"Bluecold" (Bluecold)
12/03/2013 at 11:13 • Filed to: Copenhagen wheel
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"Bluecold" (Bluecold)
12/03/2013 at 11:13 • Filed to: Copenhagen wheel | 0
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The rear wheel is the Copenhagen wheel. In essence, it's an electric motor with batteries to fit inside a bicycle wheel as a single contained unit. It harvests brake energy to use later on. Before I discuss the concept, let me get a few things out of the way. It has come to my ear, as a dutchman, that Copenhagen fancies themselves a "world-leading bicycle city"
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Of course, this is not true. From the numbers alone, it's easy to see that Copenhagen is nothing special when compared to Amsterdam. 800.000 people live in Amsterdam, and together, they bike 2 million km/day. (
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
yes I'm citing wikipedia, this is not scientific endeavor)
In Copenhagen, they do 1.2 million with 560.000 people. Amsterdam handily beats Copenhagen. And in the Netherlands, Amsterdam isn't even amongst the highest ranking in cycle friendliness. Therefore, when it comes to bikes, don't listen to snooty Danes thinking they're hot shit. They're not. The Dutch are. And don't listen to most Dutch either since they assume they know everything about cycling by virtue of being Dutch.
The other thing I would like to get out of the way is the notion that electrically assisted bikes are in any way excusable for able people. They are not. End of.
From the two points raised above, it is easy to see that the 'Copenhagen wheel' (not for sale in Copenhagen), is a probably not that good, regardless of who is backing it (MIT in case you were wondering). It might be good when viewed within the scope of the design goals and customer demands, but if the demands are misguided and the design goals wrong, you end up with a bad product. However, it looks like the Copenhagen wheel people know nothing about bikes. It's supposedly for city bikes, but the model used to display it is a Cinelli track bike, with all sorts of gizmo's attached to it to make it not spectacularly uncomfortable at slow speeds. This is the automotive equivalent akin to a Se7en with a Chesterfield chair bolted to it. And then fitted with hybrid powertrain. Now, you could say "but this is great for hilly places", and then you realize the Copenhagen wheel website doesn't list the weight of the thing. It's an electric motor with a lot of batteries. A !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with less power to add electric assist to a bicycle weighs 7kg and that's considered 'ultra light'. So you add at least 7kgs of rotating mass to your bike. Which you have to lug uphill too. Also, you have to interface it with Bluetooth. I've never been able to get Bluetooth working reliably. And even if that works, you have got a touchscreen to control your drivetrain, which you have to manipulate in inner city traffic, while your smartphone is displaying all sorts of 'interesting' data on how much you're not polluting (hint, the same as everybody else on a bike, you're not a special snowflake). For this privilege, you have to pay $600.
As you might have found out, I am quite negative about the Copenhagen wheel. And indeed I feel like a member of the peanut gallery writing this. I usually try to see the good in new products and I'm usually on the enthusiastic side. When Victor Muller took over Saab I was convinced Saab would end well. I am still hopeful that Alfa Romeo will make a successful resurgence and that Lancia will follow after that. Usually, I like new exciting products, even if I have no need for them. However, this Copenhagen wheel makes me weep.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 11:20 |
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Looks like it would encourage cyclists more strongly than ever to run stop signs, IMHO. Even with the regen braking and theoretically clean start assist, it would feel all kinds of wrong slowing down with the added rear wheel mass - getting the brake response even close to right for one condition would alter it for another, and people won't do anything that feels intrinsically unsafe. If it feels wrong, it affects things more strongly than almost any training with the system.
For Sweden
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 11:21 |
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Wow
Such Dutch
Much nationalism
The Jevans
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 11:21 |
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If it was good enough for weeds, it's good enough for me.
Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 11:26 |
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Peanut gallery, indeed. A lot of misplaced hostility, here. Where to start?
1. World-leading greatest bike city in the world. Many things are often described as "world-leading" to suggest their prominence, not that they're the absolute best in the world. Aside from that, if you've developed and are marketing a product, wouldn't you be talking up any positives you have?
2. Why can't able-bodied people use electrically assisted bikes? Does commuting by bike have to be difficult to be acceptable? By all means, it seems to be a tool for use in short bursts and as an aid for those travelling exclusively by bike. Sometimes you get tired. Sometimes you encounter a large hill at the end of a long day. Sometimes you're trying to give a ride home to a fat girl when you're drunk.
3. You've centered in on the presentation of the product on a track bike in one photo? That's grounds for being up in arms about the entire project? Good lord.
4. Bluetooth, cost, and weight: yay, we've finally entered the part of the rant where we're having an intellectual discussion about the merits and negatives of the product itself! Congratulations! Rather short lived, though, don't you think?
Brian, The Life of
> For Sweden
12/03/2013 at 11:27 |
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Well played.
Joe_Limon
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 11:43 |
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Back when insurance was $4500 a year for my $2000car, I drove this every day.
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Bluecold
> Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
12/03/2013 at 11:45 |
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It's an american product. It's only for sale in the US.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/03/cop…
So it's not about talking up positives. It's about claiming that copenhagen is the example the world should strive for. I don't understand why they choose Copenhagen since there are loads of europeans cities where the use of bicycles is widespread. I could state that, but I decided I'd use that bit to also poke fun at Dutch arrogance regarding bicycle culture.
For an able bodied person, the added expense, effort, theft anxiety and range anxiety are not worth it. That's not just my opinion, that's the opinion of the vast majority. The only people here in the netherlands that use an electrically assisted bike are old people.
I have indeed centered in on the presentation. A clear message is important for any product, and this presentation does not give a clear message. It is not grounds for being up in arms about the entire project, but it is a point of criticism.
I could elaborate more about the weight, cost and bluetooth, but I've said everything I wanted to say about the difficulties related to the tech, and I suppose the difficulties I had with the idea behind the very concept should be mentioned before I discussed the tech. I could possibly elaborate more to get the post more 'in balance' regarding the points I find important, but I thought it was long enough already.
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Bluecold
> Joe_Limon
12/03/2013 at 11:47 |
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That's a diy moped right? Those would be hilariously illegal here. Does look like you could pop wheelies at will. Awesome.
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Joe_Limon
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 11:51 |
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Yep, came as a kit. Accoring to my local laws, ecerything under a certain power rating is free game. That said, bikes are only legally rideable on marked paths and on the street. So something like this to help keep up with traffic is really more of a safety thing lol.
SpeedSix
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 12:01 |
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Is it weird that I actually want to see a Se7en with a Chesterfield chair bolted to it?
Clown Shoe Pilot
> The Jevans
12/03/2013 at 12:08 |
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I'd totally buy one, but only if I could buy it from Andy Botwin.
UserNotFound
> Bluecold
12/03/2013 at 12:15 |
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Even worse, it will become even more difficult to run over annoying (read: all) cyclists if they started using a KERS system.