[NBR] Has anyone seen the Jetson Bike (electric scooter)?

[un_designer]

Battery operated, pretty light, larger wheels, but only goes up to 20mph yikes... Neat in that it doesn't use gas, but pretty impractical IMO. Still, I'm curious how it rides...

http://jetsonbike.com/

[scootavaran]

Looks kinda cool.

[2wheelNsanity]

Awesome, now all they need to do is improve the range. I know this is a difficult thing to do with the limited size of a scooter, but if the range was 100 mi. that would be great. My personal thoughts on an ecofriendly scoot is hydrogen fuel cell, now that would be cool.

[Swordsman]

Know what else goes 20 mph?

A bicycle.

~SM

[TVB]

Know what else goes 20 mph?
A bicycle.

I can't sustain 20mph for 40 miles on a bicycle, though.

They're calling it an "electric bike" (it's just styled similar to a scooter), and judged as such, it looks fairly practical to me. Just rather pricey.

[Swordsman]

Know what else goes 20 mph?
A bicycle.

I can't sustain 20mph for 40 miles on a bicycle, though.

They're calling it an "electric bike" (it's just styled similar to a scooter), and judged as such, it looks fairly practical to me. Just rather pricey.

If they're saying it'll do up to 20 mph and up to 40 miles, then it will do neither at the same time (unless they specifically say so, I didn't actually read it). All the electric bikes/cars I've ever seen stats for, they list the 2 maximums, and it's always a trade off one way or the other. So, if you want 40 miles, you may have to ride at 13mph, or if you want to go 20mph, you may only make it 20 miles.

Again, this is based on all the others I've researched, not the Jetson in particular.

~SM

[jasondavis48108]

The problem is that it looks like a scooter. Around here you can not ride a moped or scooter in a bike lane. At 20mph you wouldn't be very safe in traffic.

[heatherkay]

I hope it makes the Jetson space car noise as you zip around.

[k1dude]

I hope it makes the Jetson space car noise as you zip around.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I would be all over it if it made the Jetson's space care noise!!! That would be too cool!

Realistically, those electric bikes are pretty worthless. They've been around for years and never seem to gain traction because of price, speed, and range problems. If they sold for $500, I think you'd begin to see them everywhere.

[Syd]

Worthless or not, if some guy put his foot on my front fender I'd put my foot somewhere he wouldn't like too!

[un_designer]

There is an interesting issue of perception around this hybrid scooter-bike category, that I think no one's been able to figure out yet.

Basically, people who ride bicycle are doing it because it's a bicycle aka self-pedaling. Yes there are electric-assist bicycles, but usually it's a bulky and heavy addition that makes the pedaling part more challenging. Bicycle people wouldn't want to buy it. Non-bicycle people who like the idea of a bicycle that pedals itself may, but I get the feeling that the reality is that those people probably wouldn't be bicycling much even if they bought one.

The other approach, which the Jetson Bike takes, is to make it look less like a bicycle and more like a moped/scooter. That mopeds & scooters are not the same thing is often lost on the general public, but it's more or less a non-issue because the issue of perception really only has to do with self-powered vs. powered two-wheeled vehicles.

But then, the problem with the Jetson Bike and others like it is speed and range. In the US at least, getting anywhere that's not just around-the-block requires one to be on streets that go faster than 20mph. 25mph and 30mph seems to be the minimum speed for the majority of our roads. Topping out at 20mph is quite impractical, if not down-right dangerous, depending on who else one is sharing the roads with.

It's a difficult problem to solve, because solutions like the Jetson Bike doesn't quite have an idea of the problem it's trying to solve or the niche it's trying to fill. Is it supposed to be a densely-urban mode of transport? If so why would anyone get this over a scooter since both will have to be parked like one anyway. It's 175lbs so one can't really store or transport it in the same way as a bicycle. It has limited range, so longer distances are out of the question as well.

