
1 Folding Bikes
1.1 What is the advantage of a folding bike?
A folding bike can go places that a full-size bike can't -- in the trunk of your car, under your desk, in your dorm room, in your RV or yacht, checked as baggage on a commercial airline. The combination of high quality components and folding convenience, is, well, what I am in business! 'Bikes that travel'
2 Electric Pedal-assist bikes
2.1 What is an electric motorized pedal-assist bicycle?
A pedal bicycle with the addition of an electric motor and battery. Your pedal energy is amplified by this motor, providing greater range and power for the same level of your energy output.
2.2 What kind of pedal-assist bikes do you sell?
I sell only 'Class 1' e-pedal assist bikes with no throttles. We believe (as do Bosch and other premier motor brands) that bicycles should be pedaled
I do not sell mountain bikes with motors. We believe that hiking trails and 'single track' are no place for motorized recreation
I do not sell upright adult 'delta' trikes with motors. Too dangerous! These trikes are not made for speed, and tip easily. If you want a motorized trike, I offer recumbents which are far more stable and enjoyable to ride
2.3 What is motor torque and how important is it?
The TerraTrike EVO recumbent trike uses the Bosch Active Line, with 50Nm peak torque. Our Tern GSD (Generation 1) cargo-ready bicycle -- made for heavy lifting -- uses the Bosch Performance Line, with 63Nm peak torque
"Torque is a better measure of how powerful a particular motor is. Bosch's Active Line motor puts out 50Nm at its peak, and the Performance Line motor will give you 63Nm. Shimano's STEPS motor has a 50Nm maximum. ... The Brose is more reactive to rider input whereas the Bosch is more of a constant assistance.Dec 4, 2017" (retrieved from ebiketips.road.cc on October 14, 2019)
Torque is a measure of the power put to the wheel. For hill climbing and heavy cargo hauling, having a good deal of 'low-end' torque is important. This can be achieved with either a physically large motor, or a motor system that incorporates gearing to achieve the low-end torque at a higher motor RPM (revolutions per minute)
2.4 Can an electric pedal-assist bike climb steep hills?
Many customers seek electric assist for help with hill climbing. Mid-drive motors are going to give you much better hill-climbing performance due to their use of gearing versus hub motors, which do not have the benefit of utilizing drive-train derailleur gearing. (Some hub motors have internal reduction gearing, while others such as the Copenhagen or BIONX wheels are direct drive.) When we talk about hills we use the 'percent grade' (%) measure. Percent is simply rise over run (e.g., 45-degree grade is 100% grade). Your ability to climb a given hill will vary with your strength and ability -- the motor will not do all the work for you! Gradients of 12 - 18% are considered ridiculously steep.
Here is a great video showing actual gradients on a well-known hill climb in Sonoma County called Coleman Grade: Coleman Valley Road Full Climb. The video is shot with a Garmin system that records distance, elevation, grade and many other factors. Very informative!
3 COVID Considerations
3.1 Can I purchase an item on backorder?
COVID19 Supply Issues (June 2020) (Updated September 2020)
Bicycles, trikes, parts and accessories are becoming increasingly scarce. Many of the products I sell are back-ordered with my suppliers.
To reserve a backordered b/trike, simply make full payment online or in the store to hold your place in the queue. When it becomes available from the manufacturer, I'll get it to you right away. I will keep you appraised of availability status. In exchange for your support during this crazy time, you will be rewarded with double (2X) BikePartners Rewards Club loyalty points, for any back-ordered bike. These points may be redeemed for purchases in the store after you take possession of your backordered bike. I have no control over how long the wait will be, and I will issue a full refund at any time if you wish to give up your place in the queue.
In the case of Bike Friday and Brompton custom-build bikes, I'm happy to work with you to get a bike design started! Those bikes are custom built-to-order, and are not warehoused even in better times, so the backorder incentive offer does not apply to these bikes.
Geoffrey