eBike News, Updated Irregularly: Kona, UK, Lexus, 1300w, and $575

Kona announces a new line of 3 ebikes - the e-Ticket and e-Token appear to be new frames, and the Electric Ute looks like a slight modification to their existing long tail cargo bike. 250w front hubs, with Schwinn-like battery placement under the rear rack and controller mounted to seat tube. No word on price or local availability. My guess would be a 24v system, but that's pure speculation.

A roadside assistance service specifically for ebikes debuts in the UK.

Lexus shows off their latest hybrid concept bike - a belt driven electronically-shifted Shimano rear hub and a 240w front motorized hub. Pretty! It would be tough to mount accessories to it.


Practically another concept: Hungary-based M55 launches an ebike built around a single-piece aluminum frame. With a 250w motor street-legal version and a 1300w off-road version, they plan low production volume at 250/year. Looks like it includes a CycleAnalyst.

The San Diego Source wrote an interesting story about an ebike commuter, detailing the $575 he saves annually by ebiking vs. driving. The "hospital bills are extra" was a sneaky little jab; if in a car accident, he'd have hospital bills, too.

Review: Pathfinder ST

I'm test riding a Pathfinder ST from Boomer Bicycles this week, courtesy of The eBike Store. It's a great bike thus far, and I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces. Are there any specifics that you'd like me to look at or test for? I've only got it for a week, but plan to do a lot of riding in that time. Range, convenience, weight, charge time, anything else you're curious about?

My New Smart Trips Pannier

Mrs. PDXEbiker and I are big fans of Sunday Parkways; last year, she was an Intersection Hero for the SE version, and we had several family members from out of town join us for the other rides. This year, we're planning to volunteer even more. One of the great things about volunteering with them is that we've accumulated several Smart Trips tote bags; today I realized that a great use for a bag would be as a makeshift pannier.

I picked up a Bike Bucket kit from City Bikes ($12, though parts could be assembled more cheaply from a hardware store), reviewed the directions, and proceeded to convert. A sheet of plastic cannibalized from an old unused storage container served as a frame, and a couple of drilled holes and bolts later, and I was done. It's not a heavy duty pannier, and certainly not waterproof, but I think it turned out rather nicely -- and it shows my support for Smart Trips.

I encourage you to volunteer for Sunday Parkways; you may get a bag and soon be on your way to a fancy pannier like mine!

eBikes Celebrate Earth Day: Special Offer Round Up

What better day than Earth Day to do a quick survey of special ebike-related offers from various vendors? Here's what I've found:

Ebikekit is offering up to $100 off installation of any of their kits today. Some conditions apply, check here for details.

Kalkhoff's launch promotion continues: $500 off any ebike in stock, using code "LAUNCHPROMO" at checkout.

Poopbags.com is holding a sweepstakes this month - enter for a chance to win an eZip Trailz from Currie. No purchase required!

Electric Star out of Ashland, OR and Santa Barbara, CA are offering $400 off selected models of their ebikes.

NYCEwheels is offering free shipping, tax-free shopping, other specials today.

If I hear of any other deals today, I'll add them here. Have you heard of any specials?

Alan Durning's "Parable of the Electric Bike"

Alan Durning is the founder and executive director of the Sightline Institute, in Seattle, WA. He recently wrote a series of blog posts considering ebikes, their adoption, and ways to increase their adoption. I'm offering a summary outline here, but his clear thinking, research, and conclusions on the topic make it a very worthwhile read.

Part 1: "Juice Hawgs"
Intro and insight into current demand, from cargo to personal transportation, and brief summary of the history of ebikes.
My response - Nice preview - this is going to be good!

Part 2: "Charging Up"
Three Reasons Why eBikes may soon become mainstream in the NW and NA
1 Technological innovation keeps improving electric bikes.
2 Electric bikes are spreading in China and Europe.
3 Political trends are encouraging for electric bikes as well.
My response - I'm with him so far, though the "ebikes will soon be wildly popular!" mantra is often repeated in the press, but it hasn't actually happened in the US yet.

Part 3: "Flipping the Switch"
Ebikes seem perfectly poised to be very popular. Yet even government subsidies can't seem to accelerate ebike adoption.
My response - I didn't know that there were government subsidies in some areas. In trying to answer the question "they should be, but aren't popular; why?"

