Am I one of the world's oldest e-bikers at81-years-old?

[Over50]

..For a lightweight bike the Focus Project Y seems legit. It's about 30lbs, but it has real power.

That's cool. Can't wait to see these in production (with a city commuter version). Thanks for posting. I became aware of ebikes just a few years ago. Took an initial look and the weight was the main thing that turned me away. Just started looking again a few months ago when I decided I really wanted to bike commute. And figured the weight was just something that had to be accepted. But nevertheless, weight is one of my primary considerations as I make my purchase selection (I hope to stay under 55lbs after fenders/rack are added). So glad to see there is some development underway to address weight. Seems like there would be a niche for the Budnitz type approach where a rider in good physical condition just needs to shorten a commute - ie 75% bike and 25% ebike.

 

[Dominique Séguier]

The cromoly steel version can be had for a little more than half that price ($5K) and only adds a couple of pounds of weight. After owning a Spot Brand steel human powered bike, I'm a big fan of cromoly for a city commuter. Nice and forgiving/absorbs the bumps well. With a Body Float, my Spot rides great. Now, I've never ridden a titanium frame bike but it is hard to imagine it being worth $4-$5K more than the steel version. As I posted elsewhere, for a minimalist, this bike would be a great option and I would give the steel frame version serious consideration under two conditions: this AIO Zehus hub was a proven design (doesn't seem to be much evidence of real world many miles application) and there was an easier way to test ride the bike (not realistic to travel to Vermont just for a test ride).

Yes, it's difficult to understand this $4K for a titanium frame, regarding the fact that if you go on the Budnitz shopping page, then to "components" you'll see that the steel frame is $550 and the titanium frame $1150.

 

[ronwarn]

I took a different route. After riding a V-frame upright for nearly 50 years and having suffered two concussions and ending up in the emergency room from going over the handlebars, I test rode a Catrike 700 recumbent. The comfort factor (it's like sitting in a lawn chair) and added safety factor of the trike convinced me that I needed one. You sit low to the ground and you just can't go over the handlebars. In fact, my trike has no handlebars to go over. Just yesterday I rode my Catrike 44 miles in 2 3/4 hours on our local Cardinal Greenway bike path. I could travel much faster than I do, but I have my Falco 500-watt hub motor and 50-volt battery pack set by computer at only 20 mph maximum. So the motor actually kicks out at 20mph, but my legs can then supply the extra energy to ride above the set 20mph motor limit. I love to be able to do that and have so much fun doing so.