Ryan SingelMar 19, 2024

I still think the most under-reported, most holy shit tech story of the last 5+ years is how good e-bikes have gotten and how much more affordable a decent e-bike has become.

E-cars and trucks are a nice change but mostly meh. E-bikes, tho? They are magic.

They deserve subsidies and way more press attention.

Show threadjorikiMar 19, 2024

@ryansingel

yes, but the lack of parts standards is pretty awful right now

good luck finding parts when something wears out in 5-10 years

https://youtu.be/PN505EbwWT0?si=x8r8wSU8nLKMJbDl

We Have A Huge Problem With Ebikes....

YouTube
Show threadszakibMar 19, 2024
@joriki @ryansingel I had an email exchange with Larry vs. Harry (Bullitt) about why they use Shimano motors and offer no Bosch ones. Turns out the main reason is that Shimano is committed to keeping the mount points constant, but Bosch mount points have sometimes changed between motor generations, so newer motors cannot always be mounted into earlier frames.
Show threadBenjamin FryMar 20, 2024
@szakib @joriki @ryansingel I had no idea about this, thanks for sharing that detail!
Show threadMarc HedlundMar 20, 2024
@bluejekyll @szakib @joriki @ryansingel I didn’t know that, either (and I’m on my second Bullitt). I think the Shimano motors are better anyway. 😄
Show threadIan McKellarMar 20, 2024

@marcprecipice @bluejekyll @szakib @joriki @ryansingel

I hope / assume all of this will become a commodity with imperfect but widely adopted standards. I'd love to see a proliferation of ebike builders like desktop PCs in the 90s. A few big builders but all kinds of local businesses building custom rigs for people. I want people to be able to upgrade and replace parts keeping the parts that are still fine.

Show threadAGTMADCAT 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼🇵🇸Mar 20, 2024
@ian @marcprecipice @bluejekyll @szakib @joriki @ryansingel We need a major brand to play IBM, so everyone else can play the "100% X compatible" card and we get a proper standard out of it!
Show threadBenjamin FryMar 20, 2024
@AGTMADCAT @ian @marcprecipice @bluejekyll @szakib @joriki @ryansingel I feel like in the bike world that brand is basically Shimano, and Bosch as the early leader maybe didn’t get the memo.
Show threadSarah E BourneMar 20, 2024
@bluejekyll @AGTMADCAT @ian @marcprecipice @szakib @joriki @ryansingel Oh, so this is more like VHS and Betamax? (Except that Betamax was the superior technology.)
Show threadIan McKellarMar 21, 2024
@sbourne @bluejekyll @AGTMADCAT @marcprecipice @szakib @joriki @ryansingel
Any time something is "superior technology" I read that as "poor product/market fit".
Show threadAGTMADCAT 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼🇵🇸
@ian @sbourne @bluejekyll @marcprecipice @szakib @joriki @ryansingel Beta found its niche and remained in operation until very recently - it really was better from a quality point of view, it just couldn't record a whole 4 hour NFL game, which is what people wanted at home.
Mar 21, 2024 at 3:21pmWeb