One of the common barriers to cycling is that people feel it isn't as easy or convenient as getting around by car. E-bikes, or electric-assist bicycles, go a long way toward making cycling practical for running errands, and travelling around town in hilly areas, or on windy days.
Faraday Bicycles is a new company hoping to revolutionize the design of e-bikes. It began as an invitational team of Adam Vollmer, then with design firm IDEO, and Paul Sadoff with Rock Lobster Cycles, designing a bike for Oregon Manifest, a "design/build competition to create the ultimate modern utility bike". The competition included a set of requirements which each bike had to meet, and a final field test that put each bike through its paces over a 50+ mile course ending at Chris King Components Headquarters in Portland.
The invitational teams were not allowed to win the overall competition, but they were open to online voting for a People's Choice Award. The IDEO + Rock Lobster Cycles entry captured that award. Adam Vollmer then left IDEO to found Faraday Bicycles with the goal of bringing that award-winning design, now called the Faraday Porteur, to the market.
The Porteur brings a lot of modern innovation to the world of electric-assist bicycles, wrapped in a classic aesthetic. The double top tube houses the cabling and componentry that make up the electric assist, with a smart sensor that ramps up the assist based on the amount of work you're putting in. You ride harder, the motor works harder to help you. It has front and rear LED lights which come on automatically as the day moves into dusk. It also features a front rack built into the frame, rather than the fork, that will feature interchangable racks, baskets, etc. An internal hub, full fenders, and disc brakes round out the everyday utility of the design.
A bicycle like this would work well in Salt Lake in any number of areas. Year-round, the electric assist would help flatten the hills in the Avenues, at the U, and along the East Bench. It would also help kill the agony on those windy days in the flatter parts of the valley. The front rack, and option to mount a rear rack as well, make it an excellent choice for shopping trips. The fenders will help keep you dry and free of muck in the rain and snow. Built in lights make it practical for late-night trips home from concerts in the summer, and early darkness in the winter. And the internal-geared hub and disc brakes keep this bike reliable through even the deepest snow.
You can find more about the bike, the company, and the Kickstarter project by following the links below.
Faraday Bicycles.
Faraday's Twitter and Facebook pages.
Faraday's Kickstarter page.
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