Try before you buy. It’s a mantra that’s been around as long as currency and it’s still good advice today, especially when you’re considering buying a vehicle. Most of us would never purchase a car without taking it for a test drive: you get a sense of how it feels behind the wheel, how it handles on the road and how well it responds. The same thing goes for electric bikes: at the very least we recommend taking a bike for a spin around the block before you buy. And the good news is all Pedego electric bike dealers in Canada offer free short-term test drives.

Even better than quick tests, though, is renting an electric bike and spending an hour or a day with it to really get a sense of what it’s all about. Consider the case of Forbes magazine writer Scott Kramer who recently did an article about renting a Pedego Trail Tracker in Southern California. In his story, “Gliding Through the Streets of SoCal with Pedego” he writes, “I highly recommend you take one out for a test drive before buying one — just to make sure it’s for you.” He goes on to say, ” While I’d love to own one of these electric wonders, I can’t decide if I’d use it primarily as a leisurely method of trucking around town or as a money-saving, emissions-eliminating transportation alternative to my car. I suspect I’d use it for both.”

We recommend trying as many different electric bikes as you can. Longer test rides are so much more valuable than discussing potentially confusing specifications, and a great way to help understand what you prefer. With that in mind, here are bike businesses around Canada that offer free short-term test rides and where you can also rent electric bikes made by Pedego: