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Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

lemond.com

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Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#21

Post by jlrubin »

globular-toast wrote: post #12

~12kg for anyone wondering. Minimum bicycle weight in the Tour de France is 6.8kg (~15lb). It's possible to make bicycles significantly lighter than this, but most manufacturers don't because of the rules of the Tour. I do recommend to anyone who hasn't done it yet to take a moment and marvel at the technological accomplishment that is the bicycle. The car takes far too much credit but ultimately it can only work by…

Minimum bike weights serve 2 important roles other than "it's just the rules":

1) Fairness: While differences between bike manufacturers are large, the competition is about primarily athletics & setting standards allows less well resourced rider teams to compete. 2) Safety: Lighter bikes may compromise on strength/safety. Tours are already dangerous enough as is, a bike breaking poses a danger to all riders on the course not just the rider. Weight minimums ensure that there's not an attempt to drop the structural weight below safe limits.

That said, weights can be decreased over time if there are legitimately new weight saving technologies that do not compromise strength of the bike.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#22

Post by compiler-guy »

jeffbee wrote: post #3

Seems pretty OK, I personally do prefer hub motor ebikes over mid-drive, but without any lugs for racks I don't know if this is truly the pinnacle of versatility. Also the handlebar is not the right place to mount the front light. I don't know why manufacturers keep making this mistake. I guess it's because Americans just don't understand the bicycle as a utility vehicle. The light belongs on the fork crown.

The lights are built in, so the handlebars are irrelevant.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#23

Post by yalogin »

Who is this for? Seems to serve a really really niche user base.

If someone wants a electric drive in a bike, it’s not for exercise, they want it for commute. It starts at around 5k, wouldn’t they rather go for a scooter/Vespa at that price? They are more practical for chores.

The only reason to want a bike is to carry into the apartment if they don’t want to be bothered with parking. So a super niche crowd?

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#24

Post by ianhowson »

ebg13 wrote: post #19
benmanns wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have an older ebike with a large battery and it is outrageously heavy and hard to handle for everything except the actual ride. Perhaps there’s a market for people who want an ebike that’s a little easier to get up apartment stairs? For riding I don’t see a need.

> Perhaps there’s a market for people who want an ebike that’s a little easier to get up apartment stairs? A detachable battery might also help with this.

Or an aluminum frame that can deal with being banged around a little.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#25

Post by roflc0ptic »

benmanns wrote: post #13
_verandaguy wrote: post #5

Coming from conventional bikes, I don't understand who this is for. Carbon fibre frames are prohibitively expensive and the market for them serves very involved, often professional or semi-pro cyclists whose performance bottlenecks are imposed by the bike instead of themselves. Ditto for some of the other details on the bike, like the medium-dish carbon rims — all for the sake of weight savings and aerodynamics (sinc…

I have an older ebike with a large battery and it is outrageously heavy and hard to handle for everything except the actual ride. Perhaps there’s a market for people who want an ebike that’s a little easier to get up apartment stairs? For riding I don’t see a need.

A few months ago a friend fell off the wagon and was drunkenly riding his electric bike around town, and called in distress. I picked him up, and put his electric bike on my bike rack. I could barely lift it onto the bike rack, and on the ride home, I took a speed bump and it broke my bike rack. I live on a second floor, and ended up having to leave his bike in the stairwell. I would never use his bike because it was so unwieldy.

I absolutely see a use case for a motorized bike that weighs 26 lbs, and it’s the use case they lay out in their ad copy: it widens the accessibility of electric bikes. Maybe the tech costs too much, and that will hose the project, but the value prop is crystal clear to me.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#26

Post by technofiend »

YawningAngel wrote: post #4

I'm always confused by people of working age who ride bikes like this. What's the attraction of a more expensive and heavier bike that's no faster than pedaling yourself?

Yeah excellent question. Hot and humid climates make this appealing if you don't need to pedal; perhaps you can get to work without needing a shower. But considering the likely cost due to name, weight and components it feels very niche nonetheless. It's difficult to justify a bike that's thousands when an annual bus pass might be a few hundred.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#27

Post by andor »

_verandaguy wrote: post #5

Coming from conventional bikes, I don't understand who this is for. Carbon fibre frames are prohibitively expensive and the market for them serves very involved, often professional or semi-pro cyclists whose performance bottlenecks are imposed by the bike instead of themselves. Ditto for some of the other details on the bike, like the medium-dish carbon rims — all for the sake of weight savings and aerodynamics (sinc…

Carbon fibre frames are prohibitively expensive

That's not necessarily true. Most carbon frames are expensive because they are high-end models, not because of the material itself.

I would be worried about durability though, if this is used like other commuter bikes. Carbon frames usually come warnings to not lean them against sharp objects, not sit on the top tube, etc. Unlike metals, the fibers are only strong in one direction. Anyone bumping into this bike by accident, e.g. when locking it against the same rack, might cause damage to the frame.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#28

Post by jeffbee »

compiler-guy wrote: post #22
jeffbee wrote: post #3

Seems pretty OK, I personally do prefer hub motor ebikes over mid-drive, but without any lugs for racks I don't know if this is truly the pinnacle of versatility. Also the handlebar is not the right place to mount the front light. I don't know why manufacturers keep making this mistake. I guess it's because Americans just don't understand the bicycle as a utility vehicle. The light belongs on the fork crown.

The lights are built in, so the handlebars are irrelevant.

So? The lights are also integrated on a VanMoof, but they're integrated in the right place.

They used to put them in the right place on the Specialized Turbo but in the latest models they moved it up the the bar again, can't imagine why.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#30

Post by vwoolf »

_verandaguy wrote: post #5

Coming from conventional bikes, I don't understand who this is for. Carbon fibre frames are prohibitively expensive and the market for them serves very involved, often professional or semi-pro cyclists whose performance bottlenecks are imposed by the bike instead of themselves. Ditto for some of the other details on the bike, like the medium-dish carbon rims — all for the sake of weight savings and aerodynamics (sinc…

All of what you say is true, and it's stupid expensive but also aesthetically incredible and super light. I'd buy one if I had stupid money to throw away. I don't, so I won't, but the appeal is there.
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