 8-speed Shimano Alivio derailleur, Avid BB disc brakes on front and rear, and weighing 62 lbs, this bike offers rugged performance in all weather.   Both the step-through and crossbar models are offered in 15.5″, 17.5″ and 20″ frames, with an additional 22″ option for the crossbar frame.

Color choices have been kept to a minimum – black or white.

The accessories are also kept to a minimum, allowing you to select fenders, racks and lighting of your choice.

Stop by PHEW! for a test ride. You’re sure to be wowed!

A different approach to converting a bike to an electric-assist bike by placing the battery & controller inside a cargo trailer.  Attaches in minutes to any bike, even easier to detach! There’s room for groceries in the trailer; fill ‘er up and let the Ridekick push you home!

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bike) and try the Ridekick for yourself!

• max speed 20mph
• 12-15 miles per charge
• room for 2 grocery bags inside trailer
• recharge in 6 hours
• sealed lead acid battery
• weighs 43 lbs

Priced at $699

We’re also offering a free bike clinic outside our shop on 2nd & 4th Thursdays from 5-7pm.

Barb with friends, holding up transit map of Mt Airy

Smart woman.

An adult American giving up her car is breaking new ground – a decision to honor and support.

Suggested gifts to celebrate this step were…

• stories about (y)our relationship with (and dependency on) cars
  
• bus tokens
• bike & transit maps
• gift certificates to keep her bike well-serviced
• refill on her High Point Cafe Yummy card; remember.. food is fuel for a cyclist!

By sharing her decision with friends, Barb has found them offering to include her in their driving plans. So for example, she was going to the Manayunk Arts Festival later in the day with a friend. Turns out Another friend gave a coupon for rides to the vet.  We learned about a car-sharing arrangement between friends, where the costs are split and a contract spells out details like who gets use of the car when both want it. Barb & I are considering  modifying this contract to try a car-sharing scheme amongst ourselves, since my car often remains at home.  Anna, a friend that couldn’t make it to our mitzvah, shared that she, too, chooses to live car-free, and just hearing about this celebration has greatly added to her self-esteem.

Though ready with the 12 suggested steps of Oilaholics Anonymous, and this ad asking if it’s OK to support terrorism if it’s only a little bit, I held back on the political, and instead pulled out a transit map of Mt Airy, showing bus & train routes to get in and out of Mt Airy. Though familiar with the bus system, Barb found the map useful, as did neighbor & friend Rick.

Ideas for future car-free mitzvahs to celebrate this significant rite of passage are welcome.

We’ve become the go-to place for quite a diverse group of people – most in street casual clothing – often needing their bikes serviced, sometimes coming just to share milestones in their life. Take Barb, for instance; she came into our shop announcing that she recently sold her car and was planning on getting around by bike. Then there is Keith from Jamaica and Ana from Russia, both helmet-less and in open-toed shoes, enjoying summertime mobility on their “mountain” bikes – great for city potholes. Last month, out-of-state couples visiting family in the area discovered our shop. A test ride with Afshin cinched the deal – PHEW! has happy e-bike riders in Maine and Arkansas.

Hang about our street corner and you’ll certainly see a slice of America come ‘n go! This is urban mobility… redefined.

We thank all our customers for putting their trust in us and coming along for the ride!

Also new this spring is a line of city bikes by Globe – the Haul and the Daily, and some humbly priced mountain bikes by Mantis, Polaris & Titan. Enough inquiries from neighborhood parents (and our niece) convinced us to also carry children’s bikes. We continue to carry refurbished used bikes of all types.

In the electric bike arena, we’ve added the F300 folding bike by EZ Pedaler , offering both pedal-assist and thumb throttle with a very peppy 250 watt motor. And the Transporter+ by Trek, a longtail cargo bike with the same electric assist as the rest of the Trek Ride+ line. Stop by for a test ride!

Though we loved the social hub at our old location of Carpenter & Greene, we’re thrilled to be at this location that offers more space, a full basement, and something hard to appreciate right now: air conditioning! Over the last month, we gradually made this space ours. Our first task was to install a programmable thermostat so the space wasn’t being heated when no one was around. The next task was to empty the space of stuff left behind by prior occupants which turned out to be quite an archeological dig, since it used to be…

1. a Democratic Campaign office, fondly known as the local Obama office – circa 2005-2010
   • Several printers and monitors were brought up from the basement, with post-it notes proclaiming DEAD or TRASH. These were all taken to the City’s e-waste recycling at nearby Domino lane. There is now room in the basement for bikes and bins of bike parts.
   • Voter registration forms were found all over the premises, filled up 5 liquor store boxes and were put out for curbside recycling.
   • Numerous clipboards were given away to whoever wanted them – to children, to retirees, and to a local non-profit.
   • Donated furniture was donated back to a local school as well as through PhillyFreecycle. A couple of the folding chairs will be used by the PHEW crew for a lunch break in our backyard.
2. a Doctors office – circa 2000-2005
   • the heavy physician’s pelvic examination table from 1981 could not be passed on through PhillyFreecycle or the local Craigslist, nor through our network of friends in neighborhood clinics. We even considered using it as a work table in our repair shop, but eventually disassembled it to elemental components and disposed of; the particleboard to dump; metals to scrap yard; light fixture to architectural salvage shop opening in Mt Airy; drawer bins to be used in our shop for sorting bike parts. This freed up much needed space in our rear “box” room.
   • A non-functioning heart-monitor-type machine was a puzzlement to me, but Afshin dismantled the electronic hardware for e-waste recycling and is planning to use the wheeled base in our repair shop.
   • Hand wash sinks will be sold to new architectural salvage shop.
3. the Hot Topics Info Cafe, touted as Philadelphia’s premiere coffee house – circa 1995-1999
   • Evidence of this was the plumbing in our showroom space which is probably where they had the coffee machines and sinks. Versatile Afshin capped the pipes in the basement, and traded the extra pieces of copper for some greenbacks at the local scrap yard.
   • In the basement was an espresso machine and Bunn-o-matic coffee machine, both to be revived at Cosmic Foods new cafe at Lloyd Hall.
   • Cake stands were taken to the local thrift store; flavored syrups were still good, I tried some!. Any suggestions before they get poured down the drain?
   • The receipts got recycled, the rusty cash register taken for e-waste recycling, and
   • the box of assorted teas (still good) is being savored by the PHEW crew daily! Stop by for a taste of these, or some freshly brewed mint tea with local honey.

In the last month, we made at least 7 trips to the transfer station in our little car, each time with a mix of debris and recyclables.  We’re ready to leave the car at home and get to work on a bike. Are you?

If you can bike in the snow, Afshin’s here to service your bike.

Best to reach him by phone these days… 215.821.9266.