When an innovative and forward-thinking business gets wind of an advocacy group making the news and creating lots of buzz related to their business, their ears perk up. That's what happened in August when Dillenger Electric Bikes decided to donate some $4000 worth of e-assist systems to VBike.
VBikes's ElBoda Bodas This is great news, because during the summer VBike took shipment on 4 Yuba beautiful cargo bikes to begin building up our exciting BikeTIP fleet. As many of you know, our 2 Yuba Boda Bodas arrived with the elegant BionX e-assist systems already installed.
However, we wanted something with a bit more oomph for our big Yuba Mundo bikes - something that was both cost-effective and that can tackle our crazy terrain, even with those pesky children on board. What we really wanted to do is to put together a great, inexpensive Vermont ready e-cargo bike.
However, we wanted something with a bit more oomph for our big Yuba Mundo bikes - something that was both cost-effective and that can tackle our crazy terrain, even with those pesky children on board. What we really wanted to do is to put together a great, inexpensive Vermont ready e-cargo bike.
The Bafang (or 8FUN) mid-drive Well, Dillenger had the answer for us in the Bafang mid-drive assist conversion kit. This kit can utilize a bike’s gearing to make for a highly efficient and powerful supplementary boost and it’s a total cinch to install. The Bafang mid-drive features multiple pedal-assist setting so you can just pedal away and the motor will give you the extra level of boost you choose. The system also has a handy thumb throttle, a really nice display console, and even a walk mode so you can walk the bike up a hill with a light assist. Dillenger donated 3 of these units, including battery packs, and so we’re installing them on our 2 Mundos and perhaps one on an extra Boda Boda we have.
One of VBike's beautiful Bafang equipped Yuba Mundos The idea behind this aspect of VBike’s fleet is to be able to showcase an affordable and rockin' family cargo bike for parents, households, and even businesses. We want these folks to try out the bikes to begin visualizing how this can fit into their lives and make things so much better. In fact, in the spring of 2016 we will launch an exciting program that will allow folks to sign out an e-cargo bike for a day or two to do just that. We’ll also be working with bike shops to help them understand how easy it is to install and maintain systems like the Bafang, thereby also helping them to orient their businesses more towards transportation rather than just recreation.
A close-up look And to make sure these bikes are what we really need here in Vermont, we’ll be outfitting them with full lighting systems and upgrading some of the components so that they can withstand the torture that Vermont puts bikes through. VBike will also be experimenting with different types of gearing systems and accessories to showcase a variety of solutions that really work in our Green Mountain world.
This is one strand of what VBike does – going where nobody in Vermont has gone before by bringing the bike and bike technology to a whole new level with the aim of making bike transportation significantly more possible for way more Vermonters.
This is one strand of what VBike does – going where nobody in Vermont has gone before by bringing the bike and bike technology to a whole new level with the aim of making bike transportation significantly more possible for way more Vermonters.
But we can’t do all this research, forays into innovation, and outreach without your help! If you are reading this and can understand all the fantastic possibilities for our state (and our state of mind), then we really encourage you to give VBike a strong vote of approval with a financial-assist of your own. Let's make the bike revolution happen in Vermont like it is happening elsewhere around the nation and throughout the world.
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