Better Bike PEBL

[Ecky]

A friend of mine owns one of the prototypes. I thought it was roomy, comfortable, and it rode well. Hopefully build quality is better on production units though. and I wasn't a big fan of the drivetrain. Could be prototype issues.

[NeilBlanchard]

They have been improving things as they go, for sure. The latest improvement is a 1500w mode - for use by folks with a license and not on bike paths. The 750w limit is for unlicensed operators, and for bike only paths. They are streamlining things like the wiring harness, and I have seen improvements in the fit and finish.

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's another comparison of the PEBL and the ELF, that is generally useful, but has a few out of date facts - the prices in particular:

https://bikelyf.com/pebl-vs-elf/

[NeilBlanchard]

Another similar vehicle - the VeloMetro Veemo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUrpkoX-r4Q

Looks to be one person, and more car-like.

[Stubby79]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Another similar vehicle - the VeloMetro Veemo:

Looks to be one person, and more car-like.

That thing is pushing it a bit to be classified as a bicycle...oh, I get that they are, technically, adhering to electric bike laws, but still...

One thing with the electric bike laws, vs a limited-speed motorcycle law....there's no weight restriction on the bikes, whereas there's a 95kg limit on the limited speed motorcycle. Wanna bet this velo weighs more than that?

Honestly, this is pretty close to something I'd wanna drive, just I'd want it to go 50k/hr+ to get me to work in a reasonable amount of time.

[Christopher Jordan]

We had 1 Elf make it to the west coast but it was soon sold used and gone. No floor, no reverse, no room behind the seat. Disappointing. That Peble seems to have these so I sure hope it is available on the west coast.

[NeilBlanchard]

They can ship the PEBL to the west coast, I am pretty certain. The PEBL is a bit smaller than the ELF, as well as having better weather protection - and electric reverse.

[NeilBlanchard]

An update on my PEBL - it is delayed by about 3 weeks, because better.bike has been revising various components. The frame fabricator has adjusted their process, and so better.bike was waiting on the delivery of the next batch of frames.

The PEBL will use a vinyl wrap instead of a gelcoat, which will have better durability, and be less affected by UV. Also, the body fabrication will not be done in house, and will be conventional fiberglass, for better production. Like any production process, they are working hard to improve tolerances and the quality of the finished product.

Another issue that they are trying to address, is shipping, and specifically shipping damage. They are switching from a generalized freight company, to a company that specializes in shipping trike motorcycles, motorcycles, and ATV's. better.bike had been building more and more substantial crates, and still PEBL's were being delivered with damage.

I also asked about the new "off road" 1500w mode - it increases the limit on the top speed (in electric mode) from about 20mph, to about 24mph.

Someone on the Facebook PEBL group posted these "how-to" videos, that give you a pretty good look at details:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...-Qv5g6mc2fUF8E

[freebeard]

No self-cancelling turn signals?

I'm content to wait for my trike too, while they iron out the bugs.

You've ridden one? I would think they would need to address NVH with that closed cabin.

[NeilBlanchard]

It is old school!

I have ridden one, briefly - the first production unit, as a matter of fact. It makes noises; mostly the motor whine. And when you go over rough surfaces. It's a fiberglass shell on an aluminum frame.