Zen Shakti

[bob armani]

Ravi- I agree with many contributors here with the added battery option. It is all about customization for any rider. Offering that feature along with the low starting price point seems to be a win/win. Not too crazy about the color either. I was thinking more of a mid-glossy metallic blue, red, black, silver, etc.
Perhaps the logos/naming could be mixed and matched according to the color schemes used. Nothing too flashy though. Personally, I never liked branding/ free advertising for any products I buy, especially clothing. Same applies to bikes, however, seems like most brands use over-sized fonts on bike frames, etc. The smaller sized font you have used seems suitable. Good Luck and please keep us posted on newer developments. Cheers!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Looks great! Are you able to confirm a Canadian $ price?

Thank you.
It will be about $2490 CAD.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'm not so sure about the split pea soup color but that's a fantastic deal for an entry-level eBike. Does it have a thumb throttle?

Thanks for your comments on the color. We will offer more varieties for sure.
On one prototype we have a twist throttle and on another, a thumb throttle. Do you prefer any particular choice? if so, if you care to explain, it may help us with further optimization.

 

[vincent]

I prefer thumb throttle’s instead of twist but it’s also pretty easy to add the thumb throttle on top of the twist like 1859 northwest etc

 

[Asher]

Some colors for inspiration.
Stromers pictured 1-4 (the last one is a bit loud but looks really good), Raleigh Redux 1 2019 (matte charcoal), Booz ST 2019 (saw this in person, beautiful bike) and basically any Rondo bike, Norco Indie 2019 IGH 8 (interesting matte silver look), Breezer Midway, Karmic Koben, Kona Dew-E

Wasn't thinking about the batteries being black, so that may favor darker, complementary colors.

 

[opimax]

Ravi, I like the color ! Of course this means the rest of the world doesn’t , I am used to it though

And I like bike too!

 

[dblhelix]

Many thanks for your input and encouragement. We also believe that dual battery configuration and the motor/component choices offer this model a unique advantage.
We thought about various options for the drivetrain.
If we try to offer an XT groupset, it would certainly increase the cost significantly and we believe Deore is a very decent configuration. I put about 3500+ miles when I owned the Haibike and I changed the cassette once.
With a mid-drive, the forces acting on the cassette are much higher, and in a hub-drive setup, it may last 3x longer i.e. 9000 miles. In the end, we chose to give Deore a try and believe that 10-speed Deore should offer a long service life.

Let's look at it this way:
Without comparing torque sensor, hydraulic brakes, air suspension, Class 3, battery features, etc. just the drive train component

RadCity: 7-speed freewheel (NOT a cassette) and retails for $1.5K.
Aventon Level: 8-speed cassette (Acera) and retails for $1.6K
Ride1up LTD: 8-speed cassette (Altus) and retails for $1.8K
Juiced CCX: 9-speed cassette (Altus) and retails for $2.5K

Point taken on mid-drive v. hub drivetrain wear.

Keep the front rack mounts ...

How much extra for second battery option?

 

[FlatSix911]

Looking forward to hearing the EBR community's feedback. Please share whatever you think.
We are quite happy so far how it has turned out. Paul was instrumental in enabling the dual battery feature on this bike.
We will be testing this rig for the next 2 months before it goes into full-scale production.

We wanted to hit these main points and so far it looks good:

1. Reliable torque sensor
2. Powerful geared hub motor with Quick-release mechanism+ 28mph top speed + throttle capability
3. Dual batteries for 100-mile range (second battery will cost extra)
4. Air suspension for comfort and versatility
5. Elegant looking frame
6. 1500 lumen headlight and powerful hydraulic brakes for safety
7. Schwalbe Supermoto-X tires for ride quality + Shimano Deore drive train for long service life
8. $1990 retail cost

View attachment 74551

Looks like a winner... especially at your pricepoint for under $2K, it will sell out.

 

[J.R.]

Thank you very much.
Yes, we do have a bottle cage or a folding lock mount just below the top tube and a battery mount on the downtube which in principle, could be used as a water bottle holder as well.
The front rack mounts near the headtube are built for a heavy-duty rack but we are still debating how many ACTUALLY use the front rack on a daily basis. What do you think?
Will it muck up the aesthetics?
Out of the two prototypes built, one has a straight headtube and the other has a tapered headtube.

It will be offered in multiple sizes and colors. Based on the feedback provided here, we may pick a few colors among the following:

• Matte black
• Electric blue
• Cherry red
• White
• Hi-viz yellow

You have always been helpful and supportive, Thanks Bob!
We should go riding soon.

This is a great offering. I like the option of adding a frame mounted front rack. I purchased a Rock Concepts B-Pod front basket for commuting/shopping, it worked, but I'd much prefer a small frame rack that I could use for touring and bike packing. I doubt I'd use it daily, but I would like the option. Likely you could request plastic frame plugs from the supplier.

No throttle, full grip option. Or removable thumb throttle with full grips. Most of us buy new grips though. I would likely change grips, pedals and saddle, so those wouldn't be selling points for me.

My personal color preferences in matte or satin:
Black
Deep forest green
Midnight blue (Specialized offers a really nice matte dark blue)

Probably many buyers would like a high visibility color.

Best of luck! I'm looking forward to following the project.

 

[vincent]

Good point on grips pedals and saddles, I would change those also

Honestly I would probably be happy if all my bikes shipped without those because it just ends up adding more junk in my storage area when I change them out...

