I’ll admit, I don’t know all that much about bicycles, but I respect them as extremely clever transportation machines, and think they definitely have a place here on our little transportation-focused computer-web-internet-nook. But even as someone outside the bicycle-geek community, I can still appreciate what appears to be a genuine, unmitigated shitshow. And the Reevo e-bike definitely seems to be such a shitshow.
The Reevo hubless e-bike was the result of an IndieGoGo campaign that raised over $6.7 million for the project, which, to give credit where due, did result in developing a product to the point where products were actually shipped.
Of course, far fewer of those products were actually built and shipped, with only about 150 getting delivered of the 2,700 that were ordered, and then the company seems to have disappeared. Their website definitely has.
Still, it did sure look cool with those mind-bending hubless wheels, and it had lots of fun tech, like fingerprint locks and automatic LED brake and turn signal lamps. The promo videos sure make it look cool, right? Look:
That’s all fun, but let’s get back to the shitshow.
I was clued into the Reevo’s shitshowmanship by some posts on the internet referring to a review of the e-bike by noted bicycle Youtuber Berm Peak. This review is one of those rare and beautiful reviews where someone who knows their subject matter well is presented with a complete fiasco of a product, something that has that magical combination of being overpriced, overhyped, under-engineered, and, as a bonus, quite dangerous.
It’s the total package, and maybe just watch it before we go any further.
Wow, right? That’s all pretty stunning. This bike absolutely seems to have been designed based on what looked the most cool as opposed to anything that may have made it a, you know, good bike instead of an overcomplicated pile of crap. And hats off to Berm Peak for making a really unflinching video that I think manages to be fair to the bike while not shying away from showing all of its considerable failings.
There are just so many incredibly lousy things about the bike: it’s heavy, has incredibly high rolling resistance, is noisy as hell, and based on the video it seems like we’re talking near car-levels of noise from this thing, but in bicycle spaces and contexts, which has to make it seem even louder.
And then there’s the astonishing part where if you are off the bike and pushing it, like happens often when you’re riding a bike, if you get it going at even the sort of slightly quick clip one may use while walking a bike across a street, the electric motor engages and the bike wants to just take off on its own, which is genuinely dangerous.
Oh and the brakes! Dear lord, what miserably inadequate brakes! This bike is heavy and capable of some real speed thanks to the electric motor, but check out the brakes it has:
I’m pretty sure the Huffy I pedaled around in 1978 had the same basic brake setup. and, thanks to that cool-looking hub, you can’t have anything really better like disc brakes, because there’s no axle to mount the disc onto!
Most of these problems stem from the fundamental decision to have those cool-looking sci-fi hubless wheels, which may seem futuristic but really are pretty inane, seeing as how bike wheel hubs are about as perfected a technology as anyone could want, and if spokes really bother you then, well, maybe cycling isn’t for you.
These things cost about $2,000 so it’s not like they were a bargain, by any means, either. The whole things is such an incredible example of how designing something just to have a certain sort of futuristic look by no means equates to something that is actually better; in fact, it often means making poorly-considered sacrifices to an aesthetic that impair the final product significantly.
Oh, that reminds me, if anyone would like to send me a medal or perhaps a Taco Bell gift card for my incredible, near superhuman restraint at not comparing this pile to a Tesla Cybertruck, you can send those to me, care of Autopian Headquarters, 15 Bottom of Mariana Trench Blvd. Pacific Ocean, 81009.
You’re welcome.
I see 8 different injection molded parts. Cost range: 10-30k. Total cost: $250k minimum. $30 each piece for the first 1000 pieces each would come to another $250k. That’s just plastic. The bearings, to get that diameter to a finish that makes sense and is strong enough, is two metal disks each at (and being conservative) $300. 1000 bikes worth is $1,200,000. We have not gotten to the frame, motor, electronics, app development, etc….
$6.5 million is EEEEAAASY to blow through.
I only did this as a thought experiment for what I might think this project would cost to see if it was feasible (to me). I don’t know who these people were, but I can imagine getting completely overwhelmed and over enthusiastic about the project while losing control of cost. This will only lead to this outcome, sadly. I feel bad for those that lost hard earned money.
I’m not a bike guy, so I didn’t expect to watch that entire video, but man I just couldn’t stop! What a steaming pile!
Given the extreme resistance and the noise, I have to wonder if without the phone connected and talking to the computer in the bike, if it is stuck in some mode where it is constantly regeneratively braking. Maybe regen is supposed to provide a lot of the braking action when it’s working properly? I just can’t wrap my head around it being THAT bad. But then again this IS the USA, where separating fools and money is an art form.
Not the first hubless design and unfortunately probably not the last.
I bought a moped back in the 80s. It had pedals and a motor. No way you could pedal the bike. This was clearly designed for investment and never be productive. First a motorcycle acceleration handle would turn acceleration off. This guy is using an obvious scam to create click bait
I watched the video last night.
One word: St00pid!
This crap excuse for a bicycle reminds me of some silverware a local restaurant bought a while back: Flat spoons. What?
Where do they find engineers who have never seen or used common, proven and well-designed products?
Every engineer here (including me) has stories of products that were most certainly enshitified by not-the-engineers.
The same place where VW found the people to design all the interior UI and controls for the ID.4. I’m convinced none of them have actually ever daily-driven an automobile.