6 ms·

It makes me wonder if the engines would be this sophisticated if they weren't for cheating?

by KON_Air 10y ago

maxerickson 10y ago
Even rather casual cyclists will want something as light as possible and the in-frame hub drive arrangement has nice aesthetics.
- flurdy 10y ago
  And less likely to be stolen if parked. Though not sure if anyone would park a bike with such an engine.
- celticninja 10y ago
  Yes but casual cyclists will not pay €2499 for the pleasure of doing so
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    I didn't mean that they would, just that light weight and performance get a lot of consideration in cycling so it can be expected that a product category will address them even if it isn't aimed at pros.
  - chinathrow 10y ago
    Of course they do - imagine ladies training with men only. Imagine folks at the age of 70 still wanting to ride with their sons etc.
    - celticninja 10y ago
      In those situations you don't need it to be hidden therefore you could get a bigger and better battery for the same price.
  - alistairSH 10y ago
    It depends how you define "casual". I tend to think of casual cyclists as avid cyclists who don't race. Anybody who isn't avid is just a guy/gal on a bike. By that definition, casual cyclists spend ridiculous amounts of money on cycling kit. $2000 for a set of carbon fiber wheels. $1000 for a power meter. Trek has a custom line of bikes (Project One) that retail in the $7000-$15000 range (US).
    - zyxley 10y ago
      By my thoughts, somebody who's spent more than $1000 or so on bike and gear, maximum, isn't a "casual" cyclist. If they're buying individual parts that cost more than an entire road bike that would be recommended by a store clerk to some guy walking in off the street, they're well beyond "casual".
      - exDM69 10y ago
        That isn't too much to spend on a bike. My bike is more than that and isn't special in any way, just a good regular bike. And I just use it to ride to work, this isn't anything I'm enthusiastic about. Add the bags/panniers, lights, pump, clothing and other accessories on top. I get about 100 miles a week, 8-9 months a year so it justifies the investment.
        Symbiote 10y ago
        I'd say anyone who has special clothing for cycling is an enthusiast, particularly if it's more than $50 worth.
        exDM69 10y ago
        I don't have that either. Just some gear to withstand light rain and cold. Nothing that's especially made for cycling, I use this with other outdoors activities too. My way to work is too long to comfortably ride in work clothes. Imagine riding 8 miles in your jeans and sweater and then sitting in front of the computer all day in the same clothes after that. You're trying to label people "cycling enthusiasts" in your heads (and I know exactly the stereotype you're thinking of). They do exist, but for most people riding a bike, it's just their daily commute. It might need a decent bike and a few items of clothing. You don't call every car owner a "car enthusiast" even though taking the train/bus is a viable option in many places of the world and owning a car is much more expensive than a bike.
  - Coding_Cat 10y ago
    2499 is a pretty reasonable price for an electric bike though.
    - celticninja 10y ago
      I imagine that you could get more efficient ie more power at lower cost, for your money if you were looking for something that did not need to be hidden away.
    - seanp2k2 10y ago
      There's also the power factor. These hidden motors are on the order of a few hundred watts. While enough to make a huge difference, if you want a non-hidden version, you can get a few hundred watts for a few hundred bucks: https://www.electricbike.com/12-kit-power-levels-360w-to-8000w/ https://www.electricbike.com/12-kit-power-levels-360w-to-800... to well into the thousands of watts range for $2500. The price is because it's stealthy.
- KON_Air 10y ago
  But they have no reason to hide it, as in the frame can be in a shape giving more room or at least making it easier to access for maintance without "breaking" the aesthetics of whole.
jobigoud 10y ago
Most probably not. It's pretty clear in the FranceTV video (It's in French though) in the section starting at 14:40 https://youtu.be/e0s2yo6ws9U?t=884 https://youtu.be/e0s2yo6ws9U?t=884 Starting at 17:00, he describes an electro-magnetic wheel, Lipos inside the tube, magnets all around the wheel, remote controlled by a wristwatch. Priced 50K€ at 200K€, can't possibly be used for casual cycling.
- kpil 10y ago
  I was thinking that I wanted to build that motor using magnets, hot glue, coils, and an Arduino... Can't be that hard can it...
  - seanp2k2 10y ago
    It's worth 50-200k when you can make it look exactly like a non-motorized wheel in front of many spectators and race inspectors :) if you don't mind people seeing the motor, there are tons of DIYs in the hundreds to single-thousands of dollars range depending on how far and how fast you'd like to go: https://m.reddit.com/r/ebikes/ https://m.reddit.com/r/ebikes/ etc
matt_morgan 10y ago
In NYC, motorized bikes are technically illegal, although they're used all the time by delivery workers. I'm not aware of anyone getting tickets for them ... but it's a law that makes all of us cheaters, potentially. I'd feel a lot better with a hidden motor than a visible one (though I can't afford either).
fiftyacorn 10y ago
The engines aren't from cycling - but F1 and motorbikes. Its a few alterations to run on road bikes

It makes me wonder if the engines would be this sophisticated if they weren't for cheating?

by KON_Air 10y ago

It makes me wonder if the engines would be this sophisticated if they weren't for cheating?

