E-bikes are alive, with more spinning and pumping oxygen into the market every day. One finds an endless variety to meet everyone’s needs: muscle, folding, minimalist, etc. Some are huge muscle bikes. Some are sleek, slim electric bikes. I found my unrivaled traveling companion in this one, a Superstrata sport-style e-bicycle. I bicycle every day […]E-bikes are alive, with more spinning and pumping oxygen into the market every day. One finds an endless variety to meet everyone’s needs: muscle, folding, minimalist, etc. Some are huge muscle bikes. Some are sleek, slim electric bikes. I found my unrivaled traveling companion in this one, a Superstrata sport-style e-bicycle.
I bicycle every day for miles. I can’t seem to miss a day since my first ride on the Superstrata. I immediately noticed a sense of compatibility and aerodynamic finesse. I feel cycling fires up circulation, especially in the nerve cells of my brain, even on e-bikes. I can feel it as soon as I take off, using a minimum of e-assist. Yes, scientists have confirmed what we cyclists intuitively and viscerally know: riding a bike has extraordinary effects on our bodies and our brain chemistry.
Even lifting the bicycle in and out of my EV was easy. I’ve done this before with other e-bikes on and off buses. It was a laborious, cumbersome undertaking. With no bicycle rack, I thought I’d try the Superstrata in the back of the BMW i3. It fits perfectly with the back seat down.
Superstrata and BMW i3. Image courtesy of Cynthia Shahan | CleanTechnica
The Superstrata is a lightweight, 3D-printed unibody carbon fiber composite bike. It’s especially light for a bicycle, with a powerful battery concealed inside the slim frame. Due to 3D-printing, one will get a fully customized electric bike. Although I appreciate the Blix, the Jetson, and the GenZe, the Superstrata lifts in and out, up and down, with such ease.
3D-printing and carbon fiber is the future. It seems immeasurably lighter than a steel frame. No rust, and it is recyclable. 3D printing the entire frame at once, makes this a perfect e-bicycle for increased urban mobility, for mass customization. It means no additional seams, bolts, adhesives, or joints exist in the frame.
I feel like I am achieving the ideal aerobic workout for the day, even though I hardly use electric assistance. Lindsey Hunt (Duvine) describes cycling as “neural fertilizer.” Continuing, the creation of a protein called BDNF stimulates the formation of new brain cells. In addition, scientists describe it as increasing all that good stuff in our brain cells, the grey matter, and cycling has also been shown to boost the brain’s white matter.
With the range of the Superstrata’s battery — approximately 55 to 60 miles on a charge — it would do fine getting to my local bicycle path. But there isn’t enough secure infrastructure. I’m in the mountains, and on narrow, treacherously curving roads. I’m hesitant to drive my electric vehicle at high speeds. So I drive to a local bicycle path. I give Tina credit for her commute. I do pass bicyclists and marvel at their fearlessness, and trust in the machines coming so close to them. “The rising rate of road deaths in the US continues to defy global trends.”
Supertrata provides buyers with a plethora of customization options. If only we had that much variety in public transportation. I prefer paths like the one below, which is typical of a more conscientious city. The following are some lessons that traffic planners in other countries could teach their American counterparts.
Wide protected bicycle path, Spain, courtesy of Mira Shahan, CleanTechnica
Yes, Europe quite often supplies what Sonny Vu, who heads Superstrata, and I, agree should be found in urban infrastructure. CityLab recently had a piece that caught the concept I prefer, Inside the Bicycle’s Conquest of Amsterdam, “In a city where bicycles outnumber humans, the omnipresence of the machines can be overwhelming.”
“You are here in the bike capital of the world,” Meredith Glaser announced to a gaggle of attendees at the Bloomberg CityLab conference in Amsterdam this week. More than 60% of trips in the city center happen on bicycles, she told us. As the director of the Urban Cycling Institute at the University of Amsterdam, Glaser helped develop an online course called Unraveling the Cycling City, which aims to explain how the Dutch transformed their transportation infrastructure to bring the bike to the top of the mobility food chain.”
Don’t stereotype the European bicyclist. I noticed the style shown below in many European urban areas, but was not able to catch a photo quickly enough.
It’s a lifestyle. #RideABike pic.twitter.com/ZI88llN2lU
— George Hahn (@georgehahn) October 28, 2022
With 5 levels of electric assist, the Superstrata bicycle is responsive and easy to maneuver. All are quite effective, though I rarely go beyond level 1. I enjoy the cardio component of the ride. However, if you are traveling a long distance, it is always nice to know that you will not have to work as hard on the way back. The battery doesn’t seem to drain for weeks the way I use the assist. Nonetheless, I am aware that it is providing me with an extra measure of speed.
Many of us ride bicycles for the sense of freedom and better health. There’s something to be said for getting out of the city and into nature. Because this is not a mountain bike for off-trail riding, I mostly stick to the paved path. If I want to go exploring in the fields, however, that electric assist gets me there more easily across leaves and dirt. Otherwise, I use a level 1, which provides the least amount of assistance and simply provides a quick boost of takeoff, similar to the instant torque of accelerating in an EV. The power-assist will propel you up to 32 kilometers per hour (20 mph).
The Superstrata in fields at Biltmore Estates, Image courtesy of Cynthia Shahan | CleanTechnica
And for the days when the cold wind blows a bit too hard against you, or as Tina Casey alludes, there is The Hill Of Doom, it is a bit more assisting, and on your way back home, the support of the e-assist is there. Wind? Hill? End of day? Turn it up.
- Brakes: Mechanical Disc Brakes
- Brake Rotors: 160mm
- Gears: 8 Speed
- Frame Colors: Black & White
- Frame Material: Thermoplastic Carbon Fiber Composite
- Rims: 700c
- Frame Weight: 1.3 kg / 2.8 lb (depending on the size)
- Total Weight: 7.5 kg / 16.5 lb (depending on the size)
E-bike-specific specs:
- Battery Capacity (Ion-only): 7Ah, 36v, 252 Wh
- Battery Cells (Ion-only): Samsung/Panasonic/LG
- Charge Time (Ion-only): 2 hours
- Estimated Max Range Per Charge: 96 km / 60 mi
- Motor Output (avg): 250 watts
- Motor Output (peak): 350 watts
- Motor Torque: 40 Nm
- Motor Location: Rear Hub Motor
Besides checking out the variety of Superstrata configurations, check into your state e-bike rebates.
Protected bicycle path, Image courtesy of Mira Shahan, CleanTechnica
Protected bicycle path, Image courtesy of Mira Shahan, CleanTechnica
Image courtesy of
Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality and cleantech news coverage? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
Don’t want to miss a cleantech story? Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Source: Clean Technica