Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 43
Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 43
Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 107
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 109
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 111
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 112
Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 107
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 109
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 111
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 112
An EXTREME-TERRAIN Bicycle
I would like to meet this Dan Hanebrink guy. In 2003 he won an inventors-award for his “ice bike,” which proved itself in Antarctica, and now, as if that's not a hard bicycle to beat, he's put together a ride capable of devouring ALL the elements; minus the ability to water-ski and fly. Enter, the Hanebrink “all terrain electric bike”–by far, the burliest thing with pedals and a battery pack I've ever seen.
This one's in a class of it's own; a category that may only consist of bicycles bearing the Hanebrink name and vehicles made for the military. It goes 40 mph, running about an hour per charge, and costs nearly eight grand. Sure, at 71 lbs, it's in the same weight category as similarly robust e-bikes, but this one's been graced with a substantial amount of carbon fiber. The eight-inch tubeless tires look like they've been ripped from a Mars rover, and the dual-range, 14-speed gearing configuration permits unparalleled torque; supposedly making it possible to pull/carry up to 300 lbs of cargo.
Dan Hanebrink not only sketched and composed the design of this bike, but developed many of the custom components. Besides his past as a champion cyclist, and pioneer of mountain bike suspension-systems, the man is a NASA aerospace engineer–enough said. Yet, I do believe, that while any PhD in engineering leads to things making more physical sense, the bit of creativity that fosters such an “experiment” is paramount. I have no doubt that Dan's ingenuity results in-part from his simple desire to ride bikes, go fast (anywhere), and say, “Holy crap, it works!”
Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 43
Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 43
Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 107
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 109
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 111
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 112
Warning: strtotime() [function.strtotime]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 35
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 107
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 109
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 111
Warning: date() [function.date]: It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Los_Angeles' for 'PDT/-7.0/DST' instead in /home/hadar3/public_html/blog/wp-includes/functions.php on line 112
A Test Ride at NYCEWheels
Just a few days ago I payed a visit to NYCEWheels on the upper east-side. They're an “alternative transportation” shop, specializing in electric bikes, folding bikes, and both electric and kick scooters. Although I've always seen electric bikes cruising Manhattan, laden with pizza boxes and Chinese food, I have never had the chance to take one for a spin, and wondered what on earth “pedal-assistance” felt like. The guys (Mark) at NYCEWheels were more than happy to let me take a test ride and educate me in how it all worked.
My guinea-pig-bycicle was the Sanyo Eneloop; noted as one of the smoothest and most intuitive e-bikes on the market, equipped with three switchable pedal assist modes, internal hub gearing, and “energy loop” technology that regenerates battery power when the brakes are applied. Very cool. Style wise, the bicycle sported a “retro” look, which only half excited me. I admittedly prefer meaty tires, miles of suspension, and bikes that resemble Ferraris, but the performance of this one-hundred-percent asphalt cruiser was enough to keep me grinning the whole ride. With the first pedal the 250 watt motor kicked in and I simply took off, gliding down York St., cursing with excitement.
Designed for comfort touring the Sanyo Eneloop rode likewise. It accelerates smoothly and maxes out around 18 mph. The various speeds and settings permit effortless power transfer and pedaling ease, seemingly preventing any chance of leg fatigue no matter the distance. Any considerable bumps and divots in the road did prompt some serious frame rattle, but that's what you expect from a rigid ride–and the cushy throne of a saddle kept me from feeling a thing. I even brought it off road on a hilly green in Carl Shurz park, and while the bike bucked, out of it's element, it had no problem getting to the top.
This particular electric bike is one of the top in its class. At fifty pounds, its considerably lighter than many other lithium-ion battery equipped bicycles, showcases some of the best technology in the field, and boasts a high distance per charge ratio–roughly twenty miles on a full four hour charge, depending on terrain, power mode, and energy-loop regeneration. It is not the cheapest choice at 2,295 bucks, but still less than models reaching four grand.
There are a lot of electric bikes on the market, sporting a wide range of custom specs and design, and the numbers are increasing with the popularity. Mark noted that more and more people were investing in the bikes, which after my test ride, came as no surprise. It was just plain fun. Now if I can only find that race-car aesthetic and bomber components, my trusty sport-wagon may be getting a bit less use.
Check out NYCEWheels at 1603 York Ave, and let the friendly staff set you up with a free test ride.
