Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by nik was here on November 17, 2009 at 7:11am

First off , no need for a license. The DUI's out there love these things.
Second, still a bike.
Third, the A2B pictured is a little different than most electric bikes out there. I don't consider it a good example of a practical electric bike. The Giant Twist Freedom is a much better specimen.
Fourth, you cannot go around the block and not come back with a smile on your face, it just doesn't happen.
Fifth, as people get older, they continue to love biking, but are not as capable.
Sixth, some people like to bike to work in the morning, but after a rough day just want their bike to do the work to get them home.
Seventh, no gas. (though, this is a debatable environmental concern as there is still power used and that must be produced somehow. I would not say these bikes boast the most positive carbon footprints)

not for everyone, but there is a market.

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Permalink Reply by ishnock aka the blue baron on November 17, 2009 at 9:25am

This is not a bike and it goes against what a bike really is.....If it has a motor, then it is not a bike. Its a conveyor belt with wheels. It's like a mopad with cranks. ...You're not free, and the whole purpose of riding a bike is to be free.

On a real cycle, the human is the motor. Your legs. Your drive. Your direction and endurance.

Look at all the items and components on that thing. If you are not a mechanic with great savvy, then you're screwed when the bike needs to be worked on, or if a major component fails....


However, i have a vintage bike bias. I can work on those bikes ( not the bottom bracket and headset...still learning), and they are easy to maintain and fix.....

two thumbs down...I am all for technology and the advancement of mechanics, but when it dupes or retards the free spirit, I say nay ....

...............For what it is worth, every man(or woman) is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...and if that bike is someone's happiness, then so be it.

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Permalink Reply by cutifly on November 17, 2009 at 10:10am

I got a motor scooter last week, a 1982 Honda Passport 70cc. Free, runs. Awsome, burn gas. I am also going to put an electric Hub on my tallbike and ride around twice as fast. Don't want to be free, don't care about the climate, did not know it was your _______, sorry for that. Now if I can only put my small dog in my basket to later dump him into oncoming traffic, it would be a perfect day.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on November 17, 2009 at 10:22am

ishnock aka the blue baron said:

Look at all the items and components on that thing. If you are not a mechanic with great savvy, then you're screwed when the bike needs to be worked on, or if a major component fails....

Besides the rear hub, the battery, and the controls, there is really not that much difference between this bike and regular suspension adjusted bike.

I'm with Nik. It may not be for everyone, but if it allows people to ride their bike that otherwise would not be able to, then that is a good thing. The more bicyclists on the road, the better

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Permalink Reply by dav on November 17, 2009 at 10:55am

???? Is it time to up your Risperdal?

cutifly said:

I got a motor scooter last week, a 1982 Honda Passport 70cc. Free, runs. Awsome, burn gas. I am also going to put an electric Hub on my tallbike and ride around twice as fast. Don't want to be free, don't care about the climate, did not know it was your _______, sorry for that. Now if I can only put my small dog in my basket to later dump him into oncoming traffic, it would be a perfect day.

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Permalink Reply by ad on November 17, 2009 at 11:23am

Electric assist bikes aren't for me, but they definitely have their uses. A true electric assist bike (not an electric moped, which the A2B is admittedly getting pretty close to) simply use a battery-powered motor that adds more power to your pedal strokes. So instead of going 12 mph, you end up going 20mph with the same effort. You still have to consistently pedal like a normal freewheel bicycle.

I'm all for someone using one if it allows the person to bike commute when the person otherwise wouldn't be able to. My dad looked at getting one when his daily bike commute was going to go from 30 miles round trip to over 50 miles (his company decided to move offices). 50 miles a day at his age just isn't a sustainable option with a regular road bike. If it keeps him on a bike and out of a car, great. Mixed with an xtracycle, an electric assist battery would also create a heck of an efficient way to haul heavy-ass items that would otherwise push the limit of what a person could handle. Most electric assist equiped bikes cap out in the low 20s speed wise, so they shouldn't really endanger other cyclists as long as the person using it knows how to properly handle a bike.

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Permalink Reply by cutifly on November 18, 2009 at 1:59am

Ha, ha. Interesting that I have to look that up, while you seem to already know it very well. You gotta do better.

dav said:

???? Is it time to up your Risperdal?

cutifly said:

I got a motor scooter last week, a 1982 Honda Passport 70cc. Free, runs. Awsome, burn gas. I am also going to put an electric Hub on my tallbike and ride around twice as fast. Don't want to be free, don't care about the climate, did not know it was your _______, sorry for that. Now if I can only put my small dog in my basket to later dump him into oncoming traffic, it would be a perfect day.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan on November 18, 2009 at 8:48am

"Who uses these?"

Asia.

Go to Asia... anywhere in Asia and you will see billions of these scooting around. They have them in many urban centers because motorcycles are either too expensive or outlawed or require a license to operate. I have ridden a few e-bikes and found them to be extremely entertaining. More entertaining than a straight electric scooter? Probably not, but there is a major benefit to being able to ride / recharge in case you run out of battery.

Do they make sense here in the USofA?

Probably not. They are expensive... well over $1000. If I had $1000 to drop it would either be on a whole new bike or a really nice wheelset or some new crank components or all three.

Everywhere else in the world they are marketed as a means for daily transportation for you and all your stuff and going at a decent speed (15-20 mph). Here I think it would be pretty difficult to make the same argument when commuters are perfectly happy riding your standard issue road bike and going just as fast or faster. You don't see many road bikes tooling around asia... at least not for commuting.

What does make sense, then?

I think the future lies in electronic motorcycles like the Brammo or the Zero. These have a much lower carbon footprint than standard issue motorcycles with much of the same performance characteristics. I think some e-Vespas could make a case as well, but the electronic bicycle just doesn't seem to have a market. It's kind of like having a car that has an option harness on the front for hooking up your oxen.

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Permalink Reply by Tim M Hovey on November 18, 2009 at 10:58am

epic dorkyness.

who cares about getting from point a to point b if you can't have an awesome time while your doing it?

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Permalink Reply by Ryan on November 18, 2009 at 2:07pm

That's just it, though.... on some of these things you can have an awesome time. I don't think I have ever not smiled while riding one. It's just hard to justify the economics of it.

Tim M Hovey said:

epic dorkyness.

who cares about getting from point a to point b if you can't have an awesome time while your doing it?

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