He failed, and Nikolai ended up dead. This is the heart of the letter, Chekhov’s list of the qualities of a civilized man — this, in contrast to the false life Nikolai was living at the time.

Civilized Cycles was set up by long-term cyclist and biker Zachary Schieffelin, also the founder and CEO of Vespa Soho, America’s largest Vespa dealership. Schieffelin has been in the e-bike game for ...