New e-cargobike on Kickstarter designed for women*, for $2K. Is it a mid-drive (as pictured) or hub-drive (as stated)? Dunno.
https://insideevs.com/news/692145/maven-cargo-ebike-for-women-by-women/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/integral-electrics/the-maven-cargo-e-bike
*i have no cred with which to evaluate this claim
@bikepedantic It kinda looks like it has a mid-drive motor but there must be something else going on there based on the description & FAQ IMO. Guess the motor's on the rear wheel
@bikepedantic I really like this concept. I already bought a small cargo bike (Flyer Folding Cargo Bike) for my small & female body and 2 things I really want are not addressed here: Shorter reach to the handlebars and lighter weight so that MAYBE I can move it. The Flyer I have has the lighter weight but the handlebar reach is still farther than I'd like.
I do like that the cargo rack is 24" high on this Maven. Mine is 26" high, which is lower than many but another 2" lower sounds great.
@bikepedantic Oh I forgot to mention the low step. That's great, but also once you have 20" tires the step through isn't going to be very high anyway. But that is nice so:
🟩 Low step frame
@xiann @bikepedantic But did they take the opportunity to shorten the cranks so us shortstacks don't have to fold our knees up with every pedal stroke?
I know longer cranks = more torque, but when you're 5'0"/a buck ten, torque's not really an issue, esp. if you've got the motor to help.
@DrTCombs @bikepedantic 💯 this is a great point, I hadn't even gotten there yet in the hierarchy of short person bike needs!
@bikepedantic Yeah totally. A nice low center of gravity is great, but this bike would do better to combine more of the things that a person with a small frame would want:
🟩 Low center of gravity
🟨 Smaller tires
🟥 Lighter weight
🟥 Upright riding posture even for people with shorter arms
I'm giving them a mid-grade on the small tires, because they really DON'T have to be fat tires. Midsize tires would make this bike lower & lighter.