Beautiful bike, but very disappointed to see a standard drivetrain. For a commuter I'm only interested in one with a belt drive and internal gearing. I'm not sure why these drivetrains are not becoming more common, especially for commuters.
Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
191–200 of 308 posts
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#192Beautiful bike, but very disappointed to see a standard drivetrain. For a commuter I'm only interested in one with a belt drive and internal gearing. I'm not sure why these drivetrains are not becoming more common, especially for commuters.
Two things I've learned never to criticize on HN: derailleurs and rail transit. Fair warning...
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#193Coming 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…
Plenty of cyclists in central London have carbon fibre commuter bikes and wear lycra and cleats for a sub-20 mile ride, stopping traffic lights every 2 minutes. I don't think logic has much to do with how most people choose cycling gear.
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Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Coming from conventional bikes, I don't understand who this is for. People who want an ebike and have a good chunk of disposable income and are willing to pay (a lot) more to have the best experience on a bike. The weight and integrated lights and non-shitty look are particularly nice next to the typical ebike offering. > Suffice it to say, you'd rarely see a commuter using a carbon bike. The first thing I thought…
It would seem foolhardy to lug a crazy-expensive, fragile carbon fiber bike up a stairwell on a regular basis. It would be easy to damage it that way.
A lot easier to lug my 16lb road carbon bike up and down stairs then a 30lb commuter
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#195Beautiful bike, but very disappointed to see a standard drivetrain. For a commuter I'm only interested in one with a belt drive and internal gearing. I'm not sure why these drivetrains are not becoming more common, especially for commuters.
Belt drives can be nice, but the reason they aren't as common is because they are incredibly expensive, unless you're getting a single speed which many, many people aren't going to want.
I don't know if part of the reason they are so expensive is because they are a niche bike item, and bike stuff is already hideously overpriced, or if there is another reason.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#196I'm not sure who this product is for. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful product design. But at $4500, with straight bars, it clearly isn't for racers and at that price point, not for commuters either.
This is definitely targeted at middle aged people who want to have a fast bike to enjoy nice ride around town, but aren't nearly as fit as a "race" level road biker.
This is probably a much bigger segment than you think. There are lots of middle aged people with tons of disposable income (as evidenced by the mid life crisis sports care trope) that like the idea of exercising, but don't want to put in the pain and effort of getting to the fitness level where mild climbs, higher speeds, etc are doable.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#197My carbon full squish XCO bike weighs 26lbs.
That's impressive.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#198It's a very nice looking bike. However, as a bike commuter I prefer something that can handle the bumps and scratches of being in a bike rack next to other commuters which is one reason why I ride aluminum frames (the other being cost). Build this in aluminum and drop the sticker price and you are approaching the e-bike holy trinity of affordability, durability and usability. ps - if gjlemond is actually Greg... holy…
There are already bikes that hit the points you're talking about. I've been seeing a ton of RadPower bikes around town lately, specifically because they hit the key points of being affordable, durable, and very usable.
https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radmission-electric-m...
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#199Beautiful bike, but very disappointed to see a standard drivetrain. For a commuter I'm only interested in one with a belt drive and internal gearing. I'm not sure why these drivetrains are not becoming more common, especially for commuters.
Two things I've learned never to criticize on HN: derailleurs and rail transit. Fair warning...
Haha wasn't aware of this, but making note now.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#200Beautiful bike, but very disappointed to see a standard drivetrain. For a commuter I'm only interested in one with a belt drive and internal gearing. I'm not sure why these drivetrains are not becoming more common, especially for commuters.
Belt drives can be nice, but the reason they aren't as common is because they are incredibly expensive, unless you're getting a single speed which many, many people aren't going to want. I don't know if part of the reason they are so expensive is because they are a niche bike item, and bike stuff is already hideously overpriced, or if there is another reason.
Fair point, but this isn't a cheap bike, so maybe at least make the option available?
I also am not certain on the exact reasons why internal gear hubs and belt drives are more expensive. I imagine manufacturing those hubs are more costly just by the nature of their design. It also used to be the case that you needed a specific frame built for a belt drive to run one, but they make breakable belts now so that's no longer a huge restriction.
I have heard in Europe where bike commuting is far more common in the US where I'm living that belt drive and internal gearing are more common, but this was hearsay.