BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
German car manufacturer Audi has released spy shots of a concept ‘electric bike’, said to weigh just 21 kilograms.
Though details are thin on the ground at present, we do know that Audi recently bought out motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, but instead of placing its logo on a motorbike straight away, has produced a 26-inch wheeled concept with a carbon fibre frame.
The range is believed to be around 50 to 70km per charge and the top speed a whopping (and potentially illegal should it go into production) 80km/h. The motor can generate 250Nm of torque to the rear wheel, (that’s more torque than one of these according to stuff.co.nz) so thankfully it’s come equipped with hydraulic disc brakes.
The e-bike, like many others hitting the market, has ‘modes’, ranging from ‘pure’ (just pedal power), through to ‘wheelie’ – a setting designed specifically to modulate the power to the back wheel while the front is in the air. Sat in the middle is ‘eGrip’, the setting that’ll deliver maximum power from the battery to generate 50km/h.
Other gadgets built in include wireless communications to the rider’s smartphone, an immobiliser that can only be worked by the owner and the ‪Pièce de résistance‬, a computer that records the number of successful tricks pulled and posts that tally to Facebook.
