First Impressions of the Urban Arrow

After our fall test ride, and splurging on Boxing Day, the Urban Arrow was finally ready to be picked up today!!!

A look at the bike still in the shop.

To be honest, I felt a little bit nervous but also excited. The last time I had picked up a new bike was more than 10 years ago when I got current my 3-speed commuter. Besides our first condo and our current home, the Urban Arrow would be the most expensive thing we’d ever purchased and it represents an intro to a new era. One where we’d be parents, ferrying around our growing child and our first time owning an electric bike. So ya, I was nervous, but excited.

Being in the middle of January, the weather was as good as it could be. It was 4°C, but felt like -1°C and there was no snow on the ground but there was a light rain. I would normally still ride my bike in this type of weather but I could also be easily persuaded to take the TTC.

Our appointment was 5PM at Curbside Cycle and the folks there were very kind with explaining how the bike worked, how to turn it on /off and other how-tos. After about 20 min, we took a photo for the wall and got a picture for ourselves.

Proud new bike owners!

Then came the hard part - turning this thing around and out the front door. Luckily the door at Curbside Cycle has a latch for this situation and after making a dozen point turns, I managed to get it out and on to the sidewalk.

First Impressions

The Urban Arrow is meant to be a family vehicle and you can tell by its size. The bucket upfront can accommodate 1 adult or up to 4 kids (depending on how big they are). I’m 5’6 with long legs and thought it was decently comfy up front in the bucket. I think for someone that is taller than 5’10 or with very broad shoulders, it would be much less comfortable to be in the bucket.

It’s my first time owning an e-bike and it’s a strange feeling to not have to put so much effort into pedaling. I’m still getting used to the Enviolo shifter and the e-assist.

Pros

• I can already see myself using this bike to pick up baby items before our kid arrives. Having the e-assist flattens hills and longer distances feels like nothing.

• The bike is decently responsive and comfortable to ride.

• Being ‘larger’ on the road makes me feel more visible

• Being the person at the front is very fun

Cons

• the larger size is still something I’m getting used to - however, I’m proud to say it fits seamlessly into our shed

• I’m a bit worried about locking this to the ring and post locks in Toronto, and how that will work. The lock is still coming so I’ll report back in a future more in-depth review.

• it’s not easy turning this thing on the sidewalk - something I’m still getting used to.

Our first task of the day was to get pizza for dinner and the ride from the store to the pizza place was about 6.5KM. I’m happy to report that my average speed was 15 KM/hr and a person riding a Bikeshare bike passed me. I guess I’m just not that fast of a rider and I’m OK with that. Being 5+ months pregnant, riding in the dark and wet, I just prefer being more cautious. I guess I’m a true bakfietsmoeder now 😅

Takeout from Cosmic Pizza

Photo of pizza