Don't get me wrong... I am very happy that these experiments are happening and that there are people out there excited to bring these alternative forms of transportation to us all. I am a big believer for the appropriate form of transportation for the task. We have a city car, a long-distance/mountain-driving car, 1 scooter, 3 crappy around-town bicycles, 1 nicer bicycle, and of course my own two feet. Each one is optimized for a type of transportation need.

I wouldn't mind having something like the Jetson Bike in the arsenal, but I have a really tough time figuring out which need it covers. I think that's the problem startups like Jetson Bike face. It's a tough sell because consumers will have a difficult time figuring out how such a product would fit into their daily lives.

[un_designer]

I hope it makes the Jetson space car noise as you zip around.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I would be all over it if it made the Jetson's space care noise!!! That would be too cool!

Realistically, those electric bikes are pretty worthless. They've been around for years and never seem to gain traction because of price, speed, and range problems. If they sold for $500, I think you'd begin to see them everywhere.

Oh, you can get it for $500 off via UrbanDaddy if you are so inclined to get one and provide us with a review heheheh.

[TVB]

If they're saying it'll do up to 20 mph and up to 40 miles, then it will do neither at the same time (unless they specifically say so, I didn't actually read it). All the electric bikes/cars I've ever seen stats for, they list the 2 maximums, and it's always a trade off one way or the other. So, if you want 40 miles, you may have to ride at 13mph, or if you want to go 20mph, you may only make it 20 miles.

OK, but either of those is still better than the typical person can do on a bicycle, and a bicycle can be a perfectly practical form of personal transportation. Maybe it wouldn't be fast enough or far enough for your needs, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be enough for someone else. For example, my former bike commute was 10 miles round-trip, which I did at a cruising speed (between stops) of 15mph... this would have been perfect for that.

[TVB]

But then, the problem with the Jetson Bike and others like it is speed and range. In the US at least, getting anywhere that's not just around-the-block requires one to be on streets that go faster than 20mph. 25mph and 30mph seems to be the minimum speed for the majority of our roads. Topping out at 20mph is quite impractical, if not down-right dangerous, depending on who else one is sharing the roads with.

Then how do bicyclists manage it? This thing is roughly the size and shape and speed of a self-pedaling bicycle, and while it's true that even a lot of scooterists fly into a homicidal rage (or if they're generous, contempt) at the notion of anything that goes slower than them, a lot of bicyclists still pull it off. City planners are even starting to consider accommodating them.

You have a sound point that this vehicle is neither fish nor fowl, and suffers from a perception problem as a result of that. But if people set those preconceptions aside and evaluated whether this might be enough to meet some of their needs, and to use this in those cases instead of something "more", I think our society would be better off, using less resources. Instead, we tend to think about what the most vehicle we'll ever need is, buy that, and then use it for everything... instead of (for example) an electric bike, a motorcycle, and a truck; or a bicycle, a scooter, and a car; and then using the "least necessary vehicle" for each trip.

[un_designer]

Being a driver, scooterist, and a bicyclist myself... I think that the difference has to do with where it's ridden and who's around.

As a bicyclist I share the road, but usually along side (to the side of) traffic. The law, at least here in CO, states that I am permitted to take over the entire lane if it's a narrow road where it is not safe to ride along side traffic.

Scooters, otoh, are supposed to ride IN traffic. I've heard someone say that scooters under 50cc are allowed to ride in the bike lane or along the side of the road where bicycles usually ride, but I'm not sure how truthful that is. If someone else knows the definitive answer please chime in.

So that's the law. On the more practical side of things, yes many municipalities are starting to recognize modes of transportation other than a car, and are making necessary adjustments. Yay! Bicycle lanes are great. Dedicated bicycle lanes separated from vehicular traffic are even better. Scooter/motorcycle parking, bike racks... all great ways to encourage and normalize the idea of multi-mode transportation.

