Electric Bike Action - new mag !!

sk8norcal

sk8norcal

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sister mag of Mountain Bike Action,

read it here,
http://electricbikeaction.com/
(even covered e-motocycles, ktm scooter/zero's/BRD)

http://www.mbaction.com/Main/News/A-Day-With-A-Stealth-Bomber-The-Electric-Mountain-7386.aspx
http://www.mbaction.com/Main/News/24-Hardcore-Electric-Mountain-Bikes-From-Eurobike-7124.aspx

is this gonna be on the stands?

electric_bike_action_cover.jpg
 
A nice one.
It really appears E-bikes are hitting mainstream right now with force. Which partly worries me. There is a great danger that this trend is starting to view DIY-bikes as bad, unlegal. Mainly because they are way cheaper. Turnkey E-bikes are great target for brand-seeking consumerist wallet-elitists, who will condemn DIY-bikes simply because they are cheaper way to get that same performance. I have noticed this trend developing already. Some guys asked me last summer: "why you did not buy a turnkey bike?", like there was something wrong with DIY. They accepted the performance and all, but not the fact that it was not factory-made. They will start talking about the law, but they mean money. E-bikes should not develop elitist aura.
 
I built my E-bike using a kit and use for shopping and everyday riding. It looks home built and I'm proud of it. For those who have the money to buy a turn key bike and don't like my bike, they can just go suck eggs.
 
All of my home built ebikes crush the store ebikes in every operational and performance aspect. Mine definitely look homemade and I actually get people telling me how they like that MORE than the factory look. Ebiking is about economics, and utility, not prissy fashion for me.
 
efMX Trials Electric Freeride said:
MBA Feature: The Shocking Truth of an Electric Bike :
http://www.mbaction.com/Main/News/MBA-Feature-The-Shocking-Truth-of-an-Electric-Bike-7494.aspx
Click to expand...
Shameless controversy generation:
MBA said:
…
IS IT REALLY A MOUNTAIN BIKE?
No. While Easy Motion representatives claimed the Neo Jumper is legal on multi-user mountain bike trails because “it only has a top speed of 20 miles per hour,” park rangers and land managers laughed at that assumption. “No motorized vehicles means no motorized vehicles,” was the standard answer.
…
HOW ABOUT ON MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS?
You can’t ride it on mountain bike trails.
…
You will not be able to drive your buddies nuts beating them to the top of the climb or motoring away on a multi-user singletrack. You will get fined, ticketed or have it confiscated if caught riding on public land not designated as OHV legal.
…
Click to expand...
Here's the truth:
Code: 
Where federal funds have been used in the construction of bicycle or pedestrian paths, electric bicycles (defined as "any bicycle or tricycle with a low-powered electric motor weighing under 100 pounds, with a top motor-powered speed not in excess of 20 miles per hour" (23 U.S.C. § 217(j)(2)) ) are permitted unless state or local regulations prohibit. Title 23, U.S. Code § 217(h)(4).
The default is that they are permitted. To be prohibited, they have to be specified not by the phrase 'motorized vehicles', which has been the means to prohibit motorcycles, ATVs, and other motor vehicles, but with the phrase 'electric bicycles' (in Iowa, anyway).

There's a new device classification in town. Get used to it and be prepared to be left in their wake where they aren't prohibited, MBA minions. :p
 
Peterson Publishing is a big outfit, they cover everything from "Hot Rod" magazine to Guns&Ammo, Teen, and Motorcyclist. One magazine says that cars are just stupid idiots riding around in cages, and the other says that cars are the only way to go, and it's the motorcycles that are stupid because they inherently dangerous...and on and on it goes.

The one constant has been that, you can pretty much tell what the articles are going to say...based on what the advertisements are about. Never bite the hand that feeds you.

Mountain Bike Action will occasionally sniff something less than complementary about an E-bike, but then their sister publication Electric Bike Action says nothing but wonderful things about that same model...A magazine that is bought by lycras will always subtly suggest that lycras are awesome, and...recumbents/MTBs/E-bikes/Trikes are a waste of time.

Some people still don't know E-bikes exist, and still others might know about them and call them "cheaters", so...

In the interests of full disclosure, I am a writer for electricbike.com, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. That being said, I think this is a good development, and I am hopeful that Electric Bike Action survives and grows.

I don't put down anyone for paying more for a factory E-bike that costs more than a kit, but also has customer support and a warranty...some customers want that. I find useful information from sources like this, but...I look for things like voltage, Amp-hours, controller max amps, and who makes the motor...but when they start gushing about how exciting 250W is, my eyes just glaze over...I feel a little sad for writers who have to lick the hand that feeds them.
 
Nice vid clip of the stealth bike. I wonder what it would feel like to do a big jump on the bomber having such a heavy rear motor? your body must go forward and then your tail must just drop to the floor like a led ballon as your body is aalready committed and you go over the handle bars. :p
 
some people seem to manage ok ;)
[youtube]TuwESVujaHg[/youtube]
[youtube]rYDoaKvAO6g[/youtube]

definitely room for improvement & further product development though..
im guessing stealth (&/or the competition) will be making mid-drives w/in a couple years..

brumbrum said:
Nice vid clip of the stealth bike. I wonder what it would feel like to do a big jump on the bomber having such a heavy rear motor? your body must go forward and then your tail must just drop to the floor like a led ballon as your body is aalready committed and you go over the handle bars. :p
Click to expand...
 
spinningmagnets said:
... you can pretty much tell what the articles are going to say...based on what the advertisements are about.
Click to expand...

Spot on.
I worked for a magazine publisher for couple years when I was a kid just out school.
Over drinks one night in a local dive, one of the publishers got real candid with me about the business:
"Do you know the purpose of editorial content? To separate the advertisements."
 
Thanks for posting this. I just read this while my wife was shopping for groceries. The 5-page E-bikes section was well-written. It is a common sense FAQ for newbies. Well done, Bicycle Times.
 
The editor is Zap Espinosa formerly editor of mtbaction magazine which was one of the first magazines available that focused on that burgeoning phenomenon. Apparently he got all pumped on e bikes at eurobike this past fall and pitched the idea to Roland Hinz. Magazines make their money from advertising, just saying....
 
sk8norcal said:
sister mag of Mountain Bike Action,

read it here,
http://electricbikeaction.com/
(even covered e-motocycles, ktm scooter/zero's/BRD)

http://www.mbaction.com/Main/News/A-Day-With-A-Stealth-Bomber-The-Electric-Mountain-7386.aspx
http://www.mbaction.com/Main/News/24-Hardcore-Electric-Mountain-Bikes-From-Eurobike-7124.aspx

is this gonna be on the stands?

electric_bike_action_cover.jpg
Click to expand...

Move over here- I found a site that says
Electric Bike Action, a US magazine dedicated to the new trend of electric bikes, has its UK newsstand launch on 2 January. The title is priced at £3.99. or strangely 2 issues / 12 months cost £20 (?)
 
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