Superstrata’s e-bike is an odd specimen — there’s no two methods about it.
In some ways in which is sensible; the bike’s idea, borne out in seamless 3D-printed carbon fiber, springs from an equally unusual premise. We’ll get into that.
Speaking to Sonny Vu, founding father of Superstrata’s dad or mum firm Arevo, the bikes have been crafted not out of a love of biking, however somewhat for the hunt for a climate-friendly city transportation resolution or any conventional justification for going to all the difficulty of creating an e-bike.
So Vu created the Superstrata e-bike (and its non-electrified counterpart) as a proof-of-concept for Arevo’s carbon fiber manufacturing course of. In that mild, how the bike wound up makes excellent sense — even when shopping for one in all probability doesn’t.
“Everybody thought we’re an e-bike firm, however we’re not. We’re a sophisticated manufacturing firm,” Vu informed TechCrunch. We actually can’t blame e-bike fanatics for being confused.
Superstrata is deep into what Vu calls “deep tech” — mainly manufacturing processes so innovative that they haven’t even proven up in shopper merchandise but. “This isn’t your typical 3D printing system — it’s constructed for industrial velocity and scale,” Vu stated.
Arevo, Superstrata’s dad or mum firm, is exploring aerospace functions sooner or later and probably UAVs. Superstrata and Arevo spun up the e-bike as a shopper proof-of-concept to fill the hole whereas they wade via the regulatory purple tape that defines extra complicated industries. The corporate’s bike frames are presently printed in Vietnam, although Vu has plans for print farms within the U.S. and Europe to scale back transport instances and usually make its complete carbon fiber printing operation extra environment friendly.
Picture Credit: TechCrunch
So, carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is one frontier of local weather know-how, promising fuel-saving light-weight supplies at the price of a reasonably power intensive manufacturing course of. Superstrata’s silky, unibody bike frames are made out of business grade 3D-printed thermoplastic carbon fiber composite somewhat than “thermoset” — a extra frequent polymer course of. Whereas Vu was desirous to dive into the technical benefits and the manufacturing course of, on the finish of the day what it’s essential know is: That is an e-bike and its body is made out of very fancy 3D-printed carbon fiber.
Right here’s the fundamental pitch. The Superstrata e-bike is a carbon fiber unibody bike that’s {custom} printed to fulfill your preferences, souped up with a 250W pedal-assist motor and shipped in an array of enjoyable prints and colours. The modern, angular design of the bike’s body and its conspicuous absence of a seat tube — the a part of the body that may usually circulate down from the place the seat sits — is pleasantly futuristic or downright odd, relying on who you ask.
A luxurious worth
Whereas early critics raised alarms about Superstrata’s lacking seat tube, which might usually join the highest tube and down tube to type a robust triangle form to carry the rider’s weight, Vu assured us that the one, seamless piece of carbon fiber was rated as much as 750 lbs. and greater than sturdy sufficient to carry a bike owner. Using the Superstrata, I wasn’t involved in regards to the power of the carbon fiber, although the potential for smoothing the journey with changes involving a seat tube are a missed alternative. The body is robust and the journey is stiff — and that’s simply how it’s.
(The body’s design is eye-catching even with out the lacking tube, and does bear some putting similarities to Greg LeMond’s excellent looking e-bike the Prolog. It’s potential that Superstrata printed these frames however the firm isn’t listed anyplace and so they do boast a way more conventional geometry.)
The lacking chunk of body turns heads, however Superstrata’s different aesthetic decisions additionally set the bike aside visually. The corporate is all about customization and that applies to the paint too. My overview unit was an intense purple, perhaps a periwinkle. Truthfully, as somebody who wears all black most days, the colour damage my soul a bit however my spouse discovered it interesting.
A number of the particular paint jobs you may order are very cool — together with two that seem like starry skies and one other designed to evoke the aurora borealis — however they’ll run you an additional $1,250. That additional value would get you many of the method to a extra inexpensive e-bike made by rivals like Charge or Rad Power. This isn’t a motorcycle for the pockets acutely aware (most of us).
Superstrata actually must take away these deceptive pattern photos with built-in lights. However: Cool paint.
That selection and different facets of the Superstrata really feel a bit “It’s one banana, Michael, What might it value?” I’m not satisfied the bike is actually designed to be offered to a lot of anybody and that’s only a bizarre takeaway to have when reviewing one thing.
Superstrata’s e-bike is clearly meant to current as a luxurious product, however the expertise of the journey and the deeper design doesn’t precisely give off an expensive, cohesive vibe. On the finish of the day, should you requested the query: What’s particular about this bike? The complete reply is “the 3D-printed unibody carbon fiber body.”
At this worth level — the e-bike begins $3,500 — Superstrata’s base providing offers you numerous much less to your cash than what you’d get with a way more fully-featured electrical bike just like the Cowboy ($2,990), VanMoof’s new model ($3,498) and even its final technology fashions, which float round $2,000. These tech-forward bikes pack perks like built-in interfaces, companion apps, embedded computerized back and front lights, telephone chargers and alarm programs for at or round what you’d pay for a base worth Superstrata bike.
