Re: Giant Twist Freedom DX

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reikiman
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Re: Giant Twist Freedom DX

In http://visforvoltage.org/blog/reikiman/3150#comment-17543

Its $2,000, has a 250-Watt motor using 26-volts, its a ped-elec so you HAVE to pedal to get power, it doesn't have a rear suspension or front disc brakes...AND...for $2,000, it only goes 15 MPH !! and did I mention...ITS 2,000 freakin dollas !!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/upgrade/4253976.html

Ahhhh, yeah, pricing.

I have a Charger bicycle in my garage-- as a new bike it cost over $1500, pedelec, approx 350 watt motor, max speed of 20 miles/hr, no rear suspension, no disc brakes, etc, and brand new it cost $1500. I bought it for $800 or so because that bicycle company went out of business and Sam Wonderly bought up the remaining stock and has been selling them since.

I recall the Tidalforce bicycle also was over $1500 new. TF is also out of business. The most interesting coincidence about TF is that their former CEO was Gen. Wesley Clarke whom you might recall was a presidential candidate in 2004.

So the history lesson says that Giant is probably going to fail at selling this bicycle. Because in history expensive e-bicycles have failed.

Hmm, hard to predict the future. But I wonder about the pricing. I agree it's an eyepopping price but I've seen high end bicycles w/o motors that cost more than that. Soooo....?

BTW pedelec is a legal requirement in some locations. I recall Europe has a strict 250 watt limit for e-bicycles. And, having ridden a pedelec (my Charger bicycle), I do appreciate how the lack of a throttle makes it more like a bicycle. I don't think that makes either one better.

spinningmagnets
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Re: Giant Twist Freedom DX

I had heard of the 250 Watt/500 Watt limits in other countries, but I didn't know that a pedelec was a requirement in some places. It now appears to me from this information that it was designed for the foreign market. Perhaps they figured as long as its in production, it wouldn't hurt if they sold a couple to unsuspecting and ill-informed US citizens.

Its just that...this was in a US magazine, and there was no mention of US limits (20 MPH and 750 Watts?) and bike kit options that are obviously much better to even the most casual novice. I want an honest-to-goodness 25 MPH, and I want to be able to get there as fast as my wallet will allow (for fun, yes, but also for safety)

If I didn't mind a Wally-World bike with no rear suspension, they have a front suspension MTB with a front disc for under $150, and for about ~$280-ish, there are two Schwinns with dual suspension/dual disc. There's a couple rear-hub (pannier/stealth) kits that can get me rolling for under $1200 + bike, and I can upgrade to lithium in a year or two for less weight/more range/higher top speed, if I so desire.

Economical cars are important to be available, but would you buy a car that was speed-limited, with sensors in the road that tell your engine its top speed limit on that particular street? (no more speeding tickets, and put into law as a "safety feature")

How about each state having the engines ECU limiting the horsepower based on how many bodies are in the seats (new cars have sensors in the seats to set off the buzzer if a seat-belt is not attached over a passenger, there are also weight sensors to determine if the air-bag should deploy hard or soft because necks have been broken on light people).

How about the government limiting how much total HP that they feel you should be allowed to have? I don't mind cameras and radar guns giving me a ticket for speeding, so as a result I don't speed. But if I obey the speed limit on streets, shouldn't I have as much HP as I want, for street acceleration to the limit, and for off-road fun?

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