Hey Genesys Community!

It's been a few months, but through some hoops and a couple of test rides, I'm happy to share with everyone updates on my Cafe Cruiser E-Bike that I won through this very Community!!

In case you missed it, earlier in 2024, there was a contest posted in this Casual community around GKN and how much helped your workflow. Since I'd come to work for a Genesys partner, supporting an AppFoundry product, the GKN and the Community have been huge in helping me stay on top of the rapid growth with Genesys Cloud. I wrote up my entry based upon all my experience in using GKN and crossed my fingers. I entered the contest not thinking I'd win the e-bike, but I was really hoping to win it, because I didn't own a bike.

The last time I had ridden a bike was when I was in high school. My father lived close enough to my college campus that when I was a freshman, I could park my car in his driveway during the week, then walk back and grab it for any weekend travel; I didn't need to worry about keeping a bike at my dorm. Alas, at some point during college, my father donated my forgotten bike, and I never replaced it. Now, a few moves and a house purchase later on down the road of life, I finally have a bike -- AN E-BIKE! 

Thank you to the wonderful team members at Genesys for choosing my entry! I don't remember everything I wrote word-for-word, but the truth is that Genesys has created an easy to understand place to get all of your information with the GKN and they've invested in this amazing Genesys Community where customers, partners, and employees can connect in an open environment. There truly aren't many companies that have done the same in such a manner as Genesys. Whenever I have a question about Genesys Cloud, I have multiple outlets available to me to find the answer quickly. I've also met some really nice folks here in the Community. So, with all that said, I'm truly grateful for such a wonderful prize, and I'm glad that Genesys has continued to invest in the GKN!

OK - Now to the E-Bike!

For my prize, I was able to select the color and frame of the Ride1Up Cafe Cruiser E-Bike. I choose the white color (aka "Latte"), step through version of the bike, as it looked really sleek on the site. WOW... it's beautiful!

(pictured after I took the bike path nearby to go grab a latte at Starbucks)

So... the e-bike was not assembled when it arrived. It was partially assembled, came with tools and instructions, plus they had a YouTube video of how to put it together. I initially thought, "I can probably figure this out." I start watching the video and the first thing is to put the handlebar on, and I think, "Yep, I can handle that." (see what I did there?) The next step is to put the front wheel on, align the brakes, etc., etc., more and more things to do. I'm stunned. There's SO MUCH I had to do to make this even become a bike, plus you add in the whole learning how to use the electric part, which didn't exist the last time I owned a bike. Thanks to Google, I found some local shops that specialize in e-bikes, and I was able to drop it off for assembly. They were downright fantastic to work with and I can ride it knowing that when I brake, the bike will brake with me. 

My city has been adding to bike paths for the last several years and have been widening sidewalks along busy streets to accommodate for both bikers and walkers. It's super cool to be able to ride to places that I was always driving to. The electric portion of the bike is a game changer! I rode the bike about 3 times before I got the courage to use it (this thing has a THROTTLE, what!?) and when I hit my first hill and realized how much it was helping, I knew there was no going back to the bike of my youth. It's super fun to ride!! Next step is to add a basket or some sort of container on the back so I can grab some groceries during bike rides.

I'll keep posting adventure updates here to the Genesys Casual Community. Thanks again for this amazing prize, it's quite literally opened up a whole new world for me!