got 7 grand to spare?

It sure is a cute little feller.

The shape is certainly radical and I like the fact that the seat adjusts to create a variable riding geometry. I don't see how they accommodate that and riders of different heights unless the crank can be adjusted downwards. The thick frame with embedded NiMH batteries is reminiscent of OptiBike (which prices in a similar range.)The other cool feature is the Nuvinci continuously variable transmission in the rear hub. There is no word on what the bike weighs, but I bet it's up there. If I remember correctly the transmission weighs about 14lbs on its own.

Overall the impression I got from the site is "not quite ready". There are no shots of anyone riding the production bikes (although there are some shots of them going for speed records on a modified version of the bike). At least one of the site's pages is a dead link. Curiously there is a "dealer city" list but no actual dealer list. There is this line:

Call 866.422.1928 or 415.887.7643 to order on line or dealer nearest you.

Why would I want to order a dealer?

If anyone calls up please let us know. It will be interesting to know when they plan to ship these babies.

I guess 'cute' is in the eye of the beholder. Anyway, my initial reaction was "where would I carry my groceries"?

Yeah - I don't behold "cute" I behold "whoa - someone has too much time on their hands in the design shop". :-)

Still - now at least there's a choice for the design artistes out there...

Anyway, my initial reaction was "where would I carry my groceries"?

Oddly enough that was one of my first reactions, too. And fenders. Where would they go? A person riding a bike without fenders is either a dilettante or doesn't mind being filth-encrusted.. or maybe they live in Death Valley. They say panniers are going to be an option, but that'll only take you so far.

Here's a rear fender. Anyone want to add the front one?

Gizmodo has some more information on the Pi bike. The closeups of the battery pack and motor are interesting. Way different from those on Electrobike's own website. Apparently the first run is only 500 units. The way I figure it this is a 0.65 on the Vectrix scale making it pretty untempting, but I still think it's cute.

The LA Times did a little story on this the other day. There's a little video of the reporter riding it.

They sell an expensive solar charger for it as well as paniers and lights and even a windshield. I'm buying one as soon as I win the lottery.