Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

lemond.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 308 posts

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

#61

Post by cranekam »

Scarbutt wrote: post #51

What does "Assistance up to 20 mph" mean?

Most e-bikes are "assisted" rather than having a motorcycle-style twist throttle. You pedal and the motor contributes some additional power until you reach a certain speed (typically 20mph in the US, 25kph in Europe). At this point the motor stops assisting and the rider is contributing 100% of the effort. If you stop pedalling the motor stops assisting, regardless of your speed.

In other words the motor will help you accelerate to 20mph but beyond that it's just your legs pushing a heavy bike.

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

#62

Post by SigmundA »

I get wanting light weight, my current aluminum ebike is 80 lbs, but my current ebike is a Juiced Ripcurrent S fat tire with 1kWh battery and I completely out speed and out range my friend who has a Turbo Vado SL while being much more comfortable and spending 1k less. The main downside with the weight is getting up on a bike rack to drive it somewhere, but they have rack with ramps now designed for heavy ebikes.

I know for sure my next bike will have full suspension, coming from mountain bikes then going back to just a hard tail was rough, even when just riding on pavement. Added a really good suspension seat post but still not like a full suspension.

I am looking closely at Watt Wagons new Hydra carbon full suspension at 58lbs. They are doing some good stuff with the Bafang mid drive and upgraded controller.

https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/ripcurrent-s

https://wattwagons.com/collections/hydra

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

#63

Post by dayofthedaleks »

Shame it only does pedal assist up to 20mph. I consider 28mph/Class III to be essential if one is riding around potentially hostile motorists.

This is a decent-ish price for a rear hub motor plus exotic frame but my dream verson of this would have a mid drive motor by the pedal crank, a belt in place of chain, and an internally geared rear hub.

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

#64

Post by sorenbs »

madeofpalk wrote: post #48
yalogin wrote: post #23

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?

I honestly don't think it's that expensive, comparitively. Electric bikes are around £2000-£3000 (though both the new Vanmoof and Cowboy are right at £2000), so this seems to be just priced a bit more premium for a presumably lighter and more premium bike. Sadly it lacks things like the insurace/bike theft protection that others have, which is a huge deal breaker. I do like the look of this bike, and if i was a bit m…

I tried both the previous gen and newest version of Vanmoof and Cowboy. I do not like the automatic gear shifting in Vanmoof one bit. The Cowboy is single-speed gear and the motor intelligently adjust the level of support so you don't feel the lack of gears. This gives a super smooth experience, and I honestly expect all electric bikes to transition to this setup over time.

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

#65

Post by carapace »

Reminds me of Amory Lovins' "Hypercar":

> The Hypercar is a design concept car developed by energy analyst Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute. This vehicle would have ultra-light construction with an aerodynamic body using advanced composite materials, low-drag design, and hybrid drive. Designers of the Hypercar claim that it would achieve a three- to five-fold improvement in fuel economy, equal or better performance, safety, amenity, and[clarification needed], (sic) compared with today's cars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercar_(concept_car)

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

#66

Post by boomskats »

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.

In Europe a lot of the Bosch/Yamaha bikes have the so-called 'walk mode', where you hold down a button and the bike powers itself up whatever slope at walking pace.

For some reason I understand this mode is illegal in the US, but it makes all the difference over here - especially when going up stairs (or other 45 degree slopes).

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

#67

Post by NovemberWhiskey »

jeffbee wrote: post #33
yalogin wrote: post #23

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?

You cannot put a Vespa on the bike rack of a bus. You cannot carry a Vespa on a train. You cannot check a Vespa as luggage at the airport. An e-bike is categorically different than a scooter.

In the US, I don't think it'd actually be legal to travel on an airline with a battery the size of the one in this bike - it appears to be a 250 Wh unit, and I understand the legal limit for lithium ion batteries is 160 Wh.

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

#69

Post by dayofthedaleks »

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.

Thanks for pointing out the lack of rack attachment points. That is a design failure.

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

#70

Post by mrep »

SigmundA wrote: post #62

I get wanting light weight, my current aluminum ebike is 80 lbs, but my current ebike is a Juiced Ripcurrent S fat tire with 1kWh battery and I completely out speed and out range my friend who has a Turbo Vado SL while being much more comfortable and spending 1k less. The main downside with the weight is getting up on a bike rack to drive it somewhere, but they have rack with ramps now designed for heavy ebikes. I kn…

Is it really that bad on pavement as I am thinking about getting the ripcurrent s for commuting next year once wfh ends? That hydra does look pretty sweet though but I'm not sure if it is worth an extra 2k.
Post reply on HN