This looks like a load of fun....

[3rtt]

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/storck-coswo...

Cheers,
Ian

[Gooby]

Dont quite understand the market this is intended for.
A serious cyclist will pride themself on being able to pedal up the hill and would see pedaling as the whole point of getting on a bike. Would a non-serious cyclist spend £4k on a bike that isnt ment to be pedaled and is WAY too expensive to chain up outside work?

[oldcynic]

That's an awful lot of money to spend to then be limited to 15mph. At that price point I'd expect a full-on electric motorcycle or just buy a stty petrol powered scooter.

Are there any viable electric motorcycles yet (100 mile range, 60mph would do me fine for work)?

[Mr Gear]

oldcynic said:

That's an awful lot of money to spend to then be limited to 15mph. At that price point I'd expect a full-on electric motorcycle or just buy a stty petrol powered scooter.

Are there any viable electric motorcycles yet (100 mile range, 60mph would do me fine for work)?

Vectrix comes close
http://vectrixeurope.com/

As does Marvizen
http://www.mavizen.com/
But they are really expensive

[P-Jay]

Nearly 20kgs eh? about the same as my DH bike, that'll be really fun to pedal home if the battery goes flat then!

It's the answer to the question no one asked "I could do with a Scooter to commute to work on, but I'm widowlicking stupid"

[Fetchez la vache]

So then 3rtt, you're the "UK distributor for Storck Bicycle".

Tell us more...

[oldcynic]

Mr Gear said:

oldcynic said:

That's an awful lot of money to spend to then be limited to 15mph. At that price point I'd expect a full-on electric motorcycle or just buy a stty petrol powered scooter.

Are there any viable electric motorcycles yet (100 mile range, 60mph would do me fine for work)?

Vectrix comes close
http://vectrixeurope.com/

As does Marvizen
http://www.mavizen.com/
But they are really expensive

And therein lies the problem.

Having just been hit with a £1600 bill to get our MPV going again (clutch, DMF, half a gearbox) we have had to seriously question whether we can afford to run 2 cars, and what we would do instead. If I could buy something for £2000, or maybe even £3000 and know that it will be simple, reliable and cost peanuts to run then it would be a serious contender. However the up-front costs mean I'm better off keeping my diesel Volvo until it dies, then probably indulging in some proper bangernomics.

I've run a petrol powered scooter around London before, and worked out it was more expensive per mile than the Audi S2 I also drove at the time. 3000km service interval came round very quickly and the economy was nothing special.

Maybe I should be looking to the modern equivalent of the Honda C90?

[donfisher]

I was struggling over Southwark bridge one morning, this bloke on some sort of hybrid with guards and panniers went past me like was stood still. At the junction at the end again he rocketed off with barely any pedaling. I caught up with him at the next crossing and spotted the battery pack.

Though it's not really in the spirit of things 4k to get into London, using bike/bus lanes, *no traffic rules*, no CC and probably secure parking that isn't a BIK. Seems like quite a good deal to me if you weren't keen on the exercise part. And in my case I wouldn't be turning up red, sweaty, breathless and in desperate need of a shower.

I can see the appeal but it's not for me.

[Mr Gear]

donfisher said:

I was struggling over Southwark bridge one morning, this bloke on some sort of hybrid with guards and panniers went past me like was stood still. At the junction at the end again he rocketed off with barely any pedaling. I caught up with him at the next crossing and spotted the battery pack.

Though it's not really in the spirit of things 4k to get into London, using bike/bus lanes, *no traffic rules*, no CC and probably secure parking that isn't a BIK. Seems like quite a good deal to me if you weren't keen on the exercise part. And in my case I wouldn't be turning up red, sweaty, breathless and in desperate need of a shower.

I can see the appeal but it's not for me.

I have ridden a few electric bikes and they are great! But they are frustrating when you hit the legally-enforced 15mph max speed, and they are expensive to buy. Even the awful Chinese ones. I think they are crippled by legislation in this country... another 5mph and they would make a lot more sense... and be safer to keep up with traffic.

[Mr E]

oldcynic said:

If I could buy something for £2000, or maybe even £3000 and know that it will be simple, reliable and cost peanuts to run then it would be a serious contender.

Any number of 50-100cc scooters would seem to fit the bill?

[donfisher]

Mr Gear said:

another 5mph and they would make a lot more sense... and be safer to keep up with traffic.

I bet they'd be a POP to delimit.

And I've just seen some of them go for under £2k.

[oldcynic]

Mr E said:

oldcynic said:

If I could buy something for £2000, or maybe even £3000 and know that it will be simple, reliable and cost peanuts to run then it would be a serious contender.

Any number of 50-100cc scooters would seem to fit the bill?

Maybe so, but the last one I bought was a highly strung unreliable pile of ste. Stupidly fast for what it was, very entertaining, but running costs were shocking.

[3rtt]

Fetchez la vache said:

So then 3rtt, you're the "UK distributor for Storck Bicycle".

Tell us more...