Not to be cheese or anything, but that old saying of "If you build it they will come" has a lot of truth to it. Many people are intimidated by the idea being on a bicycle or a scooter in a world dominated by 3,000lb cars. The road infrastructure for the majority of this country is built to accommodate cars, not bicycles or scooters. The built environment can and do have major effects on our perceptions and frame-of-mind. Changes and updates in the road infrastructure to indicate that the roads aren't just for cars DO get people to consider other forms of transportation, because they DO make it a safer and (perceptually less scary) experience.

[theflash784]

It is sharp looking but there would be a problem taking it on the road. You would have to ride it on the road as it would be considered a motor vehicle but because it only does 20 mph, you would also need one of those slow moving vehicle triangles on it. You couldn't ride on the shoulder like a bicycle.

[amy]

For $1800 I'd rather buy a scooter.

[user777]

Hello
I should have bought scooter instead of this bike. I used jetsonbike couple of times and my batteries are already bed. It goes for one block and then it dies. it is still under 1 year warranty. I have called customer service and left many VM messages and sent emails. No one is getting back to me....This is crazy. I am calling them every day for two weeks already. They only available when you buy from them, but when you need to fix it- no one is available.....Dont know what to do now....Who should I contact or complain about it?

Please let me know what should I do. I mean I spent a lot of money and now I have nothing....

[amy]

Did you recharge the batteries?



If its really not working, I'd call the Better Business Bureau and ask them what to do.

[jrsjr]

For $1800 I'd rather buy a scooter.

I hear that. In this economy, $1800 can buy a very nice used scooter or even a serviceable used motorcycle. I agree with the others who think this electric thing isn't worth that much money.

[Stitch]

Just so I understand. It's a 125 lb electric moped that looks like a kymco people 150, for $2000?

[Robbie]

I haven't seen that one but I did follow and try to get the name off a rather large electric scooter last week......he turned on another road.....no joy.

Rather large means about the size of a Honda Silver Wing.

A fair amount of whine sounds......I don't know it it was motor or gear drive and may have been designed in to help pedestrians hear it.


Haven't seen it since and I have been looking.

Rob

[az_slynch]

I haven't seen that one but I did follow and try to get the name off a rather large electric scooter last week......he turned on another road.....no joy.

Rather large means about the size of a Honda Silver Wing.

A fair amount of whine sounds......I don't know it it was motor or gear drive and may have been designed in to help pedestrians hear it.


Haven't seen it since and I have been looking.

Rob

Vectrix?

[Robbie]

Az?

I didn't get a great look at it but I did get a fair look.......I think you got it with Vectrix.......It kinda looked like the name began with a V.......rather racy font made it hard to differentiate the letters.

I'll google a bit.

Rob


Found it!

Yep Az, you are correct.....thats the bike I was chasing.
Big sucker too!

Rob

[az_slynch]

Az?

I didn't get a great look at it but I did get a fair look.......I think you got it with Vectrix.......It kinda looked like the name began with a V.......rather racy font made it hard to differentiate the letters.

I'll google a bit.

Rob


Found it!

Yep Az, you are correct.....thats the bike I was chasing.
Big sucker too!

Rob

Rob, it's an impressive bike. One went round the world in 80 days during the Zero Emissions Race. Here's a link to the team:

http://www.team-vectrix.de/

[ericalm]

Smells like trademark infringement.

[makeaclick]

Silver Jetson Bike................. We Love it............ Takes both of us every where between 18 -20 mph.............

[wheelbender6]

I would add an electric kit to a bicycle, rather than purchasing an electric scooter IMHO. E-bicycles are lighter and you can pedal to increase speed or range.

[neotrotsky]

It looks "OK", and the 20mph speed isn't a big deal if your city has established bike lanes/decent bike culture. Downtown Phoenix is getting better about bicycles, but the rest of the Valley's roads make riding this suicide on the major streets.

I like it well enough, but it is true about the price: $1800 is just too much for Americans to spend on what won't be daily transportation. The quality may be there, but in the US, they just don't view these as "real" transportation devices.

But, again... looks aren't too bad.

