I don't see Rivendell as the shop you'd think of to go buy an e-bike. And I doubt that Riv would "put some bikes together with the latest mid-drive motors with 5 levels of pedal-assist available". A mid-drive motor would wreck the aesthetics of the classic diamond frame that Riv celebrates, and the frame needs to be designed around the big mid-drive motor. A wheel-motor kit, while a less-efficient e-bike design, seems more like something Riv would do (as at least one listmember already has). I could see Riv using a "Roscoe tube" to frame the battery, but not using the big TIG'ed plate required for a mid-drive.
I work part-time at a shop that is one of the biggest e-bike dealers in the Midwest. The shop's owner (3r-generation) embraced e-bikes early-on (about 5 years ago), and learned all the bugs and tricks. So, customers drive in from 5 hours away to buy from him, because he carries a decent line-up and fully supports the e-bikes, electronics and all. Many shops struggle with e-bikes due to the electronics. Early e-bikes definitely suffered from poor design and electrical glitches. Now, our best-selling e-bike models are European imports from Kalkhoff and Haibike, with the Bosch mid-drive kits. Mid-drive seems to be the best design, but it's ugly. One benefit of mid-drive is that it only works as pedal-assist; no throttle, no electric-only drive mode (aka moped). Personally, I don't see myself using an e-bike any time soon. But I agree that they are here, and that they serve needs for some people. For some, they're a gateway to non-E cycling, and for others they're a way to keep riding after they couldn't on their own. I agree that some e-riders (most often those with throttle "e-mopeds") can be irresponsible, riding too fast on cycle paths. But I also agree that, if e-bikes are increasing ridership and facility usage, that will result in more and better cycling accommodations for all of us. On Thu, May 18, 2017 at 8:06 AM, Brad <b...@bradparis.com> wrote: > I wouldn't buy one right now. But if I had mobility problems that > prevented me from pedaling my bike, I'd seriously consider it. > > I live in NYC and ebikes are everywhere, mostly being ridden by people > delivering food. I live in Queens and commute into Manhattan by bike via > the Williamsburg Bridge. In April 2019, the L train, the primary subway > connecting Northern Brooklyn to Manhattan, will shut down for 15 months for > repairs. The subway carries 250,000 straphangers a day. It's going to be a > huge mess as the adjacent subways don't have the capacity to absorb the > excess riders and traffic on the Williamsburg Bridge already moves slowly > at rush hour. I expect the Williamsburg bridge bike lane to get crowded and > it wouldn't surprise me if a significant number of riders discover > ebikes as the easiest way to get to work. So, the train shut-down > and ebike prices dropping and quality rising might be the series of events > that pushes ebikes into the mainstream here. If it happens, it will be > interesting to see how it affects cycling infrastructure here. > > Brad > Queens > > On Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 2:53:44 AM UTC-4, Joe Bernard wrote: >> >> Grant mentioned ebikes again on the BLAHG, and even made a faint >> reference to a possible future where they would sell one. I know it's not >> his thing, but he was discussing it in reference to a cycling industry >> gradually accepting that ebikes are here to stay. >> >> So my question. If Rivendell put some bikes together with the latest >> mid-drive motors with 5 levels of pedal-assist available, would you buy >> one? We're talking about pedal bikes that can be ridden with low or no >> assist, not 'hit the throttle and hang on' like a scooter. I think a kitted >> Clem or Hunqapillar would be fun, plus useful as commuters. >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
