Kickstarter: Maxwell EP0 Minimalist E-Bike With Internal Frame Battery Pack

**Insert multiple ignorant remarks here about how e-bikes are motorcycles and will bring nothing but death and despair to the cycling community**

E.P.O. … sweet name for a bike.
i see a partnership with Lance Armstrong in the future

The terminology needs some work. How is this not a “pedal bike”? It’s got pedals, and is claimed to have a “Pedal Assist Sensor” – which I understand to mean if you don’t pedal, the motor does nothing. So it’s a pedal bike.

Personally, I value my life too much to ride a bike without a front brake, or any single brake bike for that matter (no redundancy = bad). Though I see the kickstarter has got front brake options for us non suicidal riders.

Not my thing, but could be good for electrically minded hipsters / weight weenies.

Another day, another e-bike article on BIKErumor. Big surprise.

Canfield called and want their name back. Oh wait, it’s the Maxwell EP0 – right, that won’t cause any confusion.

Hipster straight out art/design school on kickstarter selling his jumped up fixie. It comes complete with artisanal beard oil and gluten free bagels and is for sale only in Williamsburg, SanFran and Portland.

20mph and the brakes are optional? That should generate some strong Darwin Award contenders. I’m usually down on the e-bikes, but this one is just too awesome to hate on.

Plus, using the term “EPO” is just not cool. In any way.

Campaign has been CANCELED!

Anyone want to guess why? I have my own theories (based on the 2 minutes I spent watching the video)
1. Realized cost hurdle was several orders of magnitude larger than thought.
2. Contacted by someone’s lawyer regarding patent infringement.
3. Decided to partner/sell out to a larger company who really liked the idea.
4. Industrial designer got caught with architect’s girlfriend…uh oh!

Cube made an eBike name EPO.
Maybe that is why they have to canceled the campaign.

Electric Pedal Overland?

I travel to Brazil annually due to family ties, and I see the streets of Rio and surrounding towns filled with bikes that have been retrofitted with IC motors that appear to be about the scale of a chainsaw 2-cycle engine. These are not playthings for the green set, they are used by delivery riders, tradesmen and other working class people, most of whom look like they can’t afford a car.

With a bit of soundproofing, you could add something like this to a bike for ~$100, a much more reasonable price point than the $2,000-$5,000 for e-bikes

Jeez for 1800 you could have an older Suzuki sv650 and actually use it go far and haul stuff.

Not long ago a customer brought in his Specialized Turbo S for a new set of tires, and told my boss and I to give it a try. I must say, that is one hell of a thrill. And I normally dislike ebikes, not the idea, the execution. Normally they are like this thing, a motor first, and a bike as an afterthought. Now, I understand that this is like comparing a Ducati and a Kymco. But still, if I’m throwing a leg over something that can take me over 20 without even feeling it, I want it to be a well crafted, thought out, tool. Not a toy. I’ve seen too many cheaper alternatives come through our door with shot motors that make them unusable, or crappy brakes that make them downright unsafe. If you want a replacement for your car in the form of a proper e-bike, shell out the cash. If you don’t want to pay that much (and I can’t blame you) get a bike, ride it, and I promise it’ll get easier. Or if that’s just not fast enough, get a scooter, because if you’re on something that can crack 40 without a set of pro-legs and a lot of sweat. Your days in the bike lane are over.