This project took months – mostly because I’ve been so busy. But finally, she is here, the “Firefly” Big Dummy: Here are the details:Surly Big Dummy 20″ frameset. Front eZee hub motor. Rear Nuvinci continuous variable gearhub. Single speed Surly Mr Whirly crankset. Dimension cruiser bars (a bit more angled out than the Nitto bars, which I like). Xtracycle longtail kit. Blue down low glow. Monkeylight front wheel spoke light.

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Today I finished my Surly Big Dummy build up. I’ll post about that in more detail soon (with pictures). Before that, I’d been riding a Yuba Mundo recently, with one of the new BMC V2 motors. That V2 motor has a top speed of about 28mph at 36V, and higher still at 48V. It is very fast. But, the Yuba is geared such that its fastest gear only allows pedaling at about 17 mph.

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Recently there was a lively discussion over on the Rootsradicals mailing list about energy usage and electric bikes. There was debate about whether it takes more energy to run a bike by electric power or leg power. While the debate was all well and good, it sidesteps the bigger picture. Biking in any form, whether by leg power, electric power, or both, is a far more energy efficient endeavor than driving a car. Depending on how

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Well, a lot of this blog seems to be about serious stuff, from environment to energy to happenings in our shop. But, as with everyone, we need to have a little fun from time to time. One of the things Morgan likes to do for fun is build up mountain bikes and ride them. Her last project was her classic Fat Chance Yo Eddy rebuild. But that was a year ago. So it was time for a new project… We’ve

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We just returned from our train trip, and found that Greg had the store in good order. Most of all, we have a lot of new products on the floor. We’ll be expanding the website a bit to go into more detail, but here is a brief rundown: • Bicycle cargo trailers from Bob and Burley, to carry groceries, camping gear, hardware, whatever… we have both kinds of trailers in stock as of today, and if there is demand, we

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So I’m in China.  Bicycles are everywhere here, still a lot of people use them for transportation.  Last night I saw a guy riding his bike with 3 mattresses on his back!  It was an amazing balancing act, and a testament to the determinedness of the people. But car use is on the rise.  Here there are many car ads, and cars are seen as a wealth and status symbol – a sign of the good life. Every

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Batteries are the lynchpin of an electric assist (or Pedelec) bike. We’re excited to now be testing a new Lithium Ion Phosphate pack that is the slickest one we’ve seen in this new chemistry. For more information on battery chemistries, have a look at our FAQ . The short story is that these batteries are light, safe, they last a very long time, and they are environmentally friendly. They have a big upfront cost, but they will more than

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