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One hundred years ago no one would have imagined such a bicycle!
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A bike that turns you into an olympic athlete when you need to be one ? ? ?
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A bike that's fun to ride up hills ? ? ?
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The legendary "bionic" bike. |
The Charger is perhaps the most advanced vehicle ever designed for personal use! Both the electronic and mechanical control you have, make this bike the greatest!
The Shimano 7 speed internal hub transmission, activated by the Revo twist shifter...gives you a wide range of gears, to further let you choose how much (or little) you wish to struggle! Try down-shifting at a stop sign on any other e-bike...or pedaling in any gear with no motor drag whatsoever!
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The Charger is back and more affordable than ever!
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We've been selling the Chargers from our California locations for some time! Hundreds have gone to US customers as well as to Europe, Japan, Australia, island nations, and even Africa.
Meanwhile we continue to evaluate designs for the "second generation Charger"...whatever we end up calling it. The "Mark II" will retain and improve on this fine bike's visionary design, which is still very much state of the art!
Any e-bike specialist will agree... a mid-drive, torque-sensing control system is very desirable even though it's more expensive than the more common on-demand or "pedalec" hub motor driven. Using an internal gear hub further improves the system since you can downshift at a standstill. An internal gear hub on e-bikes is a very rare bonus...and a $250-300 option on a non-powered bike.
Though it's rare customers require our help, to date we've continued to support the bikes to keep them operable. Unfortunately, many importers and even US e-bike distributors don't always support their bikes after they're sold. This forces their customers to try and adapt their bikes with a different motor controller or alternative battery. We have experienced many of these unfortunate seeking help. Sometimes we can help. Sometimes parts are just not available for them.
Our support has been non-stop, including a more recent offering of lithium battery for those who desire a lighter, longer lasting alternative (that is, with greater charge-recharge cycles over their lifespan). For many, the original lead acid batteries are adequate while less expensive and also lasting years for those less frequent riders that heed our battery care recommendations.
For 2023 the price of a new Charger bike is only $1050 with lead acid batteries, or $1250 with lithium iron phosphate batteries (otherwise known as LFP or LiFePO4)
Please note we did not offer lithium in part due to the higher risk of fire. After testing, in our experience the LFP chemistry is less apt to catch fire than the more volatile cobalt manganese type that's commonly used in e-bikes, e-scooters, and even cars. It's our understanding Tesla is now using the LFP type in their Chinese made cars, while the US made cars still use the cobalt type made near Reno, Nevada.
Though the cobalt type have a higher energy density per weight than the iron phosphate version, the cells are smaller which requires hundreds to power an automobile. This involves a more complex battery management system more prone to failure in our view and increases the number of cells, which means it's more likely one will cause havoc. For this reason also we continue to believe 24V systems are more reliable than higher voltage systems due to fewer cells. We only use 8 cells per pack.
The power of a motor is provided by the amperage (current), rather than voltage. It makes sense for cars to use high voltage to allow for thinner wires, but bikes? 24V is most reasonable in our view for a 1/2 horsepower system.
If the customer prefers to use lead acid now, or in the future, the pack retains its ability to charge lead batteries, which are more commonly available anywhere in the world and are not considered "D.G." (dangerous goods).
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