Here’s thestory.
Here’s thevideo.
Looks cool. Thoughts?
Looks fairly terrible IMO - just because it has a battery is no excuse for (badly) re-inventing the wheel of bicycle design. I guess they feel they can market it better than if it was a more conventional design. Nice of them to spec ‘oversized’ bb7s on a $3500 bike - the guy seems to think that’s a feature.
Aside from this poor specimen, electric bikes have advanced massively in recent years with lighter battery tech. It is a good time to think about getting one if that’s your style of riding.
So Busy Scissors, tell me what’s so bad about the design. (I’m a newbie on this.)
nothing, it’s just a style of bike he doesn’t like.
Ah!, jz78817. Thanks! I have some infirmities. But this may get an old fart back on the trail…
How’z about you crustier turds out there?
My thought is that it’s one of the least informative “reviews” I’ve ever seen. Not even ballpark estimates of of the speed or distance or endurance on a single charge of the battery. Or how many cycles the battery is expected to last – at $700 for a replacement battery, it better be a LOT of them.
He talks about the battery location (over the back wheel where a rack would normally be put) as some kind of cool feature rather than a serious obstacle to carrying any kind of load. This seems to me one of the worst features – it appears that any cargo will have to be carried on the rider’s back. It there is any intent for this thing to compete with scooters for short distance commuting, having no place to carry stuff is going to kill that concept fast.
To say nothing of the fact that competitive products with better design and a price well under $1000 are currently available.
The article covers those points -
Give the short range and low speed, and with prices ranging from $2k to $3.7k, I don’t see this as anything but a niche vehicle - and a small niche at that. Shoot, I just bought an 8 year old car in great condition for $4k.
Oh, well, I was reacting to the video, not the article.
I think it goes a long way if you can’t ride a bike 100% (maybe 50%) because of an affliction (say, old age related issues). If it let’s me ride a bit, then switch to auto, its a win. Maybe not this particular model but the concept in general.
Well, it probably depends if you are a person who is into style or function. My own predilections are probably going to show through no matter how I try, so I’m not going to attempt to be neutral.
If you are into style then the Ford/Pedego might well be the ticket for you. It’s clearly been designed around a certain aesthetic. If you want that style, then, there you go…
If you are not into style then there are serious question marks about the bike.
[ul]
[li]bikes are traditionally built around triangles for a reason; triangles are a very strong shape so you can use less material for the same strength. The OP linked bike is built around an elongated oval. It lacks a seat tube. Seat tubes are on normal bikes for a reason.[/li][li]similarly, the battery is placed on the unsupported rear guard ie it is cantilevered. A traditional rack would have struts going down to the rear hubs which would make it a similar strength for much less weight[/li][li]the seating position may look cool but it’s too low and far back for efficient peddling.[/li][li]for the price it’s way under spec’ed unless we assume the fee for the stylist is the major cost factor. A $3500 bike with cable disk brakes? I love the way the reviewer gives it kudos for them having an adjusting knob. Dude, if it had hydraulic disks (and at this price point it should) they wouldn’t need adjustment![/li][li]Those big tyres probably give some comfort but I think something substantially less chunky would give nearly as good a ride without weighing what those tyres would weigh, or providing so much rolling resistance.[/li][li]Can I stop now? I wanna go home.[/li][/ul]
My vote? Let me quote Zaphod Beeblebrox: “Okay, so ten out of ten for style, but minus several million for good thinking, yeah?”
I could see the niche for the thing being basically as a stealth moped. You’d get a ticket riding a regular old gas-powered moped on a bike path or parking it on a sidewalk bike rack, but if you’ve got something like this that’s functionally identical but is silent and really looks like a bicycle…
Yes but, maybe 50% - because of an old age affliction. Any alternative models? I wanna ride.
I have an Evelo electric bike, and I love it. Yes, I am a wimp. Without the power I would not be riding a bike. It is so much more fun this way!
Thanks ratatoskK. I went to their sight and watched the video. I wish I could buy one.