Rebel without a cause • TechCrunch

Superstrata e-bikes are crazy Specimens — there are no two ways about it.

In some respects it makes sense. Born of seamless 3D printed carbon fiber, the concept of the bike is born from an equally bizarre premise. I will explain it.

Speaking to Sonny Vu, founder of Superstrata’s parent company Arevo, the bike isn’t driven out of a love of cycling, but out of a desire to find climate-friendly urban transportation solutions and to go to all the troubles to build a bike. Made for traditional justification. e-bike.

That’s why Vu created the Superstrata e-bike (and its non-electrified version) as a proof-of-concept for Arevo’s carbon fiber manufacturing process. From that perspective, how the bike wound up makes perfect sense — even if you bought it, it probably wouldn’t.

“Everyone thought we were an e-bike company, but we are not. We are an advanced manufacturing company,” Vu told TechCrunch. We can’t blame e-bike enthusiasts for being confused.

Superstrata is deeply involved in what Vu calls “deep tech.” So basically, it’s a state-of-the-art manufacturing process that hasn’t appeared in consumer products yet. “This is not his typical 3D printing system. It is built for industrial speed and scale,” said Vu.

Arevo, the parent company of Superstrata, is exploring future aerospace applications and potentially UAVs. Superstrata and Arevo have spun up an e-bike as a consumer proof-of-concept that bridges the gap while navigating through the regulatory bureaucracy that defines a more complex industry. The company’s bicycle frames are currently printed in Vietnam, but Vu is planning printing plants in the US and Europe to reduce shipping times and generally make the entire carbon fiber printing operation more efficient. .

So carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is one of the forefront of climate change technology, promising a lightweight material that saves fuel at the expense of a fairly energy-intensive manufacturing process. Superstrata’s silky unibody bike frame is made from industrial grade 3D printed thermoplastic carbon fiber composites instead of the more common polymer process “thermoset”. Vu was eager to dive into the technical advantages and manufacturing process, but what you finally need to know is that this is an e-bike, and its frame is made from very high-end 3D-printed carbon fiber. It means that

Here is the basic pitch. The Superstrata e-bike is a carbon fiber unibody bike custom printed to your liking, powered by a 250W pedal assist motor and shipped in a variety of fun prints and colors. The sleek, angular design of a bicycle frame and the inconspicuous seat tube (the part of the frame that usually flows down from where the saddle sