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Electric Bikes Get More Elegant Every Year (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the he-huffed-and-he-puffed-his-way-up-the-hill-because-he-forgot-he-was-riding-an-electric-bike dept.

Tim Lord first saw Faraday Bicycles at CES, where their bikes drew plenty of attention and a fair amount of media interest. The company ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2012, and 2014 is when they are starting to ship their pre-ordered bicycles and hope to get new orders for lots more. Tim's travels later took him to San Francisco, where he had a chance to visit the shop where Faraday bikes are made, and to talk with some of the people who are designing and making them. (If you don't see the video below, please use this link.)

13 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Still ugly by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't get why all these electric bikes have you sitting in such an upright position. I don't see why nobody takes an existing touring bike (like a road/racing bike, with drop bars, but a beefier frame and ability to add fenders and panniers), and adds an electric motor to that. With a much more aerodynamic position the motor would be much more efficient, and as most cyclists know, these bikes are much more comfortable anyway. Plus it would be a nice advantage to not have a completely unride-able bike in the case where your battery runs out.

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    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    1. Re:Still ugly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I wouldn't call road/racing bikes comfortable, i find an upright bike much more user friendly. Those racing bikes feel like my butts up in the air and my chin is about to scrape the pavement. How is that more comfortable? Besides being a man i prefer my, ahem, "manliness", un-squished, as happens every time on a road bike.

    2. Re:Still ugly by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Informative

      A more efficient motor would mean that the battery could last longer, even if you were limited to low speeds. Speaking of speed limitations though, the literature for the Faraday Porteur says that it has a 350 W motor, which means its too powerful to qualify as an electric bicycle in Europe and many other places. Personally I find that the speed limitations are another big problem. The highest speed limitations I've seen are 32 km/h, which I can easily maintain on my non-electric bike.

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      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    3. Re:Still ugly by ne0n · · Score: 4, Funny

      No problem, just bolt a giant shark-like fin onto your recumbent so it sticks up into driverspace. Mount LEDs or even lasers to further enhance visibility. Patent pending, of course.

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      $ :(){ :|:& };:
    4. Re:Still ugly by SpankiMonki · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Speaking of battery life, there's no mention of regenerative braking on this thing.

      Their FAQ claims "Regenerative braking may be great for cars, but it's not as good for bikes." Other e-bikes and the Copenhagen Wheel have regenerative braking, so I wonder if Faraday is making unfounded excuses.

    5. Re:Still ugly by rolfwind · · Score: 3, Informative

      If you wants decent aerodynamics, you don't get a a "traditional" racing bike, you get a recumbent. Recumbents hold the world records for speed by a far margin and it's because they cut the aerodynamic profile in half.

      They are known widely for being way more comfortable than traditional bikes (which is why most exercise bikes these days use 'bent form). You don't get saddle sores from them, but they are much better for your lungs and midsection as well, as bending down in the proper form in racing bikes practically crushes your middle. So I don't get your comfort assertion at all.

      Of course, recumbents often are bigger and that's a down side, as well as visibility being a factor (the aerodynamic win trades off with being lower to the ground). And the ability to "hop" over objects. Uphill is reportedly tougher but I find that is more with newcomers because recumbents exercise different muscles, particularly midsection, and endurance comes from riding a long time.

      I think a lot of the bad characteristics of recumbents is mitigated in the "crank forward" design of recumbents, which is a hybrid of the traditional frame of the bicycle and recumbent - pushing the crank forward like the name suggests, elongating the frame slightly but still being high enough and able to jump objects.

      Google images has a ton of crank forward bikes to view.

      As to the topic, I've been looking into a 1500 watt scooter. Can stand or sit. Can go up serious hills. Looks possibly small enough that I can take mass transit without them bitching about my luggage. Has a 20+ mile range, a little more if I don't go all out. Since it can go 35+ miles, 15 more than I'm willing to go on a scooter of that type, I think I can exceed that easily.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

      I would consider it seriously if my area rained a lot less than it does, like if I lived in Arizona. $1500 is still a lot, but compared to 5 or 10 years back, leaps ahead of what I could have gotten.

