Black Friday Deals on Bicycles

Well folks, Black Friday is coming fast an while it has been usually (at least for me) associated with deals on electronics, there are plenty of good stuff to be had on bikes as well.  

Fezzari is adding to the deals list one of their performance mountain bikes — Nebo Peak X.O!  The Doorbuster deal is:

  • $900 off from their on-line direct price (not from MSRP)
  • plus a FREE quick stand (estimated at $259

Fezzari also has a deal on one of their performance road bikes Fore C3 Dura Ace Silver.  The deal is:

  • $300 price reduction off the direct price again
  • Free Shimano Ultegra pedals plus cleaning kit estimated at $248 for the kit

Fezzari Nebo Peak          Fezzari  Fezzari Cascade Peak 

This next one is also a very good deal:  Fezzari Cascade Peak 2013 – price reduction of $750 off the direct price!

You can also get deals on Fezzari jerseys, helmets, bike racks… Good stuff!

 

 

Austin Fall and Sunsets

Folks, this posting will not be anything that is biking related – at least at first sight… Although if you go on your bike these days around Austin and the surrounding areas you are bound to experience similar images.   So here we go – some good photos (I think) of November sunsets and November colors in Austin.  Enjoy!

Sunset in Austin

Another Austin Sunset

Another sunset

Austin  Fall Colors

 

Electric Bicycles Abound – Next One…

We continue the introductions to new electric bicycles — Earlier in the week I posted a summary on the new Specialized Electric Mountain Bike – the Turbo S – and mentioned another bike that has been rolled out – the Polaris Vector.  The Vector uses the 450W motor drive system — which can be positioned as either a mid-drive or rear hub placement.  Similar to the Specialized Turbo, Polaris has placed the battery in the frame of the bike.

Polaris electric bike  

The drive system on this bike is very interesting as it offers multiple modes although the mid-drive positioning is a potential problem if you are going through a rough terrain – where rocks can hit the assembly.   Another potential issue you may find is that this bike offers top speed of only 18mph!  I was very surprised at that rating as the Specialized for example was rated at 45mph…so all in all if you are looking for a speed bike — well, the Polaris may not be your choice.

Finally, the price of this bike — well it is not low, given its characteristics – set at a MSRP of $2499.99 – I love this, such a big ticket item, yet, it is being priced to the second decimal place 🙂  go figure!

The bikes coming up next for a quick review are the Felt electric bikes – the mountain bike series Nine-E… Here is the video to get you started before any further reviews:

Electric Bicycles Abound…

Well folks, it is true – I am coming across increasing number of bicycle designers and manufacturers that are bringing out electric bikes.  The more recent ones — that have been brought in the market — are models from Specialized, Polaris, to name a few.  Previously, I had posted on several new brands that were early to market — as in many other industries – the startups bring the new products to market first.  At any rate, here is the link to my earlier posting with several bike manufacturers being listed.

The new models in the market are:

                      Specialized                                                       Polaris

Specialized electric bike      Polaris Electric Bike

The Specialized Turbo S bike uses a Direct Drive rear hub motor and a battery that is integrated in the frame.  The motor provides drive and achieves speeds of up to 45miles-per-hour.   (Side note:  I have been able to get to ~42 miles-per-hour speed with my Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29 SL bike going downhill)

Here, I need to point out that the Specialized Turbo was specifically designed as an electric bike. The frame / battery are designed for this model, special charger was designed as well.  So a very large investment for the company.  The bike is pedelectric only – i.e. power is applied via the motor only when you are pedaling.  By using a torque sensor the bike system then applies varying degree of assist based on how hard you are pedaling rather than how fast.

I wonder how fast really this bike will go and of course what is the range of battery powered assist it will offer.  I could not find much of that on the Specialized.com web site.  One thing is for sure though — the price of the bike is very high — set at $5900!!!

In the next article (later this week) I will pull together a summary on the Polaris bike as well.

Austin Sunrise, Sunset, and Bike Lights

Now that the day light hours are shrinking fast we have to think about bike lights even more.  There are few things more dangerous on the roads of the city other than biking without proper lights on your bicycle and on your body.  But before we talk about some good choices for your bike ilumination, let's take a look at some very cool pictures…

Austin morning colors Austin Sunrise (Yes, this is a sunrise on a cool September morning)

Austin Sky -October 2013 And this then is a Sunset as seen from Barton Creek Rd

As you can tell from the photos above, the visibility could be pretty poor.  Here come in very handy a bunch of different LED based tail lights.  

The one I rely on in my biking recently is the Planet Bike BRT-3Tail light – a very good choice for your bike ride.  Why?  Here are its key characteristics:

  • 3 super bright LEDs (which contribute to the light's visibility)
  • Visible from approximately 2000 feet
  • waterproof design
  • Can be attached to your clothes or mounted on your seat post (with the supplied components

Planet Bike lights Two AA batteries power the light for about 200 hours

Well, that is it for time being.  If you would like to buy the light — I got mine via Amazon.com — here is the link:

   and an alternative choice  / oprtion:  

Enjoy your rides!