Electric Bicycle
Ridekick provides an electric boost to regular bicycles
Although some cycling purists may sneer at them, electric bicycles certainly do come in handy when hills need to be climbed on morning commutes, or loads need to be hauled. E-bikes can be quite expensive, however, plus their motors and batteries make them heavy and clunky when their electric-assist feature isn’t being used. That’s where the Ridekick ...well, where it kicks in. The motorized trailer quickly hooks onto an existing bicycle, pushing it to speeds of up to 19 mph (30.5 km/h), for a distance of about 12 miles (19 km) per charge. When you want your regular ol’ human-powered bike back, you just unhook it and go. Read More
The folks at Budapest's prestigious M55 e-bike studio have been far from idle since we brought news of the launch of the company's Terminus e-bike a few months ago. All of the remaining limited production run editions have now been released - including the Biceps model with the strange-looking front suspension system that's claimed to enhance safety and the "tailor-made" version, where buyers can combine favored aspects of any of the other available designs. Two other models have now been added to the catalog - one featuring customer-specified artwork and the other covered in sparkly gems and gold or silver trim. Read More
KKL readies Gocycle G2 for March 2012 release
When the very last model of the award-winning first generation Gocycle electric bicycle was sold in February of this year, Karbon Kinetics Limited immediately announced plans to develop an updated version. The technical specifications have now been finalized and a manufacturing partner secured - so let's have a closer look at the upcoming Gocycle G2. Read More
Hoping to re-ignite what he calls the "hidden magic" of commuting by bike, Washington-born designer Gabriel Wartofsky has been working on a folding e-bike project for the last two years, and is now entering the final stages of pre-production. Prototype number one of his first- and last-mile mobility solution has been taken for hundreds of test rides leading to rider-suggested modifications and design tweaks, crowd-sourced funding has been secured, and final stage manufacturing partners are now being brought on board ahead of an initial limited availability production run in Q1 2012. Read More
E-cyclist pedals over 1600km into record books
The CEO of Australia's Hahn Environmental Services, the largest producer of biodiesel in Queensland, has smashed the distance set by Guinness for the Longest Distance Traveled by Electric Bicycle in One Week. Riding a modified Stealth Bomber e-bike, which had its battery packs charged by a wind turbine sitting atop a Mini Moke running on green fuel, Allan Lear managed to pedal an amazing 1,629 km (1,012 miles) through Australia's outback - he is now waiting for the achievement to be verified by Guinness as a World Record. Read More
Ford tips F1 technology into elegant E-Bike concept
Automotive manufacturers often use the media glare surrounding events like the International Motor Show in Frankfurt to showcase concept vehicles never intended for production. Such models are created to highlight cutting edge design or brand new technology. This year Ford unveiled an urban mobility concept that uniquely marries Formula One sensing technology with a two-wheeled pedelec bike. The E-Bike design also sees the electric assist motor positioned at the front and cabling hidden within the graceful lines of the lightweight trapezoidal frame. Read More
Hase Bikes' KLIMAX tricycle converts into a velomobile
While there are those of us who are strangely attracted to velomobiles – recumbent tricycles with full aerodynamic fairings – the idiosyncratic vehicles certainly have their drawbacks. Among these are the fact that the fairing, which is usually a hard shell, adds weight and traps heat inside with the rider. It also contributes to the sky-high price of the trikes, which can reach around US$15,000. Hase Bikes has taken an interesting approach with its KLIMAX 2K recumbent tricycle by using a weatherproof fabric fairing, that folds down and comes off when not wanted. Read More
Late last year, we brought news of the development of a very exclusive hand-built, luxury human-electric bike from Hungary dubbed the Beast. The M55 designers had set themselves the task of creating the best hybrid bikes on the planet and gathered together the very cream of top notch components to build a unique and eye-catching prototype. Back in April, the folks at M55 felt that they had at last reached the end of the prototyping phase and were ready to launch the company's first commercial hybrid bike - signaling the slaying of the Beast and the beginning of a new era for Terminus. Read More
Fallbrook Technologies released the NuVinci Continuously Variable (CVP) N170 transmission for bicycles in 2007. The rear hub-based system does away with distinct, defined gears, it’s sealed against dirt and other contaminants (unlike a derailleur), and it allows riders to change drive transmission ratios even when standing still. Last year, the company unveiled the NuVinci N360, which is smaller and lighter than the N170, yet has a wider range of ratios. This Tuesday, Fallbrook announced yet another incarnation of the technology – the NuVinci Harmony, which is an auto-shifting version of the N360. Read More
If the US$6,000 price tag of the BugE trike is still beyond your price range, then you may be interested in the sub-US$600 Solaron three-wheeler designed by Pakistan's Farrukh Khan. The DIY project is not (yet) available commercially, but the young inventor has posted detailed build instructions online for those who want to knock up their own variants. Read More
