Interesting looking ebike kickstarter- Maxwell Motorbikes

[reagle]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maxwellmotorbikes/maxwell-ep0-ultralightweight-electric-bicycle
The frame hides the battery and the controller, so it looks like a regular bike.
I like that the goal for the funds is FCC and battery safety testing

[Marco]

Fixies are stupid.

[rx8pilot]

How do you change the batteries that are embedded in the bike frame?

Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk

[reagle]

In this article http://insideevs.com/maxwell-motorbikes-launches-offers-ep-0 they mentioned some type of a door on the headstock to load them. I do wonder what size they are and how the interconnection is done, since it's almost like a blind insertion

[Sigmoid]

Fixies are stupid.

Depends on what you're using it for.
It really is the best thing to have in a city with tight traffic. The control you get is unparalleled. It's also a good workout - many road racing teams ride fixies for practice. Of course it becomes a pain on hilly terrain of if you want to hit the road and make serious distance.

(That said, fixies without brakes belong in the velodrome. A bicycle in traffic needs a front and a rear brake, and the hipsters riding without them need to be punched in the face.)

Anyway, I'm no fan of electric bicycles at all, so whatevs. Build a motorbike, or build a bicycle. It's an either-or thing.

[reagle]

It may be more complicated than that-I think it's mainly made to look like one

[Fred27]

Fixies are stupid.

I definitely agree, but it does make some sense on a electric bike. This bike does look like hipster crap though.

[EEVblog]

Anyway, I'm no fan of electric bicycles at all, so whatevs. Build a motorbike, or build a bicycle. It's an either-or thing.

Motorbikes need a license and registration etc, (modest) electric bikes do not.

[Muttley Snickers]

Motorbikes need a license and registration etc, (modest) electric bikes do not.

Recently I was out the front talking to the neighbour and the postman came past on a push bike and I said to the neighbour he's really moving along for a bicycle. The fellow went all the way up the street like a bat out of hell and then came back down on our side, we stopped him and then realised that the bike was powered and I asked why he was not on a motor bike like the regular postie and he explained that he had lost his licence due to drink driving, his union got involved in a big shit fight apparently so that he could retain his job, the dude was a complete wanker and had a beard long enough to get tangled in the chain if he wasn't careful, I think he was stoned.

Anyway a day or so later I was out sweeping the driveway and the regular postie on the motor bike was back from a break, he told me that the other fellow was a troublemaker and that Australia Post was having all sorts of trouble with him, I couldn't see how it was possible to do a postal route without driving on a road at some point and the speed that he was going at along the footpath was probably more dangerous if an elderly personor child wandered out in front of him because the powered cycle was completely silent.

Muttley

[rollatorwieltje]

Fixies are stupid.

Depends on what you're using it for.
It really is the best thing to have in a city with tight traffic.

Absolutely not. Try something with a hub gear. I have crossed the road before the fixie hipster even started moving. Also good luck taking fast corners without being able to lift your inside pedal, or climbing even a slight incline. Don't forget to put some money aside as well for some knee prostheses, you might need them in the future.

But it's an unrelated discussion anyway, the thing in the kickstarter is a single speed, not a fixie. Regarding that thing... No luggage rack, no fenders, no chainguard, no lights. Useless as a daily bicycle. It looks like a racing bicycle, but what's the point of the e-assist then? Also who stores their bike in their living room?! The battery isn't removable? Then again this is the USA, nobody cycles there anyway except for some hipsters, so in that sense they probably did a good job appealing to their customer base.

[mikerj]

the speed that
he was going at along the footpath was probably more dangerous if an elderly person
or child wandered out in front of him because the powered cycle was completely silent.

Is it actually legal to ride on the footpath in Australia?  It isn't in the UK.

[amyk]

In this article http://insideevs.com/maxwell-motorbikes-launches-offers-ep-0 they mentioned some type of a door on the headstock to load them. I do wonder what size they are and how the interconnection is done, since it's almost like a blind insertion

I imagine it's somewhat like inserting batteries into a torch, although having that many lion cells in series is not a good thing...

[Muttley Snickers]

the speed that he was going at along the footpath was probably more dangerous if an elderly person or child wandered out in front of him because the powered cycle was completely silent.

Is it actually legal to ride on the footpath in Australia?  It isn't in the UK.

It is illegal for motor bikes and push bikes although postal workers are permitted and around here they don't muck about, it's flat knacker and those elderly people on the mobility scooters are just as dangerous, they are past giving a shit and will go straight over the top just to get home in time for tea and scones.

