Pure Cycle’s Volta will get you Thinking about E-Bikes

Can you ever get enough of bikes?

I know your answer is no because you wouldn’t have read this far.

Having the means to own every bike imaginable is a dream only a few of us, like Robin Williams, can actualize.

The rest of us have to be discerning and judiciously choose how many bikes our budget / marriage can handle.

I would have laughed at my former self years ago had I ever thought I’d ride a steel bike built up for road trips, but here I am today.

So, the thought of ever owning an electric bike was the furthest thing from my mind, but my thinking started to shift a year ago.

I was part of a small Hollywood Reporter ride led by editor Peter Flax who many know from Bicycling Magazine fame.

On the ride, Patrick Dempsey came along on his electric assist Specialized and couldn’t stop praising his love for it.

 

HollywoodReporterRide

I’m marveling at Patrick Dempsey marveling his e-bike.

 

I had a whatever attitude because I was still dismissive about those bikes and maybe also because my wife had a crush on him too.

But a short time after, Peter got an e-bike for himself and had no regrets replacing his road bike on his daily commute.

Slowly, I started noticing more and more of these bikes and finally started to drop my pissiness on it all.

There were times where I wished I had one of those bikes not just because I needed a non-sweaty way of getting around, but I’d be damned if I had to pay parking too.

I know if I’m ever going to get an ebike, I want the bike to be as convenient as possible so I can just get on and go.
 

 

When I happened to be at Pure Cycles (818 represent!) a couple of weeks ago, my eye caught a bike I that looked familiar from the internet, but couldn’t place where.

Michael told me there were a few teases out there and they were about to release this brand new e-bike.

I wasn’t too shy to ask for a test ride and Michael more than eager to let me at it.

This first thing you’ll notice with its 22″ wheels is that the bike as a whole smaller than your average roadie, but this is an e-bike world where you’ll be thankful for it.

 

PureVolta02

The Single-Speed Belt Drive option feels just like a regular chain.

 

The Volta only weighs 35 lbs. which is super light for anything with a battery and motor.

I always think about how I’m getting a bike on a car rack and how easy it is for my wife to take it on the subway.

The rack at the front is pretty convenient because you’ll use it and it’ll save you the trouble of adding an aftermarket add-on.

What I didn’t notice was the built on front and rear lights which is extremely handy since I normally have to shift mine from bike to bike.

The bike also comes equipped with a GPS tracker, so if someone tries to get away, they’re not going to get very far.

Oh yes, the ride.

If you’ve never pedaled on one of these bikes before, they’ll grab you right from the start.

The pedal assist gives you an instant turbo boost which is way faster than anything you’ll achieve on a roadbike.

It’s surprising. It’s an adjustment. But you’ll love it.

 

PureVolta03

The rack is pretty classy too.

 

Because you’ll hit a pretty good speed rather quickly, you’ll find the ride smooth and fun as you feel more like coasting than hauling ass.

You can travel 20 to 40 miles on a charge depending on what power mode you’re on which in either case should be plenty.

This bike really does all that I need it to do: be an efficient commuter that I don’t have to worry about locking up, detaching accesories and can easily throw it on my car if need be.

The Volta is available now on kickstarter at a pretty good discount next to what people will pay down the line and while there’s already been an overwhelming amount of support for this project, the earlier you get in, the better.

If you even want to test it out on your own, come to the Draft – People for Bikes event on Thursday, March 30th hosted over at Pure Cycles

With traffic rising and parking places harder to find, everyone knows that the future is going to see a lot more electric bikes.