Sunday, February 28, 2010

Greenlight Bikes offers e-bikes

There are many ways and methods to consider if you love going green in your lifestyle, so where do you start? For most of us, it would probably involve considering a greener mode of transportation, and that can be achieved changing to a smaller capacity vehicle or even using public transport always, with a bicycle to help get you around. What happens when you live in hilly areas like San Francisco, and you don’t want to end up at work as though you just ran a marathon with sweat dripping all over? Why not consider Greenlight Bikes’ line of Kalkhoff bicycles and e-bikes that are due to hit North America. Just in case Kalkhoff doesn’t ring a bell, this company is one of Europe’s largest and most recognized bicycle brands.

For example, anyone who is all dressed up for work might want to take full advantage of the power-assist system, and those who are riding to improve fitness might wish to rely more heavily upon their own strength and effort. These pedal-assist electric bicycles are also known as pedelecs or e-bikes, where they rely on an electric motor to supplement the power a rider applies to the pedals, resulting in a smooth, predictable boost. It works in pretty much the same way as that of a standard bicycle, albeit throwing in elements of ease, fun and efficiency whenever you run errands, commute or ride for pleasure.

You know how Europeans and the Americans love to be different from each other despite sharing similar roots? Well, the same applies to these bicycles – most e-bikes Stateside use either front- or rear-powered hubs and many of which require the use of a throttle. As for the Kalkhoff pedelec system, it will seamlessly apply power from the center-mounted electric motor directly to the bicycle’s drive train. The level of motor assistance depends on the amount of power the rider generates while pedaling. The inclusion of a torque sensor continuously measures the rider’s power output, while the motor delivers a pre-selected percentage of additional assistance ranging from 50% to 150% on top of what the rider is capable of producing, helping you reach your destination sweat-free or tackle difficult hilly slopes without panting away. Capable of lasting up to 50 miles per charge, these electric bikes range from $2,499 to $3,399 in terms of pricing.


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