Spotted this sexy commercial electric bicycle in a back issue of Popular Science at the barber shop today. It's called Pi, and the company that makes it is based out of San Francisco. The magazine article claims it uses a Nu Vinci continuously-variable transmission but the official company specs now only mention a Shimano 8-speed. Sounds like they're still working out the kinks. Something to keep an eye on, though.
Posted by Sean Michael Ragan |
Sep 23, 2009 07:00 AM
Bicycles, Gadgets, Green, Transportation |
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That model looks like the handlebars won't actually work.
It doesn't look like the silver tube coming down from the handlebars would meet with the middle of the front wheel.
Sorry for not using the proper bike words!
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Looks like the connection between the handlebars and the forks is right up near the top...you can see the division in the frame pretty clearly.
There's no need for the bars to extend all the way down; it's just easier to manufacture that way, I think.
(I am not a bike maker, though...)
But, all in all, it *looks* sleek, but the positioning of the seat and handlebars makes me feel queasy. It doesn't look like a comfortable ride.
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The NuVinchi Hubs are really not worth it. The continuously variable hub is an interesting idea, but in practice, it doesn't make a ton of sense. The hubs are over engineered, in that not-worth-it way, they are heavy as hell, and good luck finding replacement parts for them a few years down the road.
The Shimano 8-Speed internals keep getting better and have a much better chance of being supported by parts down the road, all at about half the weight.
I am all about supporting the little guy, but as someone who has ridden and worked on those NuVinchis, steer clear.
Also the fork rake / head tube angle on the front of that makes it look like it will steer like a chopper style beach cruiser, but very good for the city.
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... That someone based a bike frame on their logo! How soon before it turns up in one of their commercials?
Examples of the Citi logo: http://images.google.com/images?q=citibank+logo&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=tq67SrflHYajtge03oyhDQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1
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