In principle, this bike is a bad idea. I spoke to the Gates engineer assigned to this project, and "Also." demoed the bike at Sea Otter.
Pre-ride, my qualms:
* decoupled drive system is inefficient
*
specialized frame / design is unnecessarily complex, including the detachable seat that seems like a potential weak spot (also it includes electrical connections for tail light)
* too heavy
* this $3500 market segment is maybe not the place to be for a successful product
Post-demo, OMG, I am impressed!
This is not the bike for me for a number of reasons, but I'll say this...
The decoupled drive system is not noticeable. It very much feels like a directly-connected chain or belt driven bike.
It's a torque monster on the hills. Laguna Seca has a steeply-sloped surface street that gains about 100' of elevation over a 1000' run, and this bike quite capably handled it without ever feeling like it was struggling, all the while maintaining a very natural pedal cadence / feedback. Everywhere I rode it it just rips around and is very response, a very natural-feeling bike.
The auto-shifting on this bike is quite literally seamless. I asked a bunch of probing questions about the transmission and was told "I can't go into too much detail, it's proprietary" but was told there were two motors that acted in combination as a variable gearbox. I can't find any reference to this online so am not 100% confident they weren't misleading me (perhaps the pedal input is somehow considered the 2nd motor). But wow... I could not lug the motor, it didn't feel slushy or draggy, and it was super quiet under all conditions.
In fact, I tried the "manual shifting" mode and it kind of sucked, it felt like adjusting power levels and not in any way a simulated gear shift. Shifting to a higher gear only made the bike go faster without the expected loading up of the cranks.
Although I mainly rode this bike as pedal assist, it also has a thumb throttle, and that was a hoot. This is supposed to be a Class 3 ebike (28 MPH), but the thumb throttle also took it to 28 MPH, but these demos were all pre-production so I assume they are going to reduce this in production software. Not quite sure how they'll resolve this since Class 2 (thumb throttle) should be limited to 20 MPH all around.
Despite slick tires, it rode fine on the dirt. The rear wheel wouldn't spin out but I don't know if there is an anti-slip algorithm comparing rear wheel spin to the front, or if "just didn't" (it certainly has the toque to and can wheelie). The front anti-lock brake would not lock up no matter how hard I tried, even on steeply descending loose, loamy downhills. However, once stopped on those steep downhills, releasing the brake the 80 pound weight of the bike became instantly evident.
At the demo tent, there was no suspension adjustment, they just handed me an my son our bikes (I'm 200, he's 140). I can't speak for him, but my suspension felt very natural kind of like I'd expect an all-mountain setup, in other words not XC harsh and not DH pillowy.
The 80 pound bike weight means this bike cannot be easily transported without a proper rack and/or loading ramp. It would also be not very fun to take up even a short flight of stairs.
The three seat mast attachments Also. had on hand were the version with the attached rear cargo ramp, one with a traditional saddle and an adjustable-height seatpost, and another with more of a mid-length banana seat without adjustable height.
I would absolutely LOVE to have one of these bikes in my garage but alas it wouldn't really be practical for me, particularly from the standpoint of bicycle home maintenance. Speaking of maintenance, these are going to be direct sales, but Also. is working with local shops to act as their service centers.
I hope this bike can find an audience and some success, because it's really good (and fun!). But I'm pessimistic just knowing how tough this market is.
www.datacenterknowledge.com