Part 4: "Circuit Breakers"
Four barriers to ebikes in the NW are:
1 Immature technology
2 Utilitarian bike culture not as pervasive as China/Europe
3 Closed distribution channels
4 Safety
My response - these aren't really unique to the NW, and are to some extent repetitious of #3. On the Safety point, I hear from a lot of ebike shoppers and owners that they're looking for/appreciate a little extra confidence in traffic through the additional power the motor affords them. Citing technological innovation as a positive impact, and immature technology as a hindrance to adoption seems contradictory - the net is "immature technology, but its getting better".

Part 5: "The Body Electric"
The rise in popularity of ebikes in China is a "policy accident". In order to create conditions for the wide adoption of ebikes, we need to:
1 Enact climate control policies putting a price on carbon
2 Make dramatic progress in improving bike infrastructure
3 Promote density in city planning
My response - These are social ways to address the lack of utilitarian bike culture, and address safety concerns, but no mention of how to address technology and distribution issues. 


Overall, I enjoyed this series; its a good overview of the state of the industry/market, and is still being quoted online.  His solutions aren't ebike, or NW, specific, of course.  Its interesting that he wants to create societal pressure promoting ebikes; I think inherent in this is the assumption that electric car research into batteries will resolve technical issues there and that the forces of a growing market will address closed distribution channels. Granted, I live in a city with comparably well-developed bike infrastructure, but in the short run, I think the biggest barrier to ebike market growth is awareness. These recommendations, focused on long run solutions,will help sustain and build market growth, once the awareness issue is overcome.

eBike Reviews: Establishing a Baseline

I'm working on setting up a series of longer-term tests of some ebikes, and I thought it would be useful to provide some information about the tester, his riding experience, and his current ride to help put some of my future reviews in perspective. Bike reviews can be very subjective, so I think knowing these details may help understand some of my opinons in subsequent reviews.

About the Tester
I'm a mid-30's commuter. My daily commute is a little over 5 miles, but I frequently finds excuses to go out of the way to make it longer. I've been a recreational rider for years, a full-time commuter for a little over a year. In addition to the commute, I also use the ebike for neighborhood transportation, including hauling a trailer and grocery shopping. I also rides non-ebikes, but I'm not a high-mileage rider or a racer. At the home end of my commute, I have to carry the bike up 6 stairs; at the business end there are a few staple racks and ample hanging rack space.

The Current Bike
The classic lines of 1957 Schwinn cruiser, with a Wilderness Energy front hub motor at 36v/600 watts. I'm running a Ping v2.5 10ah LiFePO4 battery, which yields an effective range of about 20 miles on a single charge; a complete recharge takes about 4 hours. Top assisted speed is 20mph, top observed speed (downhill) is 27mph. The kit is a throttle based system, using a right thumb throttle. The bike weighs in at 65 lbs, which includes the 10 lb battery.

Front braking is accomplished through cantilever brakes; a v-brake upgrade is likely in the future. Rear braking is via the original coaster brake. Rolling a Schwalbe Marathon Plus front tire and generic whitewall rear tire, the ride is firm when inflated to maximum, but can be modulated via air pressure. The cruiser retains its original single speed setup; the chrome chainguard keeps pants out of the way of grease without the necessity of velcro.

Front lights are halogen, hardwired into the battery with Planet Bike blinkies for backup. Rear light is helmet-based. Aesthetically, the shaker-can spraypaint in flatblack leaves a bit to be desired, but the classic lines of the cruiser frame, generous seat, swept handlebars, and aftermarket folding basket make for a comfortable and functional ride. The innertube top tube wrap and zipties secure wiring, and lend to the utilitarian nature of the bike.


Overall, its a nice bike. It's a bit heavy for carrying upstairs or using a hanging rack, but it's comfortable and the ride quality is good. A bit more stopping power and a battery bag upgrade would be nice.

"Schwinnly Goodness"
Comfortable ride
Powerful lights
Collapsable side basket
Good power/thumb throttle

"Not so good..."
Squeeky seat
Urban camouflage paint job
Front rim requires occasional retrueing

The 2nd Annual Portland eBike eRide

As part of Pedalpalooza, the 2 week bike-chanalia every June, I'll be leading the 2nd annual eBike eRide on Saturday, June 12th. After a great ride last year, I'm excited at the chance to lead it again.

As we did last year, we'll meet at noon at The eBike Store at 201 Alberta and Vancouver(gotta love the coffee!), and leisurely wind our way through Portland, stopping at various locations of ebike-related note. We'll wind up at a charger-friendly pub to top off our batteries, then head back to the start. Total distance will be less than 12 miles.

Mark your calendars now - the Pedalpalooza calendar fills quickly, and I know I've already got some difficult decisions to make. I'm still working out the route, but if you've got any ideas, I'm eagerly open to them!