Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnM
Overpriced at $3700. For about $1000 you can retro-fit the same Bionx electric assist used by Smart to the bike you probably have gathering dust in your shed.
|
They seemed excited about the belt drive, instead of a chain. You seem to be somewhat of a sprocket headed fellow, how do you feel about this? Is it significant?
My question with it would be that of gearing. Most bike gearing I know of simply consists of a series of sprocket of varying sizes, and a device that moves the chain laterally. I suppose a similar arrangement could be in place for a toothed belt, but they do not work the same, so I suspect not.
I do recall a 3 speed axle/transmission that existed on some bikes of my youth, but I do not recall ever owning one, nor taking one apart. I suppose that may be in play here, or something like it.
A single speed bike seems less than efficient for today's commuter, though it would still work okay, especially with the electric assist for the up hills.