We've got the Jack Johnson playlist locked and loaded, our polarized Oakleys are firmly ensconced, and those khakis are tucked snugly into our tube socks. It's time to ride, fool. The Powabyke X-6 is the
electric bike for the bore in all of us, masquerading perfectly as a traditional road bike, complete with the old "battery disguised as a water bottle" trick. The six-speed electric bike weighs in at 48.5 pounds, with an battery-powered top speed of 15mph -- the max allowed by law -- and a 15 mile range. The battery can be detached and charged indoors, but replacements run a few hundred dollars, so don't lose sight of that sucker. The X-6 should be out in the UK this September for £750, about $1,395 US.
posted Aug 19th 2008 11:15AM
Yeahhh.... (Like the guy watching the WNBA in the Family Guy episode when they go to Texas cause Stewie is possesed).
OT:
btw if you remove the carrier thing, it actually looks fine.
They misspelled pokiebike.
For any consumer product, styling is important, even before function. This bomber screams cheap, from the epoxy-welded alu frame to the rat-trap pedals. While that may be OK if it were targetted to the meat-n-potato Wal-Mart crowd (read: under USD$500), no one wants to pay $1400 to look like a schmuck on the streets, not unless kneepads and hoop skirts are the latest craze in good ol' England nowadays.
Even for function, this thing falls short. Here in the states, legal speed limit for an e-bike is 20 MPH, which is the cruising speed for mid-level riders. E-bikes sold here have as their minimum the 20/20 rule (20MPH, 20 miles range). Sadly, most commit the same cardinal sin as pokie here in making their products as ugly and boxy as possible, yet expecting to get top dollar for them.
America is getting grayer (and yes, fatter). Correspondingly, people here are getting more health-conscious and "greening," and will pay appropriately for a stylish and sound alternative to the car. Carbon fibre as a bike frame technology has been around for long time, and the main reason for its high-end status is a marketing one. Why can't we have a CF e-bike with, say, integral LI battery and 20/40 capability, with good looking profile like a high-end road bike? Tag it at $3000, I bet there'll be a sizeable market who'll opt for that over a $25000 hybrid car.
@doob
huh? this looks like every other city commuter out there (making it less attractive to thieves for one thing). not everyone has $3k to spend on a bike, and adding that much weight to a high end frame is pretty silly.
So... Where does your water bottle go?
get yourself some bottled water shaped like a battery pack and strap it under the seat.
15 mile range? So what happens after 15 miles? You don't mean I have to actually pedal on a bicycle, do you? Because that would be just absolutely ridiculous.
I guess they're trying to tell us the battery will last for exactly one hour. Anything more and you will be required to exert energy. LOL
Wow ... That's pathetic. I barely exert myself to keep my bike moving @ 15 mph on a flat stretch of road. The bike weighs around 4 times as much as mine too ... though the price is only a bit higher than my bike.
If you're gonna blow $1400 on a bike get a decent road bike. If you're so lazy you can't manage to pedal 15mph then buy a frickin scooter.
Your bike weighs around 12lbs? You must be a midget riding a tiny titanium bike then, because round 'ere you'll be lucky to get a frame alone that weighs that.
Anyway, if you consider a *normal* $1000 sort of bike weighs in excess of 25lbs, add on 7lbs or so for what is going to be a heavy battery, and the same again for a very solid motor, and you're not a million miles away from what it actually weighs.
@ Tim,
Sorry dude, but couldn't be more wrong. A 12 lbs frame would be a tank. A good road frame will be under 2 kg (4 lbs). For example, and Orbea Opal weighs in at 1067 grams, or a bit over 2 lbs. That is HUGE difference in bike weight from 12 lbs.
A decent road bike will be well under 25 lbs fully assembled. The aforementioned Opal (which granted is a bit more spendy that this bike, but it was the first I could easily find exact specs on) will weigh 16-17 lbs. Even the cheaper Onix in it's heaviest build is under 18.5 lbs and the cheaper yet Aqua is still under 20 (and close to this bike in price). (weights gathered from www.orbea-usa.com in case you want to check)
I'm with Dillon - 15 mph isn't anything to get excited about. Now if it were 20+, that would be a different story...
48.5 lbs!!!! That just reminded me...
Law of Bicycles:
Every bike weighs 50 lbs.
i.e. A 10 lb. bike has a 40 lb. lock, 30 lb. bike has a 20 lb. lock. 50 lbs? Yup. No lock. Just take the battery.
I was thinking the same thing, a piece of nylon rope ought to do the trick (after all, we do have a pound and a half to make up here)
You, sir, are the ass in this situation.
The challenge here is not to drink the battery!
I think this it brilliant !
Or it will be .. once they price drops, and they find a way to make it lighter.
The thing is, when the battery is dead, imagine pedalling to push 50lbs .....
A front-wheel-drive push bike? How different would that feel, seriously?
Nice idea, but I hope it has regenerative braking, a la most hybrid cars.
