New Faraday Cortland

[Prof_Stack]

I hope the glitch is fixed soon. I'm bummed out with Seattle having the most rainfall in October history, over 9 inches this month. Yesterday I set out on a morning ride only to get dumped on a few blocks from home. I turned up a steep hill and was impressed how well the Cortland powered me to the top.

Last week I bought a refurb'd GPS bike computer (Garmin Edge 200) from Amazon. Looks new and works fine. I upgraded the kickstand to the dual-foot stand, but there is no problem with the rubber footed stand the Cortland S comes with.

Now let's hope for decent weather and some time to get out and really ride.

 

[IndyFab]

well, the LBS conferred with Faraday and did diagnostics which revealed that the battery was not charged. So even though I swear I charged the battery, we picked up the "perfectly" operational bike and charged it once again and test rode it all weekend. Unfortunately, while I still suspect there's a problem, the battery range was terrible. We have rode less than ten miles, and although there is a 1/2mile steep hill, the battery still ran out far sooner than our expectation. So, if this is the range we are getting (5-7miles), with intermittent assist, up one steep hill, the bike loses it's utility. Therefore, we are returning the bike, eating the $200 "restocking" fee, and looking forward to a more robust e-bike. Its a shame b/c it is a beautiful bike, but the performance was lacking...

 

[Prof_Stack]

I'm so sorry to hear about it. My gut feeling is that the battery is defective.

$200 re-stocking fee: that's Faraday's usual way of doing it. I hope I don't have to go that route.

If you have $$$$, look at Kalkhoff. The e-bike market is expanding right now, so you'll have more choices when you get around to looking.

 

[IndyFab]

I suspect either the battery (or the motor), but didn't feel like arguing with the "experts".
Thanks for the lead on Kalkhoff. The Tasman model looks promising. do you know anything about the Blix company?

 

[Prof_Stack]

Blix e-bikes are attractive. I've seen them up close, but have never ridden any. Check the Blix sub-forum here.

I think the important thing is to have a shop in your area that can deal with issues when they arise.

 

[Prof_Stack]

I got out for 5 miles today, dropping 429 feet at the start of the ride and then making a loop around our tall hill and back home. The Garmin GPS computer is quite handy to use, and has more features than what I need it for. The backlighting option makes it very readable. I might commute on it tomorrow, but I'm still waiting for the front rack to arrive. I like the ride of the Cortland S. Even without suspension, it handles bumps pretty well.

 

[IndyFab]

we returned our cortland for a refund. I suspect we must have recieved a lemon despite clean diagnostics. I didn't want to push what I felt was wrong since the company and the LBS mechanic seemed so defensive. Gotta love egos. I would've been happy with a clean swap, but in the end, it wasn't worth the hassle. I've decided to build my wife an bike around the bionx system similar to mine. I've used it extensively, and I know it works. Thanks for all the replies. Good luck to Faraday. I hope they spend some money on QA and not all of it on online ads...

 

[Prof_Stack]

Oh yeah, Bionx. My other two e-bikes are powered by Bionx, put together in British Columbia by Ohm. One has a newer battery style with 48V and long range. The other is the older cradle style battery for Ohm @ 36V. That one I might try to sell, but it does make for a good bad-weather commuter with fatter tires and slightly better components. Stone-silent and trouble free, Bionx.

 

[Prof_Stack]

Too wet (weather) or too sick (me) to get out, but I did have a nice 14 mile ride last weekend, that used about 225wH of the 305wH battery. Not bad for hilly Seattle.

Here is how the handlebar looks with the GPS unit and Light and Motion 800 headlamp. The light that came on the Cortland is rated around 350 lumens.

 

[Prof_Stack]

The Kickstarter Cortland S is now complete now that the accessories have finally arrived. The front rack is attractive and very usable, but does add more weight to the mix. The emphasis on style and the use of wood slabs contribute, BUT it puts more weight on the front tire, where the motor resides, so that part of it is positive.

The Cortland feels more like a bicycle with a motor than an e-bike. The 250w motor is enough for hills if you gear down enough. For longer rides, don't pick a path with a lot of elevation. The auxiliary battery is currently (heh) due in late summer along with Faraday's GPS system. Kickstarter campaigns require patience.

The mirrors I bought from Amazon, and work decently enough. The Garmin GPS unit is very cool.