Kalkhoff's pedal-assist electric bicycles now available in North America -- cruisers unite!

Europeans have been cruising around on Kalkhoff e-bikes for millenniums now, but ye old Americans have been forced to either walk, pedal similar two-wheeled machines with our own energy, or fire up the HEMI-based Charger while throwing a finger up at Ma Earth. Thankfully, Portland's own Greenlight Bikes is doing what no one else would: importing these beauts for enjoyment here on US soil. What's most interesting is that the company's range of pedal-assist electric bicycles (or pedelecs, for those "in the know") don't look much different than the Schwinn Windwood Cruiser that your dad still uses to fetch the mail with, but believe it or not, an electric motor is included in order to "supplement the power a rider applies to the pedals, providing a smooth, predictable boost." Too bad that extra oomph won't be yours without spending between $2,499 and $3,399.

[daskino Posted Feb 28th 2010 5:20AM]

the Bill of Materials on these bikes i what makes them expensive.
Basically The bicycle producers in Europe have taken some of their standard bikes and fitted them with a battery. The bikes cost from 500 to 999 Euro without battery . But the Battery itself form Panasonic , who bought up Sanyo last year just for their battery business, cost well over €1000. That is why these machines is still so costly. The same goes for electric cars, the battery cost is prohibitively high still.

[therealmusashi Posted Feb 28th 2010 11:07AM]

Yes, a $3000 bicycle is sure to be a hit during the biggest economic recession since The Great Depression.

[GaryAres Posted Mar 7th 2010 3:52PM]

It's sooooo easy to lose sight of the benefits. Yes, $3 grand is a bunch of money, BUT is it when it's about a retired person (with $$$) who wants and needs more mobility, or they want to spend more active time with their grand-kids, or maybe they were once runners, but no longer can handle the impact on their joints?

Ebikes can start as low as $250 (Chk the marts @ xmas) and climb to $14,000. Every mile ridden on an electric bicycle could mean a huge chunk of metal and plastic is not spewing out pollution. Also, they are much easier to bring on public transportation, and into a building to keep it safe (not with a gas motor scooter - I'm sorry).

For more information on electric bikes please visit the VeloChef blog; http://velorep.com/velochef