I have seen bikes laced in the front or the rear, even with gears in the rear too. I think the problem becomes a balancing act, especially in metro areas. I have contemplated an e-bike as they call it, but the mere lift factor is enough for me to discount it. Re-generative braking at such a low speed is not going to generate all that much electricity, I would think.
I like that front wheel spoke design; no doubt to support torque from the hub. Nifty.
One problem with it... they should have done it to the rear as well. It looks goofy with 2 different spoke lacing patterns.
I can't speak for the pattern being stronger, but I think it mostly has to do with the size of the hub being bigger.
I know a guy who has a much bigger motor on a much smaller wheel and his spokes are about 3 inches long. It's like 80% motor.. it looks stupid IMHO.
All e-bikes look goofy, fortunately this bike is taking the slim approach, but I am afraid they are failing at the longevity, and top-speed factor miserably.
"Powabyke" ... really?
Did a 12 year old name it?
...easily the only cool thing about this bike. Too bad the 12yo wasn't in on the rest of the design.
This byke's straight outta Compton, foo.
"city of Compton!"
i just quoted 12 songs there
and probably Arsenio Hall, who I think I saw riding this the other day.
I can easily maintain 15+ mph and have at minimum a 50 mi range on my Kona singlespeed...
After 15 mi on this beast I suspect one will bonk more easily if trying to maintain their speed after the battery dies
No need for water...You're not exerting much energy and only have a 15 mi radius, unless you're out in the desert and the sun is baking out all your moisture lolz
whats a moisture lolz?
If you look closely, lolz looks like a snoring vagina. Maybe thats what he meant.
i don't get it, so he's saying his girlfriend is _really_ bored then? so much projection and insecurity here this morning
moisture = not bored, perhaps worn out?
well i figured if it was snoring...ahh nevermind
@ Tim Spence -- sadly there's no regenerative braking. The Powabyke guys tell me it's because the amount of electricity it generates on a bicycle is tiny compared to what you get from, say, a Prius
Eli -- water bottle, good question. There's not really room on the down-tube, so you'd probably need to mount a bottle holder on the top of the top-tube. Not exactly elegant, but a fix of sorts.
Am I the only one lazy enough to want one?
Yes, and it's too bad, too, because you almost got off your ass and bought one.
Nope, you're the only one dumb enough to want one. Electric skateboards are where it's at:
http://xkcd.com/139/
Note that electric boards typically weigh about 50 pounds (with lead-acid batteries), get around 15 mph, and around 15 mile range.
The metroboard, on the other hand, uses NiMH, and comes in at 22 pounds for 16 mph and 12 mile range. Oh, and it costs $600.
This bike fails.
I like it. If only it was old enough to find a cheaper used one on ebay.
Speaking from experience, are ya...?
This would be perfect for people like me with a girlfirend that likes to exercise, if only it was available in the US. :(
This would be perfect for people like me with a girlfirend that likes to exercise, if only it was available in the US. :(
This would be perfect for people like me with a girlfirend that likes to exercise, if only it was available in the US. :(
I don't know if you're stressing that you have a girlfriend or the availability in the US, but saying it three times won't make either wish come true.
your comment(s) make no sense. are you saying it's perfect to keep up with her on her real bike, or did you miss the part about this being an electric bike and you're buying this for exercise?
Dammit!
I know.
This is great for me. I'm lazy and vain and I carry whatever I need to drink in a flask in my pocket.
you're so vain. you probably think this post is about you.
He's so vain, he probably thinks our replies are about him too.
LowestRanked and PhanBouy - are you guys part of some competition to see who can be to most sarcastic and droll on the internet?
If so, you have a LOT of tough competition.
schmitty90210, i know man. hey, do you run internetcomedyjudges.com?
I bought one of these [http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200350117_200350117] at Northern Tool after seeing one zip past me in NY, NY. Cheeper, faster, lighter, and you can add a second battery for aboy 40 mile range. Extra battery is a little more than $100.
Front wheel drive bicycle. pfft.
which now needs air in the tires, thanks a lot Valgas!
This sounds great !!!
I wonder if this could be sold as a kit for any bikes. I would like to put it on my favorite bike ! I just need the battery can, front whell (electric motor) and a potentiometer. I could be much more cheap !
Hum... maybe we could start a DIY project guys ! any volunteers ?
careful, you'll end up with Flashpoint, Steffen Jobbs, Ocean's 12, and 6 or 7 "FIRST"ers
and a phanbouy who won't leave you alone.
"We've got the Jack Johnson playlist locked and loaded"
Okay, stop right there. There are easier and cheaper ways to get yourself killed than riding with headphones.
Hmm...do you have to use a hand-free phone when riding this?
e...hands-free (damnable typos!)
It is available as a kit. www.bernsonev.com For about $500.00 you can turn your 20,24,or26" bicycle into an electric dorkmobile.....Like mine.
Well, yeah! He IS tha boss!
We are the New Engadget Rating Dictators or NERDs for short. Join our ranks or move out of our way and surrender forever.
Agreed, 15mph is seriously weak. A decent rider with a carbon fiber frame road bike could achieve that easily. Even on my old BMX bike it's not that hard for me to maintain 15mph.