what with gas prices and this being a biking site, bikes being in and of themselves a form of alternative personal transportation, i thought the lounge could use a semi-perennial thread on the same.
what this thread is for: discussion and information of ways to get around town or the country that are more efficient than their alternatives. the scale can be anything from a powered set of skate shoes to a massive SUV, provided that it meets the condition stated above.
here are a few examples to start gleaned from previous threads centered around particular products such as the Enertia:
what this thread is for: discussion and information of ways to get around town or the country that are more efficient than their alternatives. the scale can be anything from a powered set of skate shoes to a massive SUV, provided that it meets the condition stated above.
here are a few examples to start gleaned from previous threads centered around particular products such as the Enertia:
generic electric bicycle (they're probably all cranked out by the same factory in china).Stokemonkey. http://cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey/
bike + Xtracycle + batteries + electric motor. about $1200 + batteries. one big downside of the Stokemonkey is that the extra length makes carrying the bike on public transit (bus racks in particular) a pain if not impossible.
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here's the electric bike page of a shop in portland, Scoot on This: http://www.scootonthis.com/prod_bikes_e.html . here's a more general listing of electric bike dealers that looks very 1990s-era, just missing the rainbow colored div lines: http://www.electric-bikes.com/buying/index.html
bike + batteries + weaksauce electric motor. the upside is that you can go anywhere a regular bike could go with some electric assist, including on bus bike racks. the downside is that these models are generally styled and have the ergonomics and weight of cruisers rather than higher performance machines. i wonder at what length of ride or level of rider fitness it becomes more efficient to commute on a light road bike rather than on a heavy electric bike + assist.
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