It wont be long before we start to see these old folk fitting bull bars and roll cages.


Muttley

[Sigmoid]

Absolutely not. Try something with a hub gear. I have crossed the road before the fixie hipster even started moving. Also good luck taking fast corners without being able to lift your inside pedal, or climbing even a slight incline. Don't forget to put some money aside as well for some knee prostheses, you might need them in the future.

As they say, it depends. If you brake with your knees, sure. You can take a hammer and bash out your brain with it, or use it according to its purpose. Anyway, here's some wisdom from the home of the Guru: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-knees.html

It looks like a racing bicycle, but what's the point of the e-assist then?

A valid point. It would make a lot more sense on a cargo bicycle or a massive Holland-style one. That said, a backpack and some removable fenders make a racing bike into a perfect commuter. And lights can be fitted aftermarket.

Also who stores their bike in their living room?!

People living in small city apartments, with no basement or garage. For all the hipster-bashing, you sure are negative enough to be one. (Hipster-bashing is the new hipster, lol.)

[Marco]

Absolutely not. Try something with a hub gear.

Or just a dérailleur if it has to be light ... the maintenance disadvantage of dérailleurs is ridiculously overstated.

Gotta agree about the cornering ... never raced, but still frequently had to stop pedalling as a kid to take the corner (bit more fear of the grip of my tires nowadays though). Taking it real close past a high curb is impossible too.

[edy]

I like the fact that the bike "looks" almost like a regular bike.... You can't tell there is any electric component to it because almost all of the stuff is hidden inside. No box-like protrusions or extra bits. I'm not sure where the motor is even (in that triangular looking enclosure near the pedals or somewhere on the hub?).

[mikerj]

I like the fact that the bike "looks" almost like a regular bike.... You can't tell there is any electric component to it because almost all of the stuff is hidden inside. No box-like protrusions or extra bits. I'm not sure where the motor is even (in that triangular looking enclosure near the pedals or somewhere on the hub?).

Front hub motor I suspect.

[riccardo.pittini]

ja it is a front hub motor (you can see it). There are some companies (now i don't recall the brand) that makes from hub motors with small diameter (i think around 100mm and power in the range of 200-250w).

[riccardo.pittini]

found it!!!!

98 mm diameter

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/250W-24V-33V-36V-brushless-electric_558820413.html

[Mechanical Menace]

Or just a dérailleur if it has to be light ... the maintenance disadvantage of dérailleurs is ridiculously overstated.

I used to be mad into downhill mountain biking, I only ever had problems with the derailleurs when I made a bad adjustment or on other peoples bikes. The latter was generally caused by badly maintained chains with stuck links too.

[Sigmoid]

Absolutely not. Try something with a hub gear.

Or just a dérailleur if it has to be light ... the maintenance disadvantage of dérailleurs is ridiculously overstated.

Gotta agree about the cornering ... never raced, but still frequently had to stop pedalling as a kid to take the corner (bit more fear of the grip of my tires nowadays though). Taking it real close past a high curb is impossible too.

Well since this has apparently evolved into a discussion of bicycle gears, let's discuss that. Derailleurs are a perfect solution, and I find there are very few areas where hub gears hold a real advantage.

The point of fixed gear is not that you can't change gear ratio, that's more like a consequence... As in, traditional chain tensioners don't work on fixed gear, and a derailleur needs a chain tensioner... The point of fixed gear is being fixed (ie. no freewheel). This gives an incredible level of control at low speeds. Plus I think it's tremendous fun. Anyway, there do exist non-freewheeling hub gears, which would combine the advantages of both... That said they are heavy and expensive.

As for the pedal clearance, frames built for fixed gear have a higher bottom bracket for that specific reason. Yes, you cannot lean into a turn as much as you can with a road bike, but you likely won't be hitting speeds like with a road bike either - thus, less leaning. As for taking it "real close" to high curbs, I think that's super dangerous on ANY kind of bicycle.

[NiHaoMike]

Hybrid bicycles are a very affordable introduction to the world of (plug in) hybrid vehicles. They're excellent for those who don't want to drive a car for whatever reason (traffic, costs, lack of parking, etc.) but find a regular bicycle too slow.

What would be interesting is a hybrid bicycle based on an eCVT that is more or less a scaled down version of what's used in the Prius. It would not only be able to do whatever gear ratio you program into it but also be able to emulate a fixed gear on command.