Here we go again: the nCycle is the first of what will hopefully be many new bicycle designs that will validate our measured optimism about electric bicycles in 2013. Designers Skyrill and Marin Myftiu are kicking off the new year with a new approach to bicycle design:
The vast majority of current e-bikes are still 100+ year old designs converted somehow to electric, and you can tell it just by looking at them; to most people they still are almost the same, odd mix of tubes and wires and the extra electric hardware adds up in quite a clumsy way... Our lifestyles and needs have dramatically changed since the late 19th century and these structures today are unnecessarily complicated and [do not offer] the extra functionality required in our digital age.
The result is a novel proposal for a bicycle frame that is constructed from a pair of side panels, which conceal a battery, storage compartment and an optional folding mechanism, as well as integrated safety and security features. Thus, the nCycle is intended to represent an electric conveyance that is "cheaper, sturdier, more flexible, easier to build and maintain."
