They look cool, but they're definitely engineered for a totally flat landscape. Shoot, before you go throwing any kids in there, the thing weighs over 80 pounds, and it only has 7 gears.
They look cool, but they're definitely engineered for a totally flat landscape. Shoot, before you go throwing any kids in there, the thing weighs over 80 pounds, and it only has 7 gears.
Yeah they are super pricey, but think, you wouldn't need a car. $3,500 is less than most people pay for a vehicle. You can also get a power assist for hills. I figure if people can bike in places like Boulder CO, there's nothing "hilly" around here that even compares. Then count never having to pay for gas, licenses, plates *and* never needing to have a health club membership & all the health benefits of riding vs sitting in a car constantly.
You can also get a power assist for hills. I figure if people can bike in places like Boulder CO, there's nothing "hilly" around here that even compares.
Ah, but in Boulder they're not riding 80 pound bikes with 80 pound loads, kwim? They're either doing a 20 pound mountain bike, or a 15 pound road bike, generally. Sure, there are folks who do the cross bike with panniers or trailers, but I still think they're much lighter, and better engineered to handle speeds and braking on hills.
That review cracked me up--he basically said that he pushed the bike to the limit, and there were definitely engineering shortcomings. And frankly, it sounds like a trumped up boardwalk jitney But you're absolutely right that it looks darn cool!
I love this calculator. Again, there really is no limit to what we can do on a bike given unlimited time & equipment. I think we're just trained in the US to think that it's going to be "hard" to ride a bike (take the bus, walk) and that paying for a non renewable fossil fuel powered vehicle is "easy".
80 lbs. of bike will be REALLY hard with hills. My bike is about 16 lbs. and one time I had to switch with someone who had a heavier bike (I was in better shape than he was and we were about the same size)(OK - just looked it up - it was a 43 lb. bike) and it was SO much harder! I was amazed at what a few pounds will do on a bike. I can't imagine basically carrying a small adult - not to mention any added weight from passengers or gear! Yikes!
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Ann
SAHM to 4 beautiful children Lauren ('90), Nicole ('92), Robert ('00) and Joanna ('02) and wife to Bob for 23 years.
But you're absolutely right that it looks darn cool!
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