The Pi 8 Speed Electric Bicycle may look odd, but the specs say cool cool cool. You can either use it in full electric mode, and go for 30 miles at up to 20 mph or switch it to pedal assist (pedalec) and increase your range to 100 miles with a 3 to 5 hour re-charge. We’re talking 1500 mpg equivalent from the Lithium Ion batteries buried in the tube frame. Designed by Marcus Hayes in San Francisco, it’s the type of eco designer device that challenges the eye and trashes the wallet. Black roll-neck sweater wearers only please. Priced at a lip-puckering $5,500.00.
This is the electric bicycle that uses an 8-speed transmission to downshift into a lower gear for climbing hills, upshifts for rapid acceleration up to 20 mph on flats, or allows you to pedal normally because the motor can be disengaged at your command. Powered by a 750-watt electric motor housed in the horizontal chain and motor assembly that provides 1 hp, the 8-speed automatic transmission is capable of four modes of operation, all controlled by a thumb toggle on the handlebars: a setting for rapid acceleration, a low gear setting for inclines (but slower acceleration), and a setting for manual gear shifting that disengages the motor to preserve battery life.
I think you do this deliberately. Yesterday I said to someone, “isn’t it amazing that the basic design of a bike has barely changed for 100 years” and now…
Can I have one please?