[leadin]Its Kickstarter video plays like an episode of “Portlandia,” and the happy-cruiser aesthetic of its bikes may not appeal to core riders. But San Francisco’s Faraday Bicycles continues to draw interest from city riders looking for a different way to commute.[/leadin]
The electric-assist bike has a 250W front-hub motor to aid in climbing hills. It adds significant speed as you pedal, letting you travel further and exert less energy doing it.
A big selling feature is “get to work without breaking a sweat.” The battery gives 25 miles of power-assisted riding.
Called the Cortland, the bike comes to market this summer. It’s offered for pre-sale on Kickstarter now through the end of the month.
The step-through style frame “aims to bring more women into the electric bike market,” the company notes.
Adam Vollmer, Founder and CEO of Faraday Bicycles, said a “step-through model, which in the United States is usually known as a ‘ladies’ model, will help us reach even more women.”
The steel-frame bikes come with built-in LED headlights and taillights, bamboo fenders, an 8-speed Shimano Alfine hub, Gates Carbon belt drive (instead of a chain), and leather grips.
They come in a couple configurations and are not cheap, starting at $1,999.
A “parent pack” option (see image below) comes with the Cortland bike and kid accessories, including a rear rack, a child bike seat, and a Nutcase kids helmet.
Faraday launched five years ago with its original model. The company notes hundreds of its Porteur e-bikes were sold and are in use in cities around the world.
Lightweight for an e-bike, and possessing a more streamlined look than most models in the category, the Porteur was touted to “blur the lines between ‘electric’ and ‘bicycle.'”
They are shipped fully assembled. You can buy one, roll it out of the box, and ride away.
We like the look of both Faraday models as well as the company’s goals of increasing ridership by offering an alternative, albeit high-end, e-bike option.
–Check out Faraday Bicycles and the Cortland on the brand’s Kickstarter or at Faradaybikes.com.
