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@Velocio
I tried one this morning. Purposefully got the train so that I could. Picked it up at Waterloo and rode it to Condor Cycles (there's a stand 1 street up).
Things that struck me:
1) They're heavy. As in, you can really feel it with each pedal stroke. This is a bike that takes effort to ride.
2) They're slow. Probably to do with the heavy wheels and poor gear choice. Also, the tyres really weren't at ideal pressure and this made mine feel sluggish.
3) I was taken aback by the stickers showing which lever is for the front and rear brake and how to use them. Are they really being aimed at people who have never ridden? I did like the notice on what should've been the stem cap about not undertaking trucks.
4) The elastic to hold bags in place is very very poor. And perhaps this was my biggest complaint about the bike. I was carrying a briefcase and I was unable to secure it in a way that prevented it from falling. I ended up using the fingers of my left hand to hold the briefcase in place which meant I was distracted a little as I cycled along.
All in all, it's workable but isn't good. Certainly good enough for a few block dash in almost any weather, but the weight and sluggishness will have people sweating buckets on hot days. A whole new age of Londoners walking around in sweat soaked shirts has arrived.