425 bike and battery #2


Above is a Tern. A few years ago, the full-sized mommy bike paved the road for utility bikes. These are the Yubas and Xtracycles. Then Rad copied them with the Radwagon. And while that style of big huge carry-all is still popular, this little bike is taking over, at least among a certain demographic here in the city.

It's smaller and easier to deal with, but you can still carry your kids around. Plus, there's an actual bike store that sells them up on Bernal Heights, so there's customer support. That's something the ebike industry is figuring out. Rad Bikes seems to be building a network of service vans, but most ebikes you order on the internet have a questionable path to maintenance and service. Lots of bike shops are still refusing them.

So, if you're in the right location, that could be a decent niche. An ebike service provider. There's one company in Alameda, Island City Bikes, that is doing well doing that plus converting non-electric bikes. I've thought about taking my bike to them, I'm kind of sentimental about it and don't really feel like I need two bikes. But a decent conversion will cost about the same as decent cheap ebike, and my old rickety bike might not even be able to handle the power. So for now, I'm doing nothing.

This is a Van Moof. They're popular because they don't really look electric at all. They're from the Netherlands. If I was younger and more concerned with looking cool, this would be a contender. But currently I'm more interested in hauling stuff.

This is what's known as a "bikefeit." I have no idea what they're like to ride, but look at how much you can carry! And then you can add a trailer! Personally, I need to test ride one of these before I can pass judgement. They don't really look fun or easy to ride, but maybe they are? I just know that's never going to make it up the stairs.


Here's a little sample of the world of cargo bikes that is opening up. Above, a dump truck.

This looks pretty heavy duty. I'm guessing we're looking at a quarter ton hauler?

Even UPS is getting in on the game. And why not? In certain city settings, this might rock. Although, interestingly, they are actually developing an eVan for delivery, and one of the features is it is huge, but with very little battery. Apparently in places like Manhattan, a driver basically needs to drive a room full of boxes a few blocks, then camp out while delivering to only a few buildings.

The Great Dad Escape.

India is getting into the game. Yes, you can build a bike even cheaper than China. Overall, I kinda like Indian industrial design. It's super functional. 

Happy Monday.

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