593 Cyber Monday bike and battery news

Guys, I've got some fantastic news-

Guys?

Hello?

Is there anybody still there?

Ok, I know I've turned off some of (all of?) my readers by, um, going on this months long tangent about ebikes, comparing batteries and statistics and not actually having any real world experience, nevermind an outline or point to my writing.

Hey, I'm sorry. This is what's been on my mind. 

Actually, it was what was on my mind back in April. And I've learned a lot analyzing all of the screenshots I took back then. Amazingly, the backlog is clearing up. But... Oh, there are still a few to go through.

The prices on these screenshots are not accurate right now. Today and tomorrow seem like the best opportunities of the year to buy an ebike, as long as you don't mind watching it gather dust until spring while all the new models come out and your brand new bike gets outdated. (If you live in a snow climate area, that is. If you're in a year-round biking area, good for you!)

So here's a bit of good news, if you're thinking about getting in on the Cyber Monday frenzy but nervous about your new purchase becoming obsolete, because, uh, technology. It's likely that at least some of the solid-state batteries coming out way in the next few years will be in the same cylindrical format as today's batteries, giving the hope that maybe you'll be able to retrofit. Maybe.

Now, who and how that swap will happen, that's up to the next gen of entrepreneurs. In my book See The Future I predicted that the neighborhood mechanic will be replaced by the neighborhood battery repair shop.

Do you see that? 25x times the capacity? 

Anyway, back to bike screenshots. From six months ago. The Jurassic era.

Sobowo is a direct to consumer Chinese brand. Their website has no prices, interested buyers have to contact their salesperson(s), called "Molly." They're very polite, and will send you many follow up emails. Unfortunately, I forget what they wanted for this bike. But I do remember you can customize the specs to your needs, and they will sell you what's called a "sample." (Ie: one bike)

Yeah, welcome to the gold standard of journalism, wherein I can't remember why I took this screenshot. Something about turning your Tern into a tandem? I dunno, this might be useful if you spring a flat, in your front wheel, which hardly ever happens, and have a buddy along on the ride with the same bike, and have the tools to do this setup, but no patch kit. You know, happens all the time.

Pretty sure this is going to look terrible with that second battery mounted. And it's not really mid-drive, it just has a big bulge where a mid-motor might be.

This is mid-drive. Hard tail, though. Still, I kinda like that rear rack, and the overall look. And in the $1-2k ebike purchase matrix, looks matter. Maybe I'll check BPM Imports to see if they're in the holiday spirit.

Well, I don't really have any desire to buy a car, so...? Sooner or later, we will pull the trigger on an ebike. I think. 

Honestly, I don't know whether I like or hate this bike. The geometry is funky-ish. The specs are ok-ish. But that seat? Yes please!! 

We're making progress. Here's another Tern-wannabe, a popular category right now, the extended small wheel cargo bike. Eunarau makes (imports) some interesting bikes... Does this really have 37 amp hours of battery? There must be a dual battery option, because that one dorado battery doesn't have that much capacity. It's only a 500watt rear hub motor, which is honestly plenty for most of the time, but this is America, I'm not buying for reality, I want to be prepared for Armageddon.

Well, I just checked. The single battery option, 20Ah is on sale for $1500, and the dual battery 37Ah configuration is available for $2100. So, $300 off. Today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe longer?

Hmm. 37Ah is pretty good range!

Might as well throw the cheapest mid-drive big brand bike into the mix. 

Well crap, I still have more screenshots. Thanks for hanging in here with me!