PiCycle

[Straylight]

The devil is in the detail

Indeed, it does seem that when it comes to details like connectors, the manufacturers tend to use the most expedient solution to hand rather than having the ideal custom made. I suppose this is because the market simply isn't big enough to warrant the cost in R&D on an individual level. I would have thought though that it was big enough for a connector manufacturer to invent something that could be sold to the market as a whole, also the reason why one of the biggest motor manufacturers, Bafang, haven't come up with a better solution, particularly for rear hub motors is a complete mystery.

I'd say that this was was the reasoning behind the version of the Pi with the centrally mounted motor (the nuvinci geared one), along with having all the electronics housed within the frame.

 

[flecc]

Indeed, it does seem that when it comes to details like connectors, the manufacturers tend to use the most expedient solution to hand rather than having the ideal custom made. I suppose this is because the market simply isn't big enough to warrant the cost in R&D on an individual level.

The largest people do make good connector systems, Giant with the Twist 1 and 2 and Freedom models, Sanyo with their later front hub motors and Panasonic now with their new front hub motor all have a single quickly detachable housing with integral connector. You can see the Giant one on the opposite side in this photo. The Sanyo and Panasonic ones are almost the same.

Of course their making these damages the prospects of a generic connector becoming available for the remainder.
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[Straylight]

Nice, chunky, but nice

 

[eddieo]

Nice, chunky, but nice

Yeah but....where do you put the shopping

 

[Straylight]

quite, I was just talking about the connector, at least you can fit a propper rack to the Pi .

 

[flecc]

Yeah but....where do you put the shopping

Giant do make a pannier set which incorporate the battery or batteries at the back of the capacity. Also not all models have twin batteries. In the Netherlands where they sell well, the Dutch frequently use handlebar baskets as well for shopping etc, and of course there's always the option to have a pair of front panniers, touring style.
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[NRG]

...

I'd like single speed bike with battery in the slim frame, small crank motor, heated hand grips and lighting (and maybe GPS) services from the bike battery. Power would be at its maximum from pulling away and decrease as initial inertia was overcome, settling and then tailing off as present Panasonic system and within the law.

If someone will make me one, there's a drink in it for them.

Well it's not quite what you are after but a good starting point Give 'em a call!

http://www.cytronex.com/models/hires/capo_xmas.jpg

 

[Clarkey]

I think the one thing I'd like to see is an integrated design, the electrics designed in as part of the structure as the engine is in an F1 car.

The most beautiful bikes for me are the very slim mimimalist ones that are around at the moment or the Tour de France types. But the moment you bolt on the pedelec bits, that aesthetic is lost.

Around 1984 I met a top Honda executive outside Comerford's in Surbiton (when they were motorcycle dealers) who was doing a survey of riders picking up their machines from servicing. I had a 750 four at the time. He asked me what changes I wanted made to the bike. I said, twice the power and half the weight and we both laughed.

They have come remarkably close to that though I said it as an impossible dream, hence the laughter.

It seems to me that this is somewhat what could happen with pedelecs but battery development is holds it back for now.

I'd like single speed bike with battery in the slim frame, small crank motor, heated hand grips and lighting (and maybe GPS) services from the bike battery. Power would be at its maximum from pulling away and decrease as initial inertia was overcome, settling and then tailing off as present Panasonic system and within the law.

If someone will make me one, there's a drink in it for them.

That describes EXACTLY what I would like from a Pedelec. It must also have absolutely rock solid reliability. Looks like the developer is up two pints already!

The Cytronex seems to be close, I admit.

 

[lemmy]

I'd seen that Cytronex before I bought my Kalkhoff and what a beauty it is.

I bought the Kalkhoff for the range and the crank motor system since I mainly want the power assistance for hills and for a normal feeling bike when not power assisted.

I'm delighted with the Kalkhoff and I think I would have been delighted with the Cytronex or any other good quality machine.

The whole pedelec project is so exciting because it promises a practical, cheap, healthy and enjoyable means of short and medium range transport for the masses and there is so much low level development possible compared to mature machines like the automobile.

It will be necessary to overcome prejudice in the UK where image and 'cool' is so important but as fuel prices rise I expect the e-bike to become positively icy!

