Harry, currently the commuter bikes have half twist throttles and the cruisers have thumb throttles on the left side. They are class 2 and easily hit 20 MPH uphill. The cruisers and step-thru are currently 7-speed, but I'm already planning to change to Deore 10 speed components to match the high-bar commuter and improve pedalling at higher speeds.
The cruisers are my entry level models and will be priced accordingly. I'm 57 and never thought I'd like the cruiser (I built the high-bar commuter to suit my own tastes), but I have to admit the upright seating and cushioned ride feels good after logging tons of time and miles on the commuters. They're also more fun if you like to look around while you ride and the bottom bracket torque sensor makes all that weight move effortlessly. They are the favorites in the neighborhood. I'm currently discussing a different iteration of the cruisers with changed battery placement for 2019 - as well as a new commuter with a Bosch mid-drive.
All bikes are aluminum, but the front forks on the cruisers are steel for vibration absorption. The bells were a "surprise" gift from the factory and did not make the grade. I'm actually looking at an electronic bell that also has a super bright flashing light to alert people when you pass. The photos were taken as they were being unboxed, so the batteries on the commuters are not shown, but they are in the frame on the down tube. I'll attach a photo.
Mister M, these are not Chinese re-brands, but custom built from frame selection to completion over nine months. I spent three days at Interbike meeting with component manufacturers, builders and industry experts. I hand selected almost every component on each bike. When I added Bafang bottom bracket torque sensors, engineers from Bafang spent two days with "my" engineers then returned to their factory and made torque sensors specific to my bikes. It required a controller and display upgrade and caused a six week production delay, but that $100+ investment per bike shows the level of customization and lengths I went through to build a high quality bike packed with "high-end" features and functions. BTW, here's an easy way to see if a bike is a rebrand: drag your fingernail across the paint by a sticker or decal. Is it on the outside of the paint? If so, higher probability it's a rebrand that had a sticker applied after it was built and painted. On better quality bikes like mine, the frames are painted, decals applied and then painted over with a UV clear coat to protect and preserve the paint and colors. Initially I was using reflective materials on areas of the frame, but the clear coat eliminates the effectiveness of every variation we tested. Instead, I include a sheet of color-coded reflective stickers in the box so people can apply them to the frames or their helmet or jacket... Safety is a big deal to me.
There are a few things in the photos that are not accurate for production. The tires in the photos are wrong and will be swapped when the correct tires arrive: 30 MPH e-bike rated 2.2" Kenda Kwick Drumlin KS+ (
http://bicycle.kendatire.com/en-us/find-a-tire/bicycle/commuter/kwick-drumlin/). They are grippy in wet and dry, fast rolling and extremely durable and flat resistant. They are new and they had to manufacture my samples, which should arrive in two weeks. The cruisers do not show the powerful front lights. The high-bar commuter shows Tektro Dorado (E-715) disc brakes because it was originally going to be a speed pedelec. The brakes will be downgraded one level to hydraulic e-brakes designed for stopping at 20 mph instead of 30mph. Also the Venture (high-bar commuter) does not show the Suntour SP12 NCX suspension seat post. Other things like paint scheme, stickers and names will be changed and improved now that I have the prototypes to play with and test.
I will list the prices after I've gathered input from some riders. I don't want price bias to inflate or detract from the feedback I receive. To be honest, I'm not doing this to promote sales. I just want some riders to give me some honest opinions. When it's time for sales, I'll post a limited-time EBR only price under "Crowd Funding" in the forums and invite Court to come and ride for a couple days. I hope to place my first production order in the next 2-3 weeks and will not offer pre-sales until the order is placed and delivery is guaranteed. As part of the EBR special price, I'm trying to arrange to also offer custom color selection on orders placed prior to frame painting.
Sorry for the long post and the defensive tone of some passages. I'm very passionate about what I do and extremely proud of the e-bikes I personally created. This business has been humbling as I've had to dispel my own bias and myths concerning the quality of "Chinese" bikes. The bottom line is that the brand controls the quality of the bike they sell, not the factory that assembles them. If a brand doesn't care about anything but profit, you probably won't be happy with your purchase. Me? I started this business because I was frustrated that the features I wanted were only on bikes out of my price range. To be sure, I'm not trying to be Mercedes, but Toyota. Reliable. Dependable. Long lasting. High value to cost ratio.
mjs