Congratulations to Faraday - A Kickstarter success

[JoePah]

Read this at http://www.faradaybikes.com/products/faraday-porteur

We are sorry to say that Faraday's pilot production of the Porteur, scheduled to begin shipping in March, 2014, is entirely sold out! Our second production run will begin shipping by late summer, 2014. Reserve your Faraday and ensure the earliest delivery possible by reviewing our terms and conditions and clicking the "pre-order" box below.

Based on their KS webpage https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/faradaybikes/faraday-porteur there were 46 backers for the pilot run.. The original delivery schedule was April 2013, so it slipped 11 months.

What I like about the Faraday campaign is that it appears they under promised and overdelivered on the specs.. The motor was increased from 250 to 350 watts. May hurt the range a bit but everything else seems to square with their original promise. The KS stated range of 10 to 15 miles looks safe.

Not sure who would be interested in this type of bike (high style, low performance, expensive), but that is immaterial.. they kept their promise to those who did back them.

 

[Brambor]

I really like the bike but slipping 12 months on delivery would not make me think they kept their promise.

 

[JoePah]

I really like the bike but slipping 12 months on delivery would not make me think they kept their promise.

As my 6th grade Science teacher always said, "Better late than never, but better never late."

That is a massive schedule slip, but for a new company with a new design, maybe not unexpected?

 

[Brambor]

agreed. It's such a beautiful bike.

 

[Admin]

I really like the bike but slipping 12 months on delivery would not make me think they kept their promise.

I believe their delivery dates slipped because they were approached by outside investors and the influx of capitol experienced is part of what enabled them to improve the design and build relationships with ebike shops around the country (who will receive, build and hand off their bikes to backers). The company is full of bright engineers (Adam Vollmer used to work at IDEO in Palo Alto) and they are passionate about electric bikes.

You've probably heard the generalization that engineers are never quite finished and don't want to ship vs. marketing guys who want to ship right away... These guys have built a true company with a relatively large staff to boot. It's much more than one product at this point and while I'm not a fan of missed deadlines I would definitely not underestimate their professionalism or trajectory as a company

Full review on the Porteur here.

 

[Brambor]

Court, what do you think the Faraday range will be for someone 140lbs and for someone 240lbs?

 

[Admin]

Hmm... Well, since it's pedal assist only and now has the extra torque of a 350 watt motor I think 20+ is reasonable for both weight points Brambor. Many other ebikes will get 25+ but this has a smaller battery pack ~5 amp hours. The great thing is, it's well balanced and relatively light at ~40lbs so even if the battery runs out it's less of a burden to pedal normally. Depending on the terrain and how you ride it I bet you could go pretty far but I haven't done any range tests myself. This is anecdotal thinking based on other designs and what Faraday has said.

 

[Brambor]

yeah. I'm set for a bike but I'm getting micro nudges from my significant other ;-) just checking out the options that would work for both of us (more or less) .

 

[JoePah]

The battery is only 195 wh, which is half the size of the typical ebike. And there doesn't seem to be any way to add capacity or connect a second battery. Seems to be the Achilles heel with this design.

I do like old school chrome moly frame.

 

[Admin]

yeah. I'm set for a bike but I'm getting micro nudges from my significant other ;-) just checking out the options that would work for both of us (more or less) .

It's definitely one of the lightest and most balanced ebikes I've tried. The belt drive, proper riding position and geared hub in the rear compliment the front hub motor and integrated batteries so well. It's just so beautiful and balanced... For someone who is used to a regular bike and enjoys pedaling around it feels perfect... regardless of the specs. Since it only offers pedal assist I think it will go pretty far (haven't range tested it myself). I know they're working on getting it out into shops so maybe you can take a test ride sometime soon