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| 20mph, Bluetooth Speaker, $1250.00- Free Shipping-NO pedals |
Recently a "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article covered the lack of any enthusiasm for HPC (Hybrid Powered Cycles) or "pedelecs", as the industry calls them now, in the Taiwanese market. The reason given by those who are there is that the "e-scooter", which has connectivity for devices, storage compartments, and no physical input from the rider besides steering, is easier and more appealing to Taiwanese people. It doesn't help that these motorbikes cost the same, or less, than HPC's do in that country.
This is what I have been saying about these HPC's all along. That someday a vehicle that doesn't require pedaling and that has more amenities than any bicycle based hybrid powered rig has, would usurp any place a HPC might have in America. Not to mention our longer traveling distances and a climate, which in most areas, means people don't want to be exposed to the elements during large chunks of the year. Pedaling in any extreme weather, at least here in the U.S., automatically qualifies you as having "freak of nature" status amongst those who lock themselves indoors, either in cars, homes, or apartments. I won't even mention "safe places to ride".
I hopped on-line and typed in "e-scooter" into the search engine and the first thing that pops up are several vehicles like the example shown here. Cheaper than "pedelecs", has more amenities, (Bluetooth Speaker!), and doesn't require you to put any sweat equity into your mobility. All with free shipping. Besides- it can haul two people up to 350lbs total weight. The bike industry offers what? Really bad looking bicycles that happen to have an electric motor and cost 2K or more in most cases. No speakers, no nuthin'. Haul two people with a high weight limit? Ha!
While there may be a few examples that are nice for the price in the bicycle-like realm, the point I've been making, and continue to be convinced of, is that most people here in America are like the Taiwanese are. Not only that, but we are not set up for bicycles to be the main focus of transportation. If we ever get there, which would be decades in the making, I'm guessing, the electric vehicle market will be so well entrenched that "pedaling" will be seen as some arcane form of transportation that only a "freak of nature" would ever entertain using.
In other words, pretty much like it is today.
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| Hittin' the dirt tomorrow. |
Four-teen freakin' years! I just thought about that. Holy Cow! That's a long line of these crazy rides in the country. Talk about "freak of nature". Most folks think I am insane for doing this stuff. Guess some things never change.
Anyway, it looks as though I have about a dozen confirmed crazy people to ride with. Maybe more will just show up? Probably. You never know with this ride. But whatever happens, it should be a good time. I just hope I can make the 92 miles!
Also- I never did a final calculation on how many miles of Level B Road there is on this route. Maybe if I am not too forgetful I can keep a running tab. I probably should fire up my Lezyne GPS device just to make sure it is charged. (These gizmos just do not capture my fancy, so I tend to forget about them) So, yeah.....a computer might come in handy! Makes following cues a bit easier.
So, the ride starts at 6:00am. I am driving to the start, so I have to get out of bed at 4:00am Saturday morning to make it on time. That means I have to be packed up today. No time to grab any last minute stuff in the dark of morning time. Then the hour and twenty minute commute to the start, and hopefully I won't have any issues getting there. Should be a scene at any rate. (Don't forget your clipless shoes, right? HA!)
Weather looks like it will cooperate. Not the coolest, but not the hottest I've had for this ride by far. 25% chance of rain of some sort. We'll see! Expect a full account come Monday.
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| Salsa Cycles 2020 Blackborow |
Short version: New colors, minor spec changes.
Annnnnnd.........that's about it.
Reaction: Surprised by two things here. One- That Salsa Cycles did not jump on the chance to stick an electric motor on the Blackborow. Surly has that, and you'd figure that Salsa couldn't be far behind. The Blackborow platform would be- maybe- a great idea for hunters, and electrifying a Blackborow might appeal to those who drag all kinds of gear into the back country and need a rig to drag out carcasses of dead animals. I don't know- I don't hunt - but it makes sense to me that doing that to a Blackborow and targeting hunters would be a good idea.
The second thing that surprises me is that the Mukluk line has been cut down to two models. Hmm..... The Mukluk was the "expedition"/exploration fat bike for Salsa. This was their focus when they hit the scene back nine years ago. Now it seems racing (Beargrease) and long tailed "cargo" fat bikes (Blackborow) are the focus. Exploration and expedition stuff must not be too "Adventure by Bike" anymore, or something. Anyway, the feeling I get is that either Mukluk is on the way out, or being replaced by something new in a year or so.
Besides that, the "battleship camo" graphics have been retained again for another year. Not a fan, myself, but apparently some folks dig it. I like the straightforward look of beautiful hues of paint, like the Blackborow's deep green. I can get behind that. Besides that.....yawn. Make a titanium fat bike again, and then we'll talk.
And with that, I am done for the week. See ya on the other side when I come back with the GTDRI report Monday. Until then, enjoy the "Minus Ten Review" tomorrow and another edition of "Trans Iowa Stories" on Sunday.
Get out and ride folks! Summer is fading away...........
Stravassholes ruined fat bikes, IMO. They all jumped on the fat bike band wagon and then almost immediately started figuring out how to take the big tires off of them and put 27.5+ or 29+ because they perceived the original configuration to be "slow and cumbersome". Fat Bikes were never intended to be fast bikes, sure some folks with big engines can make them go really fast (especially since they are almost all carbon now) but for the most part folks tried to figure out how to make them lighter and quicker instead of learning to love them for the fun that they are already. I think that trend steered the market toward the racing fat bike direction, I'd likely get an ICT or Wednesday now if I was looking for a fat bike as they tend to be more versatile than the large tire mountain bikes that most of the rest have become.
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