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A cargo bike with a low price and pedals so low they scrape the ground
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2024
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micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility
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Ebikes, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, longboards, eboards, motorcycles, skates, unicycles: Whatever floats your goat, this is all things micromobility!
"Transportation using lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones that may be borrowed as part of a self-service rental program in which people rent vehicles for short-term use within a town or city.
micromobility is seen as a potential solution to moving people more efficiently around cities"
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This bike sounds a lot like my Lectric Xpedition, down to using some of the exact same parts (which I can tell from the pictures). The differences are some obvious notable feature improvements like the suspension fork and torque sensor, but somewhat less careful design.
Some random thoughts:
My bike has a slight "pedal strike in turns" issue too, but it's not that big a deal. If the cranks on this bike are any lower/longer than the Xpedition's that would be bad, though.
To answer the author's confusion about the folding handlebars, that's mostly just so they can fit it in a smaller box for shipping without requiring the owner to "assemble" it (which scares buyers off even if it's trivial).
My Xpedition's seatpost has two telescopic sections and extends way up. I'm surprised this bike apparently doesn't do the same.
Another example of Lectric's more careful design is how the author complains about how the bolts for the footrests on the review bike interfere with the chain a little. In contrast, on my bike they not only don't interfere but are also toolless to remove (which is good in case you need to get to the axle nuts to fix a flat or other mid-ride problem).
I am very glad that I got the dual-battery version of my bike, not because I need 60 miles of range (or whatever it claims), but because those range estimates are always on flat ground with no cargo at assist level 1, and hauling 100+ lbs worth of kids up and down hills at assist level 5 is a very different thing.
They probably ought to sell the thing as Class 2 by default, with a setting the owner can change to make it Class 3 if they want.
It's not mentioned in the article, but looking at the pictures, even though it comes with a rear hub motor it looks like the frame is compatible with a mid-drive. If it's possible for the owner to upgrade it that way later, that's a big deal!
Personally, if I needed to get a cargo e-bike right now, I would choose this one over the one I have. That said, I fully expect that Lectric will come out with an "Xpedition 2.0" within a year or so that would match the features of this at a similar price and with probably fewer problems, and in that tossup I'd lean Lectric because I've been impressed with their customer support.