I am the UK distributor for Storck Raddar e-bikes and commuting / hybrid bikes. I'm also an enthusiastic petrol head. I dont wish to come on here and blatantly plug this product or flaunt the posting rules here, but to open up a healthy discussion about e-bikes.

Many serious cyclist don't get the pedelec thing and what it can bring. I understand that. I have spoken with many men and women who are serious cyclist and looked down on pedelec bikes and thought 'It not for me'. Get them on a bike and ride one, and within a very short period they can see the many benefits. Not to replace their bike(s) but to compliment their collection of bikes. Example: Cycle journey time to work on a normal bike. 50 minutes. Then shower or change of clothes before you start work. Total journey time approx 1 Hour 10 minutes. Do the same journey on a pedelec bike 25 minutes riding time and no need to change clothes or take a shower. = More time in bed in the morning or with the kids having breakfast. You can cyle away from traffic much easier and faster and safer.

Then there is the cost savings on fuel, carbon footprint etc etc.

Cheers,
Ian.

[3rtt]

oldcynic said:

nd therein lies the problem.

Having just been hit with a £1600 bill to get our MPV going again (clutch, DMF, half a gearbox) we have had to seriously question whether we can afford to run 2 cars, and what we would do instead. If I could buy something for £2000, or maybe even £3000 and know that it will be simple, reliable and cost peanuts to run then it would be a serious contender. However the up-front costs mean I'm better off keeping my diesel Volvo until it dies, then probably indulging in some proper bangernomics.

I've run a petrol powered scooter around London before, and worked out it was more expensive per mile than the Audi S2 I also drove at the time. 3000km service interval came round very quickly and the economy was nothing special.

Maybe I should be looking to the modern equivalent of the Honda C90?

Example of a Raddar pedelec bike running cost.

Range on one battery charge: 50 - 100klm. Cost to fully recharge from flat 7 -10 pence. No RF Tax, MOT, congestion charge etc etc.

You don't have to spend £0,000 of pounds on pedelec bike. Even the basic pedelec from Hal....s is below £1,000

Cheers,
Ian

[oldcynic]

3rtt said:

Example of a Raddar pedelec bike running cost.

Range on one battery charge: 50 - 100klm. Cost to fully recharge from flat 7 -10 pence. No RF Tax, MOT, congestion charge etc etc.

You don't have to spend £0,000 of pounds on pedelec bike. Even the basic pedelec from Hal....s is below £1,000

Cheers,
Ian

As a town and city bike it sounds like an excellent choice. However I'm now commuting Luton to Leighton Buzzard which is a mixture of town & country roads, or motorway for a few miles if I choose. Thus the 15mph top speed would be the killer (possibly quite literally on a winter evening), and looking for a top speed more like 60+mph.

Less than £1000 for an electrically assisted bike however does open up hybrid transport to the masses, and I would guess that economies of scale will continue to improve prices. £4000 for a 15mph electrically assisted bike really doesn't cut it, but then it's clearly not aimed at me.

[Roman]

Does anybody actually buy these naff, grossly overpriced (and frequently gross looking) automotive branded/co-branded bikes?

Fair enough this one doesn't look bad and I'd pay £2k+ for a Storck roadbike but £4k for a 15mph hybrid?

One for elderly millionaire brand sluts perhaps?

[Mr Gear]

Roman said:

One for elderly millionaire brand sluts perhaps?

Maybe. Or it might be a really nicely made bike. Cosworth make no secret of the fact the want to be hybrid and electric vehicle experts as well as engine tuners.

[3rtt]

Roman said:

Does anybody actually buy these naff, grossly overpriced (and frequently gross looking) automotive branded/co-branded bikes?

Fair enough this one doesn't look bad and I'd pay £2k+ for a Storck roadbike but £4k for a 15mph hybrid?

One for elderly millionaire brand sluts perhaps?

I think maybe you should understand that the bike is limited to 'assist the rider up to 15mph' This is UK law for all pedelec bikes. You can pedal the bike a lot faster than 15mph believe me. I was quite happy spinning along at 25mph plus, passing single speeds and roadies in the city over the weekend Yes I did stop at red traffic lights

The partnership with Storck and Cosworth will enable the Cosworth engineers to help develop (an already superior product to something) even better systems of electronics, battery, energy return etc etc.

Cheers,
Ian

[Roman]

I do understand actually and I also think electrically assisted bikes are a great idea and to be fair this one looks good if very expensive for what it is/does.

I just think that some automotive brands are jumping on the band wagon with some grossly overpriced 'style over substance' products:
http://store.ferrari.com/en/sports-games/sport/bik...

We should expect to see more auto brands enter the sector if only as a means of meeting EU Co2 targets.

[Mr Gear]

Roman said:

I do understand actually and I also think electrically assisted bikes are a great idea and to be fair this one looks good if very expensive for what it is/does.

I just think that some automotive brands are jumping on the band wagon with some grossly overpriced 'style over substance' products:
http://store.ferrari.com/en/sports-games/sport/bik...

We should expect to see more auto brands enter the sector if only as a means of meeting EU Co2 targets.

Hmm. Indeed. At least the Ducati bicycle is actually a pretty decent Bianchi (apparently) under the red paint.