'Zen Skunkworks' - a new model in the development
- Thread starter Ravi Kempaiah
- Start date
kevinmccune
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Serendipity bit me one day when I was building a rack battery step through, the stock kickstand was weak and barely adequate I ordered another and installed it without removing the stock one( thought to do it later) For giggles I extended both, Presto! on that side extremely stable now. So that little lead sled has two kickstands now(I do like the double stand that lifts the rearwheel though)Hi Ravi, cargo bikes are looking good. One suggestion if you haven't already thought of it, I would equip them with double leg kickstands. Single side kickstands are very unstable(due to the lean) when there is a load on the bike, especially higher/up on the cargo rack.
There are several versions available, I've used one similar to this:
Copenhagen Dual Leg Kickstand
The Copenhagen dual leg kickstand is perfect for city bikes. It has a "scissor-action" that folds both legs to the non-drive side of the bike.velo-orange.com
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
but it cant take any weight its a light weight one.
Great news Ravi!
Exciting times for Zen E-Bikes.
New Model(s)!
New Zen manufactured battery packs.
Alliances with industry leading companies: Novonix (@Novonixbattery) and ASI (Accelerated Systems Inc.)
Looks like 2023 is shaping up to be a very exciting year @Zen E-bikes!
norcalflat
New Member
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- USA
I was agreeing with you, but mistook the double kickstand you linked as a one piece(both legs are one rigid piece).
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
no sweat I likeyorus better it gets out of the way mine hangs below the chain I have had the chain get caught in it when backing our tandem out of the garage. but it is sure steady.
srl1_sd
Member
- Region
- USA
Hello Ravi,
Just curious, why your cargo bikes are not belt drive with IGH ?
From my experience, I don't really care much about belt drive but I'd prefer at at least single speed chain or 3 speed IGH with chain.
I have had many bad experiences with derailleurs and I don't like them generally.
Ebikes don't really need many gears/ gear ranges. 3 gears are enough I think for most people.
Thanks,
Just curious, why your cargo bikes are not belt drive with IGH ?
From my experience, I don't really care much about belt drive but I'd prefer at at least single speed chain or 3 speed IGH with chain.
I have had many bad experiences with derailleurs and I don't like them generally.
Ebikes don't really need many gears/ gear ranges. 3 gears are enough I think for most people.
Thanks,
Ravi Kempaiah
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- Canada
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- Halifax
Hi there,
The current Cargo bikes are built for a particular client in Canada.
Generally, once you go with a mid-drive and belt, the costs tend to go up and the market in the US not matured enough for high volumes of belt-drive Cargo bikes. We actually designed a belt-drive Cargo bike first and it was costing us $0.5M to order small quantity of those but we chose to use the money to build the battery technology. Were you looking for a belt-drive cargo bike? hypothetically, how much would you pay for such a bike?
srl1_sd
Member
- Region
- USA
Hi Ravi,
I have had bad experiences with derailleurs so a mid drive, IGH with China is good for me. I don't really care much about belt drive but IGH with chain is what I want. ~$3K USD if i buy a cargo ebike.
Ravi Kempaiah
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- Canada
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- Halifax
Thanks for this note.
We did close an investment round, and we are setting up a battery manufacturing facility in Canada. I was in Asia as part of the Canadian Cleantech delegation, and we received very positive responses. Here are some pictures from our Trip to Asia - India in particular.
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Ravi Kempaiah
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- Canada
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- Halifax
We are testing a new full suspension eMTB model that will be released later this Spring in limited quantities.
This one has 625Whr Bosch battery, Bosch Gen-4 speed motor and FOX front and rear suspensions 160mm travel.
This one has 625Whr Bosch battery, Bosch Gen-4 speed motor and FOX front and rear suspensions 160mm travel.
Ravi Kempaiah
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- Canada
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- Halifax
We received a request from a client who runs tours and rentals for a comfortable, step-thru full-suspension bike that could handle off-road trails and be outfitted with a rear rack and fenders. They are receiving about 50 E-bikes from us. We will be doing a thorough QC on everything.
This bike comes with
This bike comes with
- 750W Bafang Ultra motor,
- 52V,20Ah pack tested to UL standards
- 4-piston brakes with E-cutoff from Tektro
- 27.5" wheels and 2.4" / 2.8" tires from Schwalbe
- and RockShox front and rear suspensions
- Currently, we are strengthening some rear rack designs
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Deacon Blues
Well-Known Member
Hi Ravi
I've been PM'ing you about the Shakti for my wife and my wife happened to see this photo while I was looking at it. She likes the look of the bike (with added fenders and rack).
Will it come with a throttle and will there be more than one size?
thanks
Ron
I've been PM'ing you about the Shakti for my wife and my wife happened to see this photo while I was looking at it. She likes the look of the bike (with added fenders and rack).
Will it come with a throttle and will there be more than one size?
thanks
Ron
Ravi Kempaiah
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- Canada
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- Halifax
That's no problem, Ron!
A few units arriving by early May are 19" in size and customizing with rear rack and fenders is not a problem.
The ones that are landing sometime in mid-June are 17" and 19". Let us know how we can help.
Ravi Kempaiah
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- Canada
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- Halifax
What do you guys think of this suspended rear rack design? of course the fenders would be added for urban usage.
Any thoughts on suspended vs un-suspended designs?
Any thoughts on suspended vs un-suspended designs?
smorgasbord
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- USA
Definitely suspended. Attaching a loaded rear rack directly to the rear swingarm seems like a recipe for bad handling. What do you think the weight limit on this design would be?
Secondary question - I love the way the bike looks, but isn't this design essentially a single pivot, meaning there isn't really a way to control the leverage curve? Maybe I'm missing something not visible in the photos.
Ravi Kempaiah
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- Canada
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- Halifax
The weight limit is 25kg ( 55 lbs) as of now and we believe that is sufficient for most folks. What do you think?
smorgasbord
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- USA
I think that'd be great! I think the R&M SuperDelite has a 20kg capacity.
(Sorry, I edited my earlier post with another question on suspension design while you were responding)
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