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off peak electricity

if i may refer to my article of a few days past, pointing out the quality and aesthetics of several cycling related items from online store the northernline, i'm rather hoping that we can all agree on the emigré slogan with which i ended that piece, to wit: design is a good idea? it's a philosophy that is as applicable to items of velocipedinal interest as it is to those of every day use and interest. heck, apple's jonathan ive and rapha's alex valdman have made careers out of it.

nor does the design ethos have to be considered purely in terms of modernity; this month's peloton magazine features a fabulous blue gios torino brooklyn team bike from the early 1970s, on which the brake cables exit the top of the levers (why, oh why did we ever let that go?). though it undoubtedly says more about me than the bicycle industry, i'd have one of those over a carbon monocoque any day of the week.

but 'tis not always taiwanese carbon fibre that threatens the contemporary aesthetic, rather more the inescapable onset of electricity. and i don't mean di2 and eps. taking one more look over my own shoulder, the bicycle association's current campaign to elicit the promise of financial subsidies for anyone purchasing an electric bicycle still grates somewhat, when the humble pedal cycle offers so much more in the way of environmental concern and considered design.

there are, of course, exceptions to the electrically based onslaught to the visual senses; the recently reviewed specialized turbo vado is a pretty good example of combined forethought and design, successfully minimising the effect of a downtube that mimics a london underground train and integrating the battery into its considered shape. but i fear that the specialized is more the exception than the rule, if based only on the heath robinson constructs that cycled past the office window earlier this week.

though i'm quizzical as to how touring on an electric bicycle with a nominal range of around 80 kilometres makes logistical sense, the addition of racks and panniers to a cycle with bolted on battery and rear wheel motor is not one likely to soothe the visual senses. too often, it seems, manufacturers have simply begun with a standard double-diamond frame and festooned it with electrical necessities. it's a process and a look of which i do not find myself in favour.

however, just to prove it can actually be done and at a price that scarcely has need of being lessened with a government grant, analog motion are currently and very successfully plugging their am1 on kickstarter. with a launch price of only £599, the am1 closely resembles that of a standard, single speed bicycle, with 'normal' sized tubing weighing a rather anorexic (for an electric bike) 13.5kg. compare that with the specialized vado weighing at least 10kg more. the ultimate benefit of such low weight is the ease of riding without the motor assist, should you have need of conserving the battery charge and less back strain trying to manhandle it into the bikeshed.

and because it's a pretty standard style bicycle frame, the am1 is relatively easily customisable, capable of being fitted with flat bars, drop bars or even time-trial bars, along with mudguards, racks, baskets; in fact, pretty much everything you'd desire on a regular bicycle, depending on your particular proclivities. technically, this is a single-speed bicycle, but with an electric motor housed in the rear hub that operates in standard, pedal-assist mode, offering more or less power (up to the legal standard of 28kph) depending on how fit you're feeling at any given time. the battery is encased in a waterproof housing and affixes to the frame's seat-tube. analog motion claim that the battery is only marginally larger than a coca-cola can, but i'd be more inclined to say that it's a tad smaller than two coke cans.

however, there's no denying that the holy grail for electric bikes is likely to parallel that of the standard bike: weight and price. though in practice, an electric assist bike, when ridden, scarcely advertises its weight, that particular wall can come crashing down very quickly if the battery runs out of juice. and there's likely little more embarrassing than trying to insouciantly ride a very heavy and expensive bicycle with no battery power at little more than a snail's pace.

the am1 is already guaranteed to go into production. with still fifteen more days of the kickstarter campaign to go, the project has been funded ten times over, but there's still time to get in on the ground floor.

if you're swithering over whether to go all electric, now might be the time to decide. you know the drill.

analog motion's am1 electric bicycle on kickstarter

friday 22 june 2018