 

[vincent]

I kind of wish companies gave the option of shipping without those, seems like it would be less waste if people don’t want them and you could takeoff the cost from the bike...??

what do the rest of you think about that? How many people change those three things as soon as you get a bike?

at this price point it seems like it would be hard to do three or four different options on seats, grips etc

but wonder if some people would like that or the option to ship without all that

 

[dunksalot]

Thanks for your comments on the color. We will offer more varieties for sure.
On one prototype we have a twist throttle and on another, a thumb throttle. Do you prefer any particular choice? if so, if you care to explain, it may help us with further optimization.

Oh I figured you would offer more colors...just that color reminded of when I was changing diapers. LOL!

In the US, thumb throttles are how Quad motorcycles often work - at least when I was younger. Motorcycles are all twist grips. The first time I rode a motorcycle I crashed it because navigating the brake and throttle simultaneously was difficult for me. I'd recommend you simply make it an option because other people may have a different comfort and preference.

 

[Asher]

I kind of wish companies gave the option of shipping without those, seems like it would be less waste if people don’t want them and you could takeoff the cost from the bike...??

what do the rest of you think about that? How many people change those three things as soon as you get a bike?

at this price point it seems like it would be hard to do three or four different options on seats, grips etc

but wonder if some people would like that or the option to ship without all that

I'd bet less than 20% change the grips or pedal on a typical hybrid ebike. Shipping a bike without pedals is going to annoy a lot more people than it will please. They want a bike they can ride, not a reason to visit the bike shop. Performance road bikes are very different than a commuter e/bike.

Juiced has great stock grips, like Ergons with a palm rest, those are ideal.

 

[Johnny]

I agree that you should not be putting fancy/ high cost pedals/saddle/seatpost/grips etc. There are some affordable modest grips / pedals and many people would like to customize and change these wrt their taste. Making the price reasonable is much better instead.

For things that matter your selections are excellent. Deore is a very good derailleur for the price and it comes with wide range cassette options. You didn't mention the controller but I am guessing that it will be a high quality one. Integrated lights are important and again it is cumbersome to install them after the purchase so I like that this comes with integrated high output lights. Although XCR is not a high end suspension fork you have picked the AIR version which is actually a good pick(much better than the cheaper coil version) and should significantly improve ride quality for commuting purposes. For the price you are really bringing a good package.

 

[JRA]

Ravi, seems like color is a major concern with potential buyers.....I don't mind the mustard you have chosen but I am not a potential buyer however will recommend the heck out of this bike!

It seems the common color is black and high visibility is also up on the list. For a low margin of profit venture such as this I think about it more as a Model T type and it would make sense to just have one option? To my mind that would be black.

As far as high viz they make reflective paint that would take care of the darker hours of the day: http://noxton.com/light-reflective-paint-metal_en.html

Tires with reflective sidewalls would be nice also.

For visibility during the day it is easier for the rider to wear a high viz color and they are the most prominent feature of the the bike anyway.

 

[rcdanner]

Looks like a winner. I suspect that the front rack option has limited appeal and diminish aesthetics of really good looking ebike.

 

[Asher]

I agree that you should not be putting fancy/ high cost pedals/saddle/seatpost/grips etc. There are some affordable modest grips / pedals and many people would like to customize and change these wrt their taste. Making the price reasonable is much better instead.

I am a bit of a nut about pedals and grips, but in recent years, even the cheap alloy flat with peg pedals are quite good. These came stock on both of the urban bikes I bought new (Juiced CCS, Raleigh Redux), and never swapped them out. Rat trap style pedals are awful though.

There's lots of cheap options for palm rest grips too. While I might get something nicer than these on my own, if they came with the bike, I'd just keep them. The red one is just $8 on Amazon, and there are many others.

Generally agree, that you put on the bike things that a) most people will use, and b) is significantly less cost/hassle for you to do than for riders. Especially with direct sales, where there is no bike shop to ease the part switching process (ignore the hobbyists who like mental uh mastication over part selection). Decent pedals, grips, lights, saddle are must-have items if you're in the $2k plus market.

Rack and fenders is a bit of a judgment call, depending on the price point and customer segment you're targeting, but generally preferred if you're targeting the commuter segment. Is Zen about undercutting higher priced options (Dost, Priority, Cannondale, Specialized, etc) with a fit and finish that's at least as good? Or is it about trying to stay in the low budget Ride1Up/Rad/Juiced market? It seems like the former, and a good bundle of rack and fenders completes the picture of a quality midmarket commuter model. OEM racks/fenders usually look and operate better too, because of the tight integration. Or you can sell the same model with and without fenders and rack attached, like Specialized does with the Vado SL, though that makes logistics harder presumably.

PS The Cannondale Canvas Neo 1 has a terrific look, but specifically a very sleek minimalist integrated rack and fender

 

[Johnny]

PS The Cannondale Canvas Neo 1 has a terrific look, but specifically a very sleek minimalist integrated rack and fender

Agreed, Canvas neo is one of my favorites in terms of looks and looks even better in person.

 

[Asher]

Agreed, Canvas neo is one of my favorites in terms of looks and looks even better in person.

I'm shocked it has gotten so little exposure. There's not even a single professional review I could find. And it was on sale for close to $3k earlier this year.

Reminds me a little of the Electra Cafe but sleeker, with more finesse, and less vintage kitsch.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

The black part under the "ZEN", is that paint or a battery cover?

This is a battery cover.
We will re-work the graphics on the production model.