There used to be a few products like this in the early 2000s. Not a new idea at all.
Asus Bike Booster
311–320 of 476 posts
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#312Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow, $2k? You could get a decent ebike for that money. And the installation doesn't look any easier than a hub motor... Only seems worth it if you already have an extremely nice bike. I think of friction drives as being aimed at budget-conscious commuters, not serious mountain bikers.
I was shocked by the price, too. I mean a motor and a battery can't be so expensive, especially such a "small" battery (300Wh). That being said, having driven electric bikes for a while, here in France they're ridiculously limited in speed and power. 25km/h limit on flat land usually makes sense (except on long straight lines), but when you get climbing even slightly you get down to ~10km/h and have to provide more e…
The whole European Union has that limit. Without it it's not an electric bicycle anymore, it's a moped or electric motorcycle, that sort of thing, and you have to register it, have a driving license and so on.
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#313A smartphone app to change motor speed, really? Not even talking about your motor getting hacked (with the S in IOT standing for security and all), getting out a fragile device that captures all your attention while biking is really dangerous for you and the device. So they say there's a button on the thing itself which is not so much more practical. If they insist on wireless controls, the cost of a waterproof batte…
What do you mean by changing motor speed? It has a cadence sensor so should work like normal ebikes. Pedal faster for more speed, stop pedaling for less speed. The web page tells that the app can be used to switch between eco/normal mode but that seems to be the extent of it.
Power, not speed. Exactly because these kinds of kits don’t have a way to measure your power (effort), they need an external way to tell them how much you want them to be helping. So there are power levels (often 5) that change the power curve of the motor when it’s helping, usually helping more at lower speeds (likely uphill) and then fading out at higher speeds.
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#314Earlier quoted context omitted.
And, don't forget: easy to steal off even a well-secured bicycle.
That's not a problem in Asia.
"A team of Vidyadhar Nagar police arrested a bicycle thief and recovered 19 high-end cycles stolen from various neighborhoods in Jaipur Monday. DCP (North) Karan Sharma said that the accused, Rahil Swami alias Kabbu, is a resident of Old Vidyadhar Nagar and admitted to stealing over 50 bicycles." (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/police-arres...)
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#315If I ever convert my bike to electric, I'll probably go with this https://www.swytchbike.com/
Note that this is the most common and cheap approach: a hub motor, battery, controller, Hall-effect cadence sensor. There are renowned Chinese companies that sell those and you can find great deals if you shop around.
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#316Friction drive e-bike conversions were popular years ago. They generally: * Wear tires surprisingly quickly * Absolutely suck in any form of weather or terrain condition (dirt, rain, etc.) * Have ~20% less efficiency than any other drive form. But, they are easy, and they do work.
Personally I also don't see the niche they serve. If I'm going far away I take a train or a car. I pretty much exclusively use my bike to ride to a nearby grocery store or do other close-by errands. If I'm doing short errands like this, I really prize being able to get on and off quickly and lock my bike up quickly. A device like this needs to be taken with you when you leave your bike to prevent theft. It's a whole…
You mean ebikes in general? I use one to commute to work in good weather. It's 8km and I'd be quite sweaty and impresentable for my work day without electric assist. In the evening I'm happy to ride back home with minimal or zero assist as my shower's waiting for me once I arrive.
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#317Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't need to be educated on the increasing lack of customer service for anything below 2000 euros, having got my first bicycle in 1984, upgraded to a cycling one in 1986, had plenty of others since then. And from all places I lived in Europe, only around here this upselling seems to be a thing.
I think it’s just “cheap bikes”. Nobody wants to work on or with cheap bikes. And bikes are getting more and more expensive (quite fast). A solid bike built with brand name components is quickly approaching 2000€.
This. A quality city bike built to order by Azor or Achielle can easily cost 1300 to 2500 EUR. Non-electric.
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#318Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's actually solved by putting thieves in prison (by the help of flock cameras).
Police here don’t even care to help if your car is stolen and you have GPS on it. Cameras and jail do nothing to help protect your property if the police refuse to work.
"here"? We don't know where you are.
In the UK police will ask the value of the property stolen and use that to decide whether to do anything. Low-value is under a few £k.
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#319This would be great to add to my 9 year old's bike. We couldn't do long bike tours anymore because he would stop biking after 100m, telling is he is completely exhausted and must go home. I was looking for something like this!
A follow-me tandem (which couples a kids bike to your bike) is a much better solution than giving a 9yo a poorly controlled motor.
I’m pretty sure I’d have preferred a poorly controlled motor over staring at my dad’s ass at 9 years old. Luckily we didn’t have either, we used a dog leash for towing.
Re: Asus Bike Booster
#320Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you use your bike for 50 miles a year, why do you even need that thing?
I don't. I don't need a bicycle at all. The only reason most Americans outside NYC and Chicago ride a bike is leisure. Well, that or too many DUIs if we're being honest. Ideally though if I had something like this it would encourage me to use my bicycle more.
I suspect you underestimate the number of utility cyclists. People on bikes take a lot less space than people on SUVs and pickup trucks, so it is easy to underestimate their numbers.