Even rather casual cyclists will want something as light as possible and the in-frame hub drive arrangement has nice aesthetics.

flurdy 10y ago
And less likely to be stolen if parked. Though not sure if anyone would park a bike with such an engine.
celticninja 10y ago
Yes but casual cyclists will not pay €2499 for the pleasure of doing so
- maxerickson 10y ago
  I didn't mean that they would, just that light weight and performance get a lot of consideration in cycling so it can be expected that a product category will address them even if it isn't aimed at pros.
- chinathrow 10y ago
  Of course they do - imagine ladies training with men only. Imagine folks at the age of 70 still wanting to ride with their sons etc.
  - celticninja 10y ago
    In those situations you don't need it to be hidden therefore you could get a bigger and better battery for the same price.
- alistairSH 10y ago
  It depends how you define "casual". I tend to think of casual cyclists as avid cyclists who don't race. Anybody who isn't avid is just a guy/gal on a bike. By that definition, casual cyclists spend ridiculous amounts of money on cycling kit. $2000 for a set of carbon fiber wheels. $1000 for a power meter. Trek has a custom line of bikes (Project One) that retail in the $7000-$15000 range (US).
  - zyxley 10y ago
    By my thoughts, somebody who's spent more than $1000 or so on bike and gear, maximum, isn't a "casual" cyclist. If they're buying individual parts that cost more than an entire road bike that would be recommended by a store clerk to some guy walking in off the street, they're well beyond "casual".
    - exDM69 10y ago
      That isn't too much to spend on a bike. My bike is more than that and isn't special in any way, just a good regular bike. And I just use it to ride to work, this isn't anything I'm enthusiastic about. Add the bags/panniers, lights, pump, clothing and other accessories on top. I get about 100 miles a week, 8-9 months a year so it justifies the investment.
      - Symbiote 10y ago
        I'd say anyone who has special clothing for cycling is an enthusiast, particularly if it's more than $50 worth.
        exDM69 10y ago
        I don't have that either. Just some gear to withstand light rain and cold. Nothing that's especially made for cycling, I use this with other outdoors activities too. My way to work is too long to comfortably ride in work clothes. Imagine riding 8 miles in your jeans and sweater and then sitting in front of the computer all day in the same clothes after that. You're trying to label people "cycling enthusiasts" in your heads (and I know exactly the stereotype you're thinking of). They do exist, but for most people riding a bike, it's just their daily commute. It might need a decent bike and a few items of clothing. You don't call every car owner a "car enthusiast" even though taking the train/bus is a viable option in many places of the world and owning a car is much more expensive than a bike.
- Coding_Cat 10y ago
  2499 is a pretty reasonable price for an electric bike though.
  - celticninja 10y ago
    I imagine that you could get more efficient ie more power at lower cost, for your money if you were looking for something that did not need to be hidden away.
  - seanp2k2 10y ago
    There's also the power factor. These hidden motors are on the order of a few hundred watts. While enough to make a huge difference, if you want a non-hidden version, you can get a few hundred watts for a few hundred bucks: https://www.electricbike.com/12-kit-power-levels-360w-to-8000w/ https://www.electricbike.com/12-kit-power-levels-360w-to-800... to well into the thousands of watts range for $2500. The price is because it's stealthy.
KON_Air 10y ago
But they have no reason to hide it, as in the frame can be in a shape giving more room or at least making it easier to access for maintance without "breaking" the aesthetics of whole.

jobigoud 10y ago

Most probably not. It's pretty clear in the FranceTV video (It's in French though) in the section starting at 14:40 https://youtu.be/e0s2yo6ws9U?t=884 https://youtu.be/e0s2yo6ws9U?t=884 Starting at 17:00, he describes an electro-magnetic wheel, Lipos inside the tube, magnets all around the wheel, remote controlled by a wristwatch. Priced 50K€ at 200K€, can't possibly be used for casual cycling.

kpil 10y ago
I was thinking that I wanted to build that motor using magnets, hot glue, coils, and an Arduino... Can't be that hard can it...
- seanp2k2 10y ago
  It's worth 50-200k when you can make it look exactly like a non-motorized wheel in front of many spectators and race inspectors :) if you don't mind people seeing the motor, there are tons of DIYs in the hundreds to single-thousands of dollars range depending on how far and how fast you'd like to go: https://m.reddit.com/r/ebikes/ https://m.reddit.com/r/ebikes/ etc

matt_morgan 10y ago

In NYC, motorized bikes are technically illegal, although they're used all the time by delivery workers. I'm not aware of anyone getting tickets for them ... but it's a law that makes all of us cheaters, potentially. I'd feel a lot better with a hidden motor than a visible one (though I can't afford either).

fiftyacorn 10y ago

The engines aren't from cycling - but F1 and motorbikes. Its a few alterations to run on road bikes