Archive for the ‘Tech’ Category

New ebike tech and the Osborne Effect

Saturday, November 13th, 2010

Seems like a funny time for electric cyclists nowadays. You couldn’t swing a stick at Interbike this year without hitting an ebike. Same for Eurobike. It seems that all kinds of wonderful new bikes and gear are coming from familiar ebike vendors, newcomers, and from mainstream manufacturers.

I look at the recently-announced Bionx stuff, for example, and wonder “If I had waited, the system I have on my own bike now would be notably lighter and more ergonomic. Should I have waited?” Should potential buyers wait until the new toys displayed at the shows actually show up?
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Greening the Planet: Why the plug-in bicycle beats the plug-in Prius and all-electric cars

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Picture of a Toyota Prius with a  

We bought our lovely blue Prius hybrid because it’s environmentally green. If the recently-announced plug-in version had been available we’d have considered that too, but we already have a great plug-in hybrid vehicle. It’s enormously greener than any Prius will ever be, and it’s greener than all-electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt as well.
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A Tale of Two Freewheels

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Catchy titles notwithstandiing, freewheels aren’t sexy.  But if you’re using a rear electric hub motor you’re probably still going to need ‘em, so it’s worth understanding a bit about cheesy ones and really good ones.  Because most of what’s out there now is pretty cheesy.

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