E-Bikes; the latest thing

Someone had asked me to do a story on a bicycle they are inventing and I put them in touch with Harry Gottlieb, who is an avid biker. He rides many miles a day. So when I saw him early Saturday morning with the Specialized Turbo X, I thought it was the bike that was in production, but coincidentally, it's another E-bike - an electric bike, that he was trying out for the weekend, courtesy of Mack Cycle and Fitness.

The Turbo X is heavier than a standard bike, it's stealth appearance with integrated battery pack and near-silent motor helps it blend in like a "normal bike". A full charge lasts about 50 miles, but Harry ran out right away, that 50 miles is an easy ride for him on any given day. The motor brand is Go SwissDrive by Ortlinghaus-Gruppe. The battery is a Samsung / Lithium-ion

I tried it and rode it around CocoWalk, it's amazing how you just push down one pedal and the thing takes off.

"Electronic bikes are really popular throughout Europe and Asia. They are a peddle assist bike with lithium battery with an electric motor and controller that gets you were you want to go in a hurry and with minimal exertion," says Harry.

The Turbo X has disc brakes on the wheels and hydraulic breaks on the handlebars. 

If regular bikes multiply your energy by four times than this E-Bike must be closer to a factor of 10 times.  

"Lots of folks are sick and tired of driving in traffic, paying  tolls, parking meters, car payments, insurance and gasoline. These E-Bikes make a lot of sense. No license is required, no pollution to planet earth, consumes pennies worth of electricity each week for a charge, can be taken on mass transit like MetroRail, TriRail and buses, has a max speed of 25 mph (while pedaling) and can go 30-50 miles on one charge. I have a feeling that we will soon be seeing many more E-Bikes here soon," said Harry.

Mack Cycle and Fitness has a few remaining in inventory at affordable end-of-the-year pricing. I'm feeling sorry for Harry, who had to return the bike at the end of the weekend.

More on the bike here.