Electric Bikes -N- Scooters Blog

Archive for September, 2009

the siFor those of us that are just too cheap to buy the whole enchilada (electric bike) there is always an alternative.  I recently found an electric bicycle conversion kit that is really worth writing about.  The name of the company is pretty simple to remember because it is called “The E-Bike Kit” so I guess you could easily say that the title says it all.

This site specializes in electric bicycle conversion kits (as if you didn’t know) and the entire site is built around the premise of educating you, and taking you through their various hihg- end products.  The site has all sorts of electric bike kit advice and there are even videos on how to install one.  On the low end of the money equation, this site has kits at around $500 and they can almost double it for kits that are selling quality and deliverable performance.

The site touts that it has the ultimate in e-bike battery technology and after looking at their packages and highly professional website I would say that those types of statements look like they are pretty much true.  One of the things that I thought was impressive was the fact that they had a locking plate that made the unit hard to still off of the e-bike.  On a full charge you can expect to go 12 to 30 miles an hour and chargeing time on these kits can take up to right about 51/2 hours.

Check out the E-Bike Kit Site at: The E-Bike Kit Site

This is the land of cool ebike stuff!

I just thought I would dash off a quick notice about the 50 Cycles electric bike site.  It seems like they are having an Autumn sale that is pretty significant and one that some of you may want to take a look at for some great deals and bargains.  As you may remember I reported on this really cool site awhile back when I was skipping around the net looking for sites to review.  Based in Loughborough, England the 50 Cycles shop is one of the most extensive sites and shops around. As a matter of fact they are already promoting the iZip Via Mezza Enlightened on their site as a folding ebike that they are selling.

50Cycles not only carries a load of new electric bicycles, but they also are carrying the latest in gadgets and accessories that will thrill and excite any electric bike or electric scooter enthusiast!   For example they are selling a new turn signal for bikes called the Spooklight.   This is a really cool and new turn signal light that not only lets people know which direction that you are going but it also can charge up your iphone or mp3 player!  Too cool.

Of course this is nothing less than what we have come to expect from our ebike friends in the UK because we all know that this is the land of 007 and Dr. Who!!!  Check out the 50Cycles web site today, and if you are in the Loughborough, England area, don’t forget to stop by their shop and have a look around.  I’m sure if I stopped by I would find something I just couldn’t live without!

ELMO

Every now and then I like to review an electric bike or electric scooter site that I think deserves some attention.   Actually, I’m a little old fashioned in my tastes because back in the 1970′s there was a great magazine called The Mother Earth News. The thing I loved about the M.E.N. was that it was loaded with tons

An Old Copy of the Mother Earth News Form the 1970's Notice how much stuff is in there!!

of articles, the paper that they used for each page was kinda cheap but it looked and felt like a real backwoods publication.  It had local artists   It also had a very affordable advertising section in the magazine and therefore there were tons of small ads ads in the publication that I really loved to gawk through.  I guessed the thing I loved about it was the fact that it had all sorts of great articles and ads that talked about everything from growing tomatoes to  solar powered underground houses.

Well, I hope the folks at Electric Cyclery won’t take too much offense to the comparison, but just like an old copy of the Mother Earth News the site is loaded with all sorts of stuff!!!  the site doesn’t look like some super-slick flash five site, it looks like it has tons of cool stuff for you to look at. Just like the M.E.N. the Electric Cyclery site is one you could easily spend hours looking over, because i has so much to offer!

Right off the bat, the site’s vast amount of information becons you to look over ther wares because there is everything from conversion kits to reviews on high end ebikes.

An excellent resource site for electric bikes

One of the things I liked the most about the site is the fact that they really loaded the index or home page with all kinds of electric bike stuff that made you really want to read morwe and explore the site.  In my opinion, this was a real smart idea because there is not a wasted inch of real estate on the home page.  You reall are treated to alot of options on which area of this ebike site to explore. I actually had been looking for conversion kits when I stumbled upon this site. There seemed to be quite a bit of information on the subject as well as places where you can get one on the site.

Anyway, if you are looking for a really cool ebike site to frequent, you should consider Electric Cyclery, I guarantee you, you won’t get bored!

Ok, now just strain your brain for a minute and think back a year or so ago.  The oil industry took every opportunity to complain about any reason that they could muster as to why they could not produce enough oil.  Remember?  If it wasn’t because of war in the Middle East it was because of bad storms or machinery breaking down.  Like Rosanne Rosanna Danna’s father used to say on Saturday Night Live, “It’s always something!” (Boy, now I’m really starting to show my age!)

Well, here we are again electric bike and electric scooter fans, right back in the middle of another oil crisis, however, this time oil is going to escalate because of a SURPLUS of oil.  Yep, you heard right.  We are going to have an escalation of oil prices because oil companies are cutting back on production and scaling down, thus, creating a gap in oil production which will lead to a shortage.

Put on your B.S. filters because it is gonna get deep.

Gene McGillian, an analyst at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Conn said that, “It’s the continuing battle between (weak oil supply/demand) fundamentals and economic optimism and there’s a lot of uncertainty over which is going to be the strongest performer”

Oh, and if that brand of Ka-Ka asn’t enough for you, then you will have to factor our old spanish buddy, El Nino. That’s right, weather reports are saying we are going to have a warm winter and that because Americans are not going to be heating their houses enough this winter, then we will have excessive amounts of oil resulting enough of a cutback to cause shortages.

