The lure of electric assist bikes just isn’t going away any time soon, as people worldwide look for a way to ride a bike without the danger of getting fit, or actually having to fight against any sort of hill or weather. I suppose as we get to Christmas there’ll be more and more around as people to a large extent miss the point of a bike and rush out to get a mini-electric scooter. There’s even a growth in the kind of bike that keeps you as protected as possible form the weather, as if getting out and getting wet wasn’t part of the bizarre thrill of riding a bike – spending 15 minutes in the real world not cocooned against it. (Mind you, there’s a fair chance I won’t be entirely agreeing when it starts to rain solidly for days on end). Anyway Sinclair Research home of other odd battery powered transport are jumping on the wagon with this bike, called the X-1, which manages to be both electric and a recumbent, and so will garner scorn from almost every other cyclist in the world.
Still, I suppose electric bikes would have made the possibility of the London bike hire scheme being extended into the north of the city, especially if you believe the reports that the hills are just too much of an obstacle. Several areas in North London have noticed this and are reporting on the natural barrier to expansion, which probably mean that people wouldn’t want to ride up Highgate Hill, for example.
The other selling point for the Sinclair Bike is that it keeps you out of the rain. There are even better answers to this problem as one of the most respected outdoor clothing ranges in the world has announced a new mountain bike range. The North Face’s kit looks awesome, although it’s a shame it won’t be available until the Spring. I imagine it’ll still be raining then anyway so there’ll be plenty of opportunities to test it out.
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