      Previously, I was considering a gas powered Sym Symba (a Honda Super Cub remake) but I think that costs $3K, and only goes 45mph. With the electric scooter, I can go on bike paths, but on this, I would have to take roads, and that is too slow plus I would have to get a motorcycle license.

    6. Re:Still ugly by hey! · · Score: 4, Informative

      Depends on the number of hours you put in the saddle. If you just ride an hour or two on the weekend, then a cushy seat and upright posture feels comfortable. If you ride many more hours per week it's a prescription for saddle sores and cut off circulation near the tops of your femurs.

      If you ride a lot, you get used to the drop handlebars, which afford a number of small but significant changes in posture over a long ride, and allow you to use more of your body muscles (along with cleated shoes). Also with drop handlebars you support more of your weight on your hands and legs, so no manhood problems. When I was riding over a hundred miles per week, I found the most comfortable saddle was hard plastic with no padding at all.

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  2. Pretty cool but.... by tempestdata · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think that bike is pretty cool, and I've been lucky to never have a bike stolen, but at that price tag, they better have put a LOT of thought into security before I would consider buying one.

    Also, is it just me or does that bike scream hipster?

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    - Tempestdata
    1. Re:Pretty cool but.... by Cornwallis · · Score: 4, Funny

      At that price it does nothing but scream hipster.

    2. Re:Pretty cool but.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      It screams hipster so much so that I actually want to punch the bike itself...

  3. Re:They aren't really bicycles. by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Informative

    20 mph is 32km/h. I can easily maintain that on the flats with my bike, and my bike isn't amazing, and I am not in that good shape. The speeds you see quoted on that website are the overall average speed for the entire ride, which will most likely contain a few hills. The stopping distance of a bike, or even an e-bike is short enough that even going 30 km/h when everyone else is going 15 km/h will still give you plenty of time to react to other cyclists.

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    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  4. A real hodpodge for the price by CaptBubba · · Score: 5, Informative

    For $3500 the components are a real mixed bag. Sure no visible battery is nice, but other bikes have that too and 195Whr is very low as far as e-bikes go. A brooks leather saddle is very nice, but Avid mechanical disc brakes are entry-level. That's not to mention the really questionable choices of a belt drive and bamboo fenders.

    Compare it to something like the Stromer Elite: http://www.electricbikesla.com...

    Same price, nearly double the battery (approx 350Whr), no visible battery, a standard shimano sora chain drivetrain any bike mechanic can work on, and hydraulic disc brakes.

  5. TRY an electric bike by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The bending over you do to reduce drag isn't needed on an electric bike because even with just 250 watt, you basically got another set of legs pedalling. I got one myself and the biggest difference you notice straight away, apart from the insane acceleration (even mopeds have a hard time keeping up) is that WIND, the eternal enemy, is NO LONGER A FACTOR. Whoosh, GONE!

    And the upright is not about BEING seen, in either position you are at the height of normal car windows, so plenty visible, it is about how easy YOU can see.

    There just isn't a market for electric racing bikes. Not just because most racers don't want a support engine OR because the weight of engine and battery would triple the bike weight but because most build their own custom bikes and the best electric bikes use custom frames (mid-motor is where things are going).

    The market for electric bikes simply ain't the health freaks, it is the people faced with a commute that is just to uncomfortable to ride themselves but who are not opposed to moving their legs a bit. People like me, I am neither fit nor unfit, I could ride 30 miles, I have done so when needed BUT I wouldn't do it of my own choice. I have a choice, go by car (longer commute and more expensive), cycle all the way (about 45 minutes) NO FUCKING WAY, go train + bus (extra waiting time kills commute time) or train + electric bike. WINNER! Fast, bit of excersize (downside, pants starting to fall down), cheap.

    I am the target of the bike in the article. You are not.

    This is no different from the eternal and rather boring debate about how electric cars don't have enough range to drive to another continent. NOT THE TARGET MARKET.

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    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

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