What does "Assistance up to 20 mph" mean?
Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
51–60 of 308 posts
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#52Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#53This looks like a nifty bit of kit, but even if I could afford it, I probably wouldn’t buy it.
Personally, I’m happy to add weight in the form of a steel frame in order to gain longevity and comfort.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#54Coming 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 fiber frames are now quite common in mountain biking and road biking, many enthusiasts (just quite average riders) buy them.
I think this bike for wealthy commuters and city dwellers, could replace public transit or Uber rides. People seem to have taken up cycling in cities due to the risk of riding on public transit. And as someone else said, taking a 50+lbs (25kg) e-bike inside or even upstairs is a pain.
But I think most of all, this is sort of a "halo" product - the best bike they could build, probably very expensive, but "sexy" and definitely news-worthy - as this HN submission has shown. And in the future they can launch cheaper alu-framed versions of this bike when this bike has established LeMond's e-bike reputation.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#55I'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?
You don't have to pedal yourself.
For what it's worth, you do have to pedal yourself (its e-assist), but you just don't have to pedal as hard.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#56Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#57Coming 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.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#58Why call it "Prolog" - there's a once-commonly-used AI computer language with that name? Bad, bad choice!
Bicycle stage races often have a "prologue" (typically a short time trial) before the regular racing of long, full-day starts. That is probably the inspiration for the name, and "prolog" is just an unconventional marketing spelling of it.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
The price point is comparable to the Specialized Turbo Vado 5 SL, a third-generation e-bike from another American company. The weight savings can make a big difference when you have to carry your bike up stairs or bring it on a train. Keep in mind that e-bikes compete with cars.
Maybe you're right. The Specialized Turbo Vado 5 SL seems to be 14.6kg, and this bike 11.8kg. If they're otherwise comparable maybe this bike actually makes some sense.
Both are lighter than most. Many e-bikes are over 50 pounds, sometimes way over. The Rad Runner is 75 pounds, the Strommer ST3 is 72 pounds, etc.
Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike
#60Coming 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…
E-bikes are perhaps the most misunderstood category of bike products right now.
Traditional bikers have underestimated demand for e-bikes at every step of the way for one reason: Traditional biking has a massive selection bias effect that excludes anyone who isn’t in great physical shape. The deeper you are into cycling, the more homogenous your perception of what constitutes a biker.
You’re not going to see average consumers at the top of 20-mile mountain bike trail with steep terrain at 7AM. You’re only going to see equally enthusiastic bikers who are highly trained and discipline. It leads to a stereotype that these are the only people who care to spend a lot of money on bikes.
E-bikes turn that assumption upside down. They offset the physical fitness requirements and blow the doors wide open for anyone and everyone who wants to spend their way into the sport. Now those previously unreachable heights can be accessed by anyone with a credit card. It’s no longer just a niche hobby exclusive to those who can put years into building up their fitness and bike knowledge.
The total addressable market of e-bikes is much greater than the total addressable market of conventional high end bikes for that reason.
Ironically, this is creating a lot of animosity among traditional bikers. Previously, the most difficult uphill trails were lightly trafficked because only a select few could ride them. It was satisfying to be one of the few people at the top of a difficult trail at sunrise. Now, it’s not uncommon to be passed on the uphills by many people who are visibly out of shape, but use e-bikes to make up the difference (and then some). Some people are even hacking their e-bikes for more power or to allow power application without pedaling, turning them into electric dirt bikes that tear up trails. This is why we have so much regulation clamping down on e-bike access right now. Those regulations might be the biggest modulator in the size of the e-bike market.