May 05, 2023
Recently, our customer Alex bought a FLEET and took it with her on a weekend getaway in Michigan to the great lakes! We sat down with her to ask about her e-bike experience!
SWFT:Hi, Alex! First of all, how did you hear about SWFT and why did you choose FLEET as your SWFT e-bike?
Alex: I saw an ad for an e-bike on Best Buy for SWFT and I decided to take the plunge. A lot of the other brands offered models that were out of my budget, so I was attracted to SWFT’s affordability. I ended up choosing the FLEET because I wanted to use the bike for casual riding, and I didn’t want the bulk and weight of the ZIP.
To make this a bit personal and to give our other riders an idea of who rides SWFT, we hope you don’t mind us asking how old are you and where do you live?
I’m in my late 50s, and I live in a small town in Michigan, east of Grand Rapids.
“I CAN RIDE IT LIKE A REGULAR BIKE, BUT WHEN I'M TIRED, IT'S TOO HOT, OR MY KNEE IS ACTING UP, I CAN JUST USE THE THROTTLE TO GET HOME!"
Did you ride bikes regularly before you bought the FLEET?
I rode bikes all the time when I was younger, but less so recently. I had knee surgery a few years back and I haven’t been able to get around as much as I used to. I wanted to be more active. I put on weight during the pandemic and wanted to get out and about more. I kept seeing ads for e-bikes, and I figured, why not?
We’re glad you made the switch! How do you like the ride?
It’s amazing, really. I remember riding bikes with friends as a kid, and I love that feeling, you know? The ability to just get out of your house and go anywhere. The FLEET is awesome because I can ride it like a regular bike, but when my knee is acting up, I can just throttle home.
What’s your favorite thing about each?
I love the FLEET because it’s a comfortable upright ride for cruising. We use this model most when running quick errands in town, like grabbing coffee! The ZIP is a bit heavier, but it does have all-terrain tires, which is nice when we want to do some off-road riding! I love that both batteries detach from the e-bikes so we can charge easily, and that the display gives me a quick view of how fast I’m going.
You said you were going on vaca with the FLEET. Where did you go?
My family rented an adorable cabin up by the lake, and we took the FLEET and a couple regular bikes to the cabin with us. We took the battery off the FLEET and it fit right on our car’s bike rack.
How was the overall experience?
It was so much fun! I ended up sharing the FLEET with my husband and my son during our trip since everyone wanted to try out the throttle feature. It’s very responsive and the battery lasted a long time. We didn’t recharge the battery until the third day of riding it around!
What’s your favorite thing about the FLEET?
The seat is super comfortable, and it feels just like a classic beach cruiser. I love the battery life, the power of the motor and the display. They’re not super attention grabbing when the bike’s assembled so the bike definitely still feels and looks like a classic cruiser. The motor is super responsive. I wasn’t used to having a motor on a bike before, so the first time I used the throttle, it was very zippy. This thing GOES when you twist that throttle.
How do you usually ride with the family? Anything you want to tell our readers about your experience with the FLEET?
Usually, we try to ride together as a family, but I’ve struggled to keep up with them after my knee injury. During this particular weekend with the FLEET, everyone was trying to keep up with me!
Michigan beaches are great, and we took the FLEET out to the beach, on some coastal roads, and used it just to get around when we wanted to explore. I’m excited to use this more when we get home. Living in a small town, sometimes it doesn’t make sense to drive to the store, or to run small errands.
The FLEET is definitely going to change how I take short trips. I’m excited to use it more while the weather’s nice. My son loves it. He’s trying to steal my FLEET to take with him when he goes back to college. We’ll see. He might have to get his own!