Gary M. Kaye

Biking Goes Hi-Tech – New Technologies For Two Wheels

November 26, 2015 by Gary M. Kaye 2 Comments

By Gary Kaye.

At the Interbike tradeshow in Las Vegas, the biking industry showed off some amazing technologies to make biking easier, safer, and more fun.

Of course, if you are someone who thinks that a bike should be two wheels and no frills, you can probably skip this.

Shiftless

One of the tricky parts of today’s many speed bikes is shifting. Many bikes have gear sets with 27 or more gears. Some have as many as 81 (three in front, three in an internal rear cassette, and nine on the rear hub).

But now, three companies have various designs that streamline the process and make it far less intimidating. [Read more…]

EcoSpeed Launches Kickstarter to Ramp Up Production

September 22, 2014 by Gary M. Kaye 4 Comments

By Gary Kaye.

EcoSpeed, the Portland, Oregon based maker of mid-drive motor systems has launched a Kickstarter campaign and only ten days into the project says it had achieved 53% of its $75,000 goal.

According to EcoSpeed General Manager Brad Davis, “With just over twenty days to go, we’re feeling very good about reaching our goal.

The outpouring from existing and potential customers has been very gratifying.” Davis says that even though the company has built more than 450 systems over the past decade, it is hoping to take advantage of the huge surge in the e-bike industry by [Read more…]

Two for the Road – Review of Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell and Buckshot Bluetooth Speakers

October 13, 2013 by Gary M. Kaye Leave a Comment

By Gary Kaye.

For those of us who enjoy taking our tunes on the trail, there are a ton of options. Lots of companies are making Bluetooth speakers that either attach to your handlebars or fit into a water bottle cage.

Of course, there are performance variations as you’d expect, but one of the biggest challenges is in mounting. Any speaker, especially one that’s going to go off-roading, needs to be able to take a licking and keep on ticking (my apologies to Timex).

And that’s exactly what Outdoor Tech was aiming to do with two of its bike mountable Bluetooth speakers. [Read more…]

E-Bike News: New E-Bikes at Eurobike, Gates Drive Unchained, New E-Cargo Bike, Darfon’s Besv Thinks For Itself, & More! [VIDEOS]

August 29, 2013 by Gary M. Kaye 2 Comments

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We can barely keep track of the number of e-bikes that are making their world debut this week at the huge Eurobike Show in Germany. Only a few years ago, e-bikes were only an asterisk at this show, but now they’ve taken center stage.

The only real question is which of these beauties will make it to the U.S. market. We’ll have a better idea when we see who’s wheeling and dealing at [Read more…]

EVELO Aurora Electric Bike Review – One Smooth Ride

July 16, 2013 by Gary M. Kaye 11 Comments

By Gary M. Kaye from In the Boombox.

I had a chance to try out the EVELO Aurora, an e-bike with some very sweet features. EVELO makes three models. The Aurora is the middle of the line.

All their bikes feature a mid-drive motor, and all can operate either as a pedelec or fully throttle driven. The mid-drive motor is compact, efficient, and mounted high enough off the ground so clearance is not an issue if you want to go off-roading.

Since the power source doesn’t reside in the hub, it opens up the possibility of [Read more…]

Rough Road Ahead – The Electric Bike Battle in New York

June 3, 2013 by Gary M. Kaye 6 Comments

Electric bikes facing tough times in New York City.

Guest post by Gary M. Kaye.

Electric bikes, or e-Bikes, are illegal in New York State. Because they have motors they do not qualify as bicycles. Because they cannot be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles they are not vehicles.

For a decade the New York State legislature in Albany has unsuccessfully debated one bill after another that would change that. Now while that debate continues, at the other end of the Hudson River, a new ordinance approved by the New York City Council and signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made e-bikes even more illegal. (Can something be more illegal?) [Read more…]

Pimp My Ride! Garmin Montana 650t Review. A GPS for All Reasons in All Seasons

December 1, 2011 by Gary M. Kaye 2 Comments

The Garmin Montana 650t GPS

This is an article by Gary Kaye; a professional writer who is passionate about e-bikes. Check out Gary’s writing/marketing services at CompellingTelling.com.

I am a GPS geek. When I travel I carry a GPS for automobile navigation. I carry a handheld to find my way around trails and cities. A third sits mounted on my bike.

Now Garmin has come out with a device that handles all functions in one device. The Garmin Montana 650t is not elegant in appearance, but it is certainly elegant in functionality.

With a four inch diagonal color touchscreen and a [Read more…]

E-Bike Stories: Tale of the Bionic Granny

November 8, 2011 by Gary M. Kaye 3 Comments

This is an article by Gary Kaye; a professional writer who is passionate about e-bikes. Check out Gary’s writing/marketing services at CompellingTelling.com.

Connie Lauzon had always been an avid bike rider. But after having both knees and both hips replaced with artificial joints, the 75 year old grandmother was nervous about getting back on an upright bike.

She was afraid that one fall could have disastrous results. That was a problem since her kids had just bought her a brand new Canondale mountain bike.

Instead she started looking around for a [Read more…]

Lights, Camera, More Action – Contour+ HD Video Camera & TerraCycle Cockpit Mount Reviews

October 18, 2011 by Gary M. Kaye 1 Comment

This is an article by Gary Kaye; a professional writer who is passionate about e-bikes. Check out Gary’s writing/marketing services at CompellingTelling.com.

TerraCycle Cockpit Mount

TerraCycle Cockpit Mount

One of the problems with electric assist recumbent bikes and trikes is that there’s not just enough room to put stuff. We’re talking stuff like a camera, or GPS, cell phone, etc. But TerraCycle has come up with a unique system to put on almost as many add-ons as you can come up with. The TerraCycle Cockpit Mount system uses two clamps attached to a long tube and a short tube.

You can create a variety of configurations, and the dual clamps will allow you to mount with virtually any articulation to keep the gadgets clear of your knees and wheels. TerraCycle offers a variety of other clamps and mounts to further [Read more…]

Electric Bikes & The Law: A Sticky Situation. Recommend You Stay Informed.

October 9, 2011 by Gary M. Kaye 6 Comments

E-bikes banned on bike trails in Toronto Canada, via TheStar.com

This is an article by Gary Kaye; a professional writer who is passionate about e-bikes. Check out Gary’s writing/marketing services at CompellingTelling.com.

While the popularity of e-bikes is growing by leaps and bounds, the legislation regulating their use is years behind the times. The Federal government, all states, and many localities all have their own rules and regulations about the definition of an e-bike and how they can and cannot be used. For e-bikers, not only is it important to [Read more…]