Incidentally, reading a Sunday Times journalist talking about the London Bike Hire Scheme, she seemed far more concerned about what it would do to her 'street cred' than about getting where she wanted to go efficiently. It makes you despair

 

[eddieo]

If the Cytonex had a battery something like the BionX, It would probably be the ideal E Bike


Or something like this carbon beauty, with a Dapush front motor kit and battery within frame....Wisper maybe?

So an E version of this OR the Pi Banana? lol

 

[flecc]

It will be necessary to overcome prejudice in the UK where image and 'cool' is so important but as fuel prices rise I expect the e-bike to become positively icy!

I've just seen the weather forecast for the week ahead which shows it's not just the desirable image that's icy.
A very high probability of widespread snow again which could get deep.

We've got a lot of negative factors to overcome to make e-biking very widely popular:

Road safety fears, widely exaggerated but the perception is of cycling being very dangerous

British weather, can be very offputting, especially for those need to be smart for work.

Image, usually everything to the teens and twenties and often well beyond those ages.

Battery prices, no false perceptions there!

High bike price perceptions, the public have grown accustomed to bikes being available at £99 or less brand
new and often think £200 is quite a lot to pay. An extra £1000 for the added electric power is difficult for many to accept.
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[lemmy]

Yes, I agree. In the main, the objections to e-bikes are the same as pedal power itself - with the bonus of higher purchase prices

Those of us who e-bike (and cycle) know the practical advantages and the feeling of freedom and independence can only be put over by actually doing it, a catch 22 situation.

Anyway, anyone who designs a perfect e-bike is in line for 2 pints so far. I've often felt I'd do anything for a pint so perhaps I should make a start myself.

 

[Straylight]

I still like the look of the Pi, I imagine it'd be akin to riding a Harley for a motorcyclist, big, substantial, and great for just cruising along...

This, or something like it, could be just the thing to overcome the mainstream's general phobia of personal effort (voluntary effort I mean, i.e. not related to generating personal income).

 

[flecc]

I still like the look of the Pi,

This, or something like it, could be just the thing to overcome the mainstream's general phobia of personal effort

We've already got them, they're called mopeds, but they still don't attract most of the public. It's not because of
the need for tax, insurance and a driving test as they prove when they adopt what they do want, the
motor car.

We can try to solve all of the problems of making e-bikes more universally acceptable, or solve the problem of
how to let most have cars. I'm not convinced the latter is more difficult than the former, and it sure is a more
popular policy.
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[JohnInStockie]

Maybe we will all end up with something like this....

An all-electric 2 seater thats the width of a motorcycle.

 

[jerrysimon]

Love it

I assume the second passenger sits behind the driver like a motorcycle. Looks a little like the old Messerschmitt/Bubble cars. My uncle had both when I was a young boy.

Regards

Jerry

 

[JohnInStockie]

Spot on Jerry, one behind the other. These apparently are ridiculously fast, with a long range, and have a 'safety cell' technology, and oh, George Clooney has one. They say they are slim enough to legally fit 2 per lane, giving the same room between and either side as the legal width for a truck (although I bet that will only apply in the US)

They are currently chasing the X-Prize for transport, here's the link Commuter Cars - The Tango, ultra-narrow electric car for commuting; 0-60 in 4 seconds

See the price though!!!!!

John

 

[jerrysimon]

See the price though!!!!!

And if I read it correctly that $108,000 does not include motor or batteries lol

Sorry if off topic but a couple of great youtube vids of it too

YouTube - The World's Fastest Electric Urban Car

Going down between the traffic queues lmao

YouTube - tango in traffic

Regards

Jerry

 

[NRG]

For that price I would have hoped the suspension would have been a bit more revolutionary I'm not sure even after watch the autocross video with the extra wide wheels fitted just how stable it is....shame they couldn't have come up with something a bit like the now defunct Carver bike...

Global Recession Claims Carver Europe | The Motor Report: Auto News And Reviews

 

[flecc]

There is a Swiss made equivalent of the Carver, more sophisticated but wrking in virtually the same way. Can't remember it's name, very expensive though.
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