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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.)

7 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. 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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    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...

  2. 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.

  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. 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. 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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