[wheelbender6]

I used to live in the Phoenix suburbs and the traffic was very fast. Speed limit was 45mph on Elliot Rd but it was not uncommon to be passed by cars doing 60mph. Are you able to use the E-scooter in the bike lanes? I thought you could if your e-scoot had pedals. That would make it much more comfortable.

[neotrotsky]

I used to live in the Phoenix suburbs and the traffic was very fast. Speed limit was 45mph on Elliot Rd but it was not uncommon to be passed by cars doing 60mph. Are you able to use the E-scooter in the bike lanes? I thought you could if your e-scoot had pedals. That would make it much more comfortable.

I've seen everything from those "go-ped" skateboards with a weed-eater engine to tweaker-bikes with those crappy Chinese 2-stroker engines on them in the bike lanes. At least in Mesa/South Scottsdale/AJ the cops don't care. Then again, ride this "Jetson" bike in any of those areas expect to get robbed and have this bike jacked in less than an hour.

But, true... surface streets here are insane compared to most cities (LA included). I've had the Agility pegged out and STILL was not able to keep up with some traffic on surface streets. The freeways are 70mph minimum here

[Milt]

"Swordsman wrote:
Know what else goes 20 mph?
A bicycle. Wink

TVB answered, "I can't sustain 20mph for 40 miles on a bicycle, though."

Actually, the last time I rode from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins on my road (racing) bicycle, I averaged almost exactly 20 mph, but I did have a rather nice tail wind most of the way. Back when I was still racing, most of my training rides averaged between 20 and 25 mph and the 25 mile time-trial 'standard' was one hour back then.

While it may be true that most people would have a hard time averaging 20 mph, most reasonably fit cyclists can sustain 15 mph for quite a long time - rather farther than the 'Jetson' will take you...

[TVB]

While it may be true that most people would have a hard time averaging 20 mph, most reasonably fit cyclists can sustain 15 mph for quite a long time - rather farther than the 'Jetson' will take you...

But how sweaty would I be at the end of that?

Don't get me wrong: I'm not gonna sell my bicycle any time soon. But I can imagine a good use for something like this as well. (Not all that different from my daily commute, in fact.)

[Milt]

"But how sweaty would I be at the end of that?"

Once you are in decent cardiovascular condition, not very sweaty at all - 15 mph on level ground is not that vigorous.

[TVB]

"But how sweaty would I be at the end of that?"

Once you are in decent cardiovascular condition, not very sweaty at all - 15 mph on level ground is not that vigorous.

I guess during the years when I was commuting to work every day on my bicycle I was (despite doing that) not in "decent" cardiovascular condition... because in warm weather I would inevitably work up a sweat by the time I got there/home. Not necessarily a stream-running-down-my-nose shirt-drenching sweat, but enough to be noticeable, and something I wanted to avoid (so I bought a scooter). Expecting someone to be at racing-fitness level to commute on a bicycle ... is willfully missing the point.

[Milt]

I was not, "willfully missing the point." but rather making the point that there are other options. My interest in racing came after becoming basically fit while doing a long (27 miles one way) bike commute. Being fit is never a bad thing, but to each their own...

[shar0119]

Here is a video of me disabling the speed controller on the Jetson Electric bike...it goes to 26Mph easily right away and it goes well over 30Mph downhill.

Disabling speed controller:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Od0aeM7oaI

Test ride after speed controller disabled:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_GjkZ3pw14

After the speed controller disabled, its a pretty nice electric bike.

[shar0119]

I used to live in the Phoenix suburbs and the traffic was very fast. Speed limit was 45mph on Elliot Rd but it was not uncommon to be passed by cars doing 60mph. Are you able to use the E-scooter in the bike lanes? I thought you could if your e-scoot had pedals. That would make it much more comfortable.

Yeah, I ride it up St. Alma School road and its a pretty nice ride. The cars actually have to stop for lights on T junctions where I don't have to so its pretty nice after disabling the speed controller on it.