A function that illustrates this nicely is the truth that Superstrata initially deliberate to have built-in back and front lights — most of the bikes pictured on its web site nonetheless misleadingly present this — however that concept was scrapped within the completed model. The lights, the little pc for the electrical motor and any bells and whistles are all after market, not built-in into the bike’s design.
After talking to Vu — who was clear to the purpose of admitting the entire e-bike thought was simply form of for the hell of it — it didn’t notably really feel like Superstrata was attempting to actively mislead folks in regards to the headlight scenario or the rest. The truth that Superstrata’s web site exhibits a product you actually can’t purchase simply additional demonstrates that it isn’t this firm’s fundamental factor. The issue with that’s that most individuals making a purchase order this massive would really feel safer shopping for from an organization that lives and breathes bikes — not carbon fiber.
Picture Credit: TechCrunch
Customized carbon fiber
Again to the body — the meat of the innovation right here. The Superstrata bike is {custom} printed to order and that’s an enormous boon for people who find themselves on the extremes of the peak spectrum, together with adults below 5’2”, who apparently ordered the bike with gusto. For these of us, who’re hard-pressed to search out correctly sized bikes elsewhere, Superstrata’s body measurement choices are in all probability genuinely a giant deal. For those who’ve searched excessive and low for a motorcycle to suit your unusually small or giant stature, Superstrata’s bikes may be an important selection.
For anybody who falls within the normal-ish top spectrum, the remainder of the customization course of is comparatively shallow. When counting on a motorcycle for commuting or city transportation functions, the actual customization choices that matter supply utility — issues like baskets, entrance or again racks and tire width.
Constructing the bike, you may select from an “city” or “sport” configuration for the bars, yielding an off-the-cuff upright journey or a extra aerodynamic drop bar street bike fashion. You may go for a single velocity or a number of gears, an possibility that most individuals would in all probability choose however one which additionally provides $500. You may choose whether or not you’d need tires for the street or for “paths” — perhaps gravel and light-weight offroading — however there’s not a lot element supplied right here. Superstrata buries the components list, however the overview unit we had packed Shimano disc brakes, Bafang powering the electrical facet of the bike and a seize bag of manufacturers for the remainder.
After that stuff is dialed in, you may enter your particular top and measurements for a custom-sized body. On that depend, we couldn’t actually make a willpower — my overview bike was designed for somebody a bit taller although was nonetheless rideable and okay. What else? The expertise of driving the bike is okay, however nothing notably subtle. The body’s design makes for a really stiff journey so be careful for being jolted by uneven terrain.
The battery life is greater than enough for regular wants. Superstrata claims that it’s going to final for 60 miles, however on the next help setting you’re going to get considerably lower than that. Nonetheless, the battery would serve you for no less than 20 miles even when drawing extra energy, which is greater than nice for many around-the-town wants. It’s additionally value mentioning right here that the Superstrata e-bike doesn’t have a throttle — mainly a button that offers you a burst of velocity to energy the bike alongside. A throttle is a very nice method to scoot rapidly via harmful intersections or to get your bike to take care of the next velocity and it’s powerful to return when you’ve used one. The Superstrata e-bike can go as much as 20 miles per hour however you’ll should work for it.
On that word, Superstrata’s cutting-edge body may be carbon fiber, however the e-bike doesn’t precisely really feel like a featherweight. As a result of the bike is so mild within the entrance and so heavy within the again the place the motor lives, it truly feels heavier than it’s. It’s additionally extra awkward to hold than a motorcycle that’s uniformly weighted and also you’re not going to need to be lugging this factor down various stairs at a time.
The Superstrata web site claims that the e-bike weighs 24 kilos however there’s no approach this factor weighs that a lot lower than my common journey, a VanMoof X3 that’s a hefty however evenly weighted 45.8 kilos. Vu famous that the ultimate model’s weight varies, however the e-bike weighs in round 38.5 to 39.6 lbs, sufficient to just about obscure the load financial savings of the carbon fiber.
Finally, the Superstrata may very well be a strong possibility for somebody who falls exterior of regular top parameters and desperately needs an e-bike. Superstrata’s bikes may also be a sensible choice for somebody who needs a custom-printed carbon fiber bike body and is assured about dialing in the remainder themselves, although shopping for the body alone isn’t an possibility on the web site.
In both of those instances, the superior carbon fiber know-how doesn’t come low cost and neither does this bike — particularly when in comparison with rivals constructing function wealthy, cohesive e-bike experiences. Superstrata ought to in all probability deal with its {custom} unibody carbon fiber frames and let different corporations — or folks — construct the bikes out. And since this complete factor was an experiment anyway, which may very nicely be what the corporate plans to do.
