Well, this is Kickstarter and that means there are some real problems. Mostly, you are buying a bike that someone is trying to raise money to build. Since they usually are offering a low price, it makes the job of having employees and buying enough parts challenging. I don't know what the batting average is, but there are often delays.
In this case, it is pretty much a known quantity, unlike the Flykly. I guess this is basically a bike that someone who knows ebikes could build. The mid-drive is probably more complicated, but maybe they have a source for a frame that matches the standard Bafang module. They are now offering it with a 750w battery for the same money.
This bike, and hopefully it is for real, proves to me that ebikes are much more expensive than they should be. When I was actually buying a bike, the stuff that ran anything over $2500 didn't really make sense. I don't know if the components on this bike are great. It's got a very large battery, compared to most ebikes.
The fat tires will definitely increase rolling resistance, which means it is less efficient. People really like fat tire bikes, and adding a motor overcomes the resistance. You probably don't want the resistance for long distance commuting. On the other hand, for recreation, it makes a lot of sense. But there's no reason a 'fat' should be a premium bike. They are just tires.
Gee, I hope it's a huge success and that we start seeing even more basic bikes for $1200, bikes that would hold up in daily use. There's no reason this bike can't work, but it's clear there's not much room in the price for a lot of customer service, or a lot of full retail dealers.
