When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

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Bicycle Bill
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When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by Bicycle Bill »

become an electric motorcycle?

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The Legendary Shelby Cobra Has Been Reborn
as a Speedy Electric Bike

The Shelby Cobra is back.  And while that is reason enough for celebration, it’s unlikely anyone predicted that the legendary sports car would make its return as…  an electric bicycle.

Later this month, Vintage Electric will release the limited edition Two-Wheeled Cobra, a powerful throttle e-bike inspired by Carroll Shelby’s 289 Slabside.  With an aesthetic that closely echoes the storied ‘60s hot rod, the bike also happens to be Vintage Electric’s most powerful yet.

Designed with the help of Shelby’s grandson Aaron, the Two-Wheeled Cobra hews closely to the original car’s race-ready aesthetic.  Featuring a motorcycle-like profile, the bike is painted in the same metallic blue with black racing stripes as its namesake.  But that’s not where the design nods stop.  The bike also features hand grips, a matte black fork, retro LED headlamp and leather saddle seat that all callback to the 289 Slabside.  And, of course, there’s the iconic Cobra logo to top it all off.

But the Shelby legend isn’t just built on ultra-cool aesthetics.  His cars were powerful beasts that could conquer even the fiercest of competition, most notably when the Ford GT40 he designed bested Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.  While e-bikes are starting to seem more like motorcycles than traditional pedal-powered bicycles, few more so than the Two-Wheeled Cobra.  Featuring a 48-volt (1123 watt-hours) battery and rear-hub motor, the bike can reach a top speed of either 20 mph in street mode or eyebrow-raising 36 mph in optional, key-operated race mode.  Even more impressive—its powerful battery, which can be fully charged in just 4.5 hours, gives the bike a 75-mile range.

The bike will be released on Friday, November 15, the same day that "Ford v Ferrari", a movie that immortalizes Shelby’s greatest automotive feat, hits theaters.  While the release may still be more than a week-and-a-half away, interested customers can reserve theirs online now.  The bike will cost $7,249, though the key-operated race mode will cost an additional $149.
They might just as well have included 'race mode' as standard equipment and just jacked the price up another couple hundred dollars to start with.  $149 is nothing but chump change to anyone who can shell out seven grand for an electric bike in the first place.  And in this day and age, where parents are buying their kids $1200 smartphones because "...but it's the new iPhone!", there's a lot more of them out there than one might think.
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ex-khobar Andy
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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

Isn't marketing wonderful. "Inspired by" = "We decided we could slap an extra 3 grand on the price by giving Shelby's grandson a desk in the corner and a few bucks to keep his mouth shut."

I'm not sure who would buy this. Keen cyclists - Lance Armstrong wannabes? Unlikely. Motorcyclists? Plenty of lightly used Harleys and new Japanese bikes available for that kind of money. People with more money than sense who have no clue how to handle something like this? Gimme gimme gimme. Well it might help the gene pool

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Some selected specs on this bike, from the company's website
  • ● Weight — EIGHTY-FIVE POUNDS!! ... and that's with a 'hydroformed aluminum' frame yet
    ● Front chainring — 40T
    ● Rear sprocket/freewheel — 16T
    ● Tire size — 26 inch x 2.35 inch (big, wide, fat bastards, in other words)
Without subjecting you to all the math involved, this gearing setup yields a 65-inch gear, which means that for every pedal revolution you made the rear wheel would turn roughly two and a half times, and you would propel yourself approximately 17 feet forward — assuming you had enough power in your legs to get this behemoth to move in the first place.  And remember — there's no 'first gear' to help you get that up to speed; it's one ratio, the same ratio, no variances, all the time.  Yeah, I'm sure you could eventually get it started and up to speed, but the average person ain't gonna want to do it very often, especially when all he needs to do is flick that little toggle lever and let the 48v/234 Ah battery start spinning that 750-W motor mounted on the rear hub.
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wesw
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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by wesw »

0MG!!!!!

I M IN l0VE!!!!

black and blue!!!!

my favrites!

I wish that I c0uld aff0rd 0ne....

:cry:

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Fuhgeddaboudit, wes.  You can't even afford to fix your keyboard.
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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by MajGenl.Meade »

Laptop keyboard Replacement – $80-195. Some keyboards are cheap ($10) and easily replaceable. Others (like a MacBook Pro) require complete machine disassembly and a tiny screw for every key. PC Laptop keyboard replacements are typically around $100-120, whereas Mac keyboard replacements really vary by model. Like everything, specialty models can be more expensive.
Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 with Built-In Multi-Touch Touchpad, Black
Logitech
Model: 920-003070
Walmart # 553742029
Average rating:4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 583 reviews
$18.78
Was $19.97
Maybe the second w in wesw stands for Walmart - he can probably get to one of those
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by Bicycle Bill »

You're probably correct, Meade, but more than one of us here have reminded him that he could go to someplace like Goodwill or the Salvation Army resale store and find a separate keyboard (Dell/HP/Logitech/whatever) with a USB plug-in which he could attach to his laptop and use.  And in my area, at least, they don't usually cost more than five dollars.  So it's not that he's physically or financially unable to solve the problem, he just would prefer to be an asshole and insist on playing his little "my keyboard is malfunctioning" charade.

Oh well, I suppose we should be grateful he hasn't downloaded and started using Hellvetica font (yes, that's the correct spelling).

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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by BoSoxGal »

As poor as I am I would order a Logitech from Amazon and have it sent general delivery to wesw, but then I’d have to know his real name so that’s a no go.

It’s a gimmick anyway, the wh0le br0ken keyb0ard fiasc0.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
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RayThom
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When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by RayThom »

My guess?

I think wesw just likes being annoying, and he's really good at it.

Annoyance... by any means necessary.

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Re: When does a Power-Assist Bicycle

Post by Econoline »

RayThom wrote:I think wesw just likes being annoying, and he's really good at it.
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