My way of thinking, is that the sun has an enormous amount of energy that can power solar cells which can be then transfered into electricity which will power our cars, ebikes and electric scooters.  We will always have an amazing surplus of that energy.  Don’t believe me?  Well, here is a Youtube clip of an old retired guy that powers his car that way everyday and he did it on his own!

Here is the Volts Wagon, Check it out!

I just want to take a moment and reflect upon the events of 9/11.  Being a history teacher, I have tried to show my students that there have been key events in the course of American history that not only shake us to our core, but also reaffirm the fact that we have a strong resolve to not get stepped on.  Our heritage from the Founding Fathers of this great nation demand that we are ever vigilant not only to enemies foreign but also some that may be domestic. So, today I just wanted to go off topic from the usual electric bike or electric scooter fare that I usually offer up.

I personally do not ascribe to the idea that as Americans, we can go home every night ,sit in our recliners with a can of beer and allow our government to run itself.   This government, like a fossil fueled vehicle, requires maintenance from its people  in order to survive.  Sure, we can blame our politicians, and we can curse the ground that they walk on, but in the end it is the American people that are responsible for the officials and government that we have.

I was watching Charlie Sheen on TV today, and he believes that 9/11 was an inside job perpetrated by the  U.S. government so that the Federal officials would have unbridled power through devices such as the Patriot Act.  I personally don’t think that is the case, but I can also see clearly that our republic is becoming more oppressive every day. The U.S. government didn’t stage 9/11 in my opinion, because they didn’t have to.  There has been an unprecedented surge of laws, rules,  regulations and executive orders over the last 50 or so years without a staged event.  Heck, our government hasn’t been operating in the green since the days of Andrew Jackson and every year the national debt gets larger and larger.

If the attacks of 9/11 tells us anything it is this: we can’t afford to be lazy.  We can’t allow ourselves to have loose laws that don’t hold the elected officials responsible for their actions or their neglect.  We must become sand instead of oil in the machinery of the world when we see that there is a wrong doing and we have to remember to do so with a firm resolve and with a patient spirit.

To do any less is to court disaster and tyranny.

God Bless the United States of America!

ELMO

It’s rare when I can get my wife enthused about an electric bike.  Yesterday, when I showed her the picture of the Giant Twist Freedom Electric Bike she said the usual, “eh”.  However, when I told her that it has a dual lithium  battery system that enabled this electric bike to have a range of around 75 miles, she said, “I want one!”  I really didn’t expect that type of reaction, much less the fact that when I mentioned that the bike was retailing for right around $2200 she still said she wanted one.

Not only is the distance and the price impressive, but the Twist Freedom has a whole set of features that will set it apart from the heard of ebikes coming out over the next several years.  I should be noted right from the start though, that this isn’t an electric scooter, because the 350 watt motor won’t kick in unless you are pedaling.  Having said that I should also tell you that even though that might look like a strike against an electric bicycle of this stature, the Twist Freedom has as smooth a ride as any electric scooter or unassisted electric cycle.  The reason for this is because it has seven gears and three different modes that allow you to ride without having to barely pedal or pump at all.

From the people I have interviewed that have actually taken a ride on this ebike, the freedom twist is a very, very comfortable ride due to its plush seats with seat post suspension underneath.  The Freedom Twist also has comfortable hand grips and handlebars that make the ride sweet without sweat.

When you add up all of these factors, the Giant Freedom Twist Electric bike is an excellent choice for commuters that want to beat the gas prices that are probably going to be going again soon.

ELMO

Since I started this Blog several years ago I have noticed that electric bikes as well as electric scooters have gotten more advanced and more beautiful in their designs.  I recently read an article wherein and electric had a system that could carry a person almost 75 miles on a single charge. (The company that I am speaking of is the Giant Bike company.)  Although I have not had time to examine or verify this claim, I must say that it would not surprise me.  There seems to be no limit to the new advances and design work on electric bikes over the last several years.

One of the newer bikes that i would like to highlight today in my Blog is a light electric bike that is made in Germany and is considered to be a LEV or light electric vehicle and released on the market in Europe this year.  The name of this company is the ELMOTO company.

Apparently the ELMOTO H2  made a big splash at the European International Bike Trade Show (IFMA) last year in Cologne, Germany where it’s design, features and abilities were on display for all of the lucky individuals in attendance.

Built on an aluminum frame, the ELMOTO H2 can use 33 pounds of torque while being powered by a brushless motor (1.7kW).  This means that the ELMOTO H2 can get you speeds of up to about 33 miles per hour and utilizing a state of the art lithium battery pack system you can get a range of about 35 to 40 miles depending on the terrain.  The recharge on this units batteries can usually take up to 2 hours.

The bike has a beautiful look to it while supplying the rider with tough durability.  The tires are Schwalbe “Crazy Bob Tires” which means that ELMOTO is using a state of the art “flatless” tire system.  These types of high end items and accessories are what drives the price but giving the company the ability to justify it with the quality that the features carry.  With a Marzocchi front suspension system as well the ebike’s price taps in at about $5000.00 which, quite honestly will put off most any ebike hobbyist, but if you are an enthusiast withj deep pockets and a need for incredible performance, the ELMOTO H2 is the electric bicycle for you.

The ELMOTO H2 should be making its debut in the North American market in 2010.

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