Electric Bikes -N- Scooters Blog

Posts Tagged ‘electric bikes’

When you consider the slew of electric bike companies that are in the market today, you really have to appreciate the care and technological research that goes into building a unit.  Not too long ago, mainstream electric bicycle companies were a minority and there we few clear leaders.

One of the leaders in the new arena of e-bikes, was Currie Electric Bikes.   Predominantly, Currie had two distinct strains of bikes, the Izip and Ezip lines that were good, stable products in the market.  Today, Currie Technologies is clearly taking the lead in the production and sale of electric bikes and now, you can actually purchase these bikes directly from the company instead of going through a dealer.

Today, the Currie Electric Bike has evolved along with the company, and the Izip Express is a very good example of this.  This is a human assist e-bike (or an electric assist bike,  whichever way you would like  to look at it) that uses  the EVO Assist,  a high torque Currie electric bike motor.  Just to be clear, the electric motor assists you as you pedal, creating plenty of power as you do.  This feature allows you to bike with minimum effort.   This also includes climbing hills and tackling different types of slopes and headwinds as if it were very easy.    This is possible because the Evo Assist 2.0 is a 750 watt powerhouse that is fed electricity byway of a 36 Volt 8 Amp battery pack.

This powerful system will give you somewhere around 20 plus mile per hour speeds (32+ kilometers per hour) and a range of approximately 31 miles for a person that is under the recommended weight of 240 lbs. ( I wonder when they are going to make an electric bike for people over that weight!)

I think one of the cool things about the Currie Electric Bikes that are on the market today is that they have a device called a Cadence Sensor, which automatically detects human power and adjusts itself according to your needs.  So imagine you are starting to ride out of your driveway and your wife starts to chase you because you didn’t wash the dishes like she told you to.  No problem, just start pumping your legs and the EVO Assist on the bike will take you briskly to the bowling alley, adjusting to the amount of effort you put into the system.  (Not that this has ever happened to me.)  There is even a power boost built into the system to get you out of those real tight situations.

The Izip Express also carries other high quality features such as double wall alloy rims, stainless steel spokes, tires that are double shield puncture – protected, and a host of other high quality features too long to list here.

To find out more about the Izip Express and the entire line of high – quality Currie Electric Bikes, go to this link:

Currie Electric Bikes

This week in Abu Dhabi there is an environmental summit in which corporations and governments from around the world will gather to impress upon each other the commitment to put the planet back in environmental harmony. Worldwide  businesses will gather to display the latest in green technologies.

A person like myself can only question and ponder if electric bike enthusiasts and electric scooter fans alike will be represented at this summit. It would be great if there were at least a few electric scooter or electric bike models were present at this important summit. One of the electric vehicles that were talked about at the summit is an electric car that could go about 300 miles on a single charge.  This was featured on the  CNN site and you can see the clip here: Electric Car at Dubai Summit

As I have stated before, I don’t think humans are heating up the environment I believe that the Earth is probably going through a warming cycle right now and it will probably go through a cooling cycle someday, but I don’t know when.  However, I do think that this energy summit is very important, because I don’t like being dependent on oil and I do like to live in a clean environment.  So, I guess you can say that I am somewhat of a tree- hugger.

My question is this: If you can get a car to drive almost 300 miles on a single charge, how far can you get an electric scooter or an electric bike to go?  It seems to me that over the last four years, batteries have taken a leap forward.  Here is an article from Technology Review on a battery breakthrough.

Apparently, there is a Texas company named EEStore that has created a battery that can out perform lithium – ion batteries.  The batteries can outperform acid based batteries by almost 10 times, or so the company claims. From what I can see, there is quite a bit of controversy about whether the batteries and the capacitor storage syste can do what they say they can do.

I tried to find out more by going to EEStore’s site, but the site is currently down.  Apparently their site is being renovated and will be online very soon. You can find out more about this company from Wikipedia.

Anyway, I am very enthusiastic about the possibilities behind all of this green technology and being an electric bicycle and electric scooter enthusiast, I am very excited to see fine companies pouring the energy into creating products that help us get away from our dependency on oil.

ELMO

Electric Bikes and Electric Scooters Site

Good morning shoppers, we still have about nine days of shopping left before Christmas and you can still get that special electric bicycle for someone that you love.  Don’t worry if you can’t get to a bicycle shop that sells ebikes, though because you now go to Walmart to get one of the more popular, economical models that is on the market today.

Yep, that’s right.  You can now get the E-Zip 2008 Trailz Hybrid Electric Bike for both men and women from Walmart at a very reasonable price.  It was bound to happen sooner or later, that major corporations, like walmart were going to start representing the more popular brands and actually, the Ezip   Currie Technologies, the company that created the Ezip as well as an entire line of electric bicycles, probably couldn’t be happier.  However, Currie didn’t just stop at selling to just the big guys like Walmart, rather than just sell wholesale to large businesses, Currie is now selling their entire line directly to consumers as well.

Now, before everyone gets their panties in a wad and starts sending me comments about how this is just a standard piece of equipment not worthy of being noticed by the elite, ebiker jet-set, let me stop you right there.  Is this the most elite ebike in the world?

Probably not.

Is the E-Zip 2008 Trailz Hybrid Electric Bike the top of the line, state of the art ebike that you can buy on the market today?

Probably not.

However, I can tell you that you are going to spend upwards of about $2000 for a Rolls Royce version of an electric bike much less the fact that you will be buying it from a company that is probably not located in your town, which means you are spending good money without actually seeing too much of what your are purchasing.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a good quality electric bicycle that has all of the standards and features that you will need for average use then the E-Zip 2008 Trailz Hybrid Electric Bike will work for you just fine.  Not only will it easily meet most people’s requirements but it won’t break the bank either.  Currently, the Ezip Trailz is running for a mere $349.00 and you really can’t beat the price.

Some of the more prominent features of the Ezip Trailz:

1. PAS/TAG technology: This means that you can use  the ebike with the motor only or with motor assisted power.  You can pedal while you are using the battery which can increase your range.
2. It has an easy comfort design which will make your ride far more comfortable than many bicycles on the market.
3. Rack-mounted SLA battery for easy swapping.  In other words, you can take the battery off and put a fresh charged up battery in with no fuss.
4. A 7-speed geared system.
5. Rear rack so that you can carry groceries,  dogs and other stuff. ( Just kidding about the dog part.) You can also add a second battery (sold separately) for added range.
6. The E-Zip Trailz utilizes an exclusive 24 vilt Currie Technologies controller.
7. The charger is a UL listed Currie charger with an LED display so you can see when your battery is charged.
8. The frame has a unisex high comnfort design made of high tensile steel.

Really, when you consider all of the features that you would derive from theE-Zip, you have to hand it to Currie Technologies.  I know many electric bike enthusiasts will probably decry my praise of this bike, but when you consider that you are getting 450 watts of power that can  carry you a range of about 15 to 22 miles on a single charge, this really is a great feat of technology considering the price.  The case can easily be made that for many ebikers and especially those of us that are getting their first electric bicycle, you really don’t want to shell out loads of money the first time around.

One other thing I want to mention, is the fact that this bike, despite its cheaper price, is a high quality electric bicycle.  It has a nice design, it is pretty easy to maintain and most of the reviews I have read in many of the forums, have been pretty positive.  Yes, there were some ebike “elitists” that get real freaked out by a standard model, but for most of us that is all we will ever need or can afford.

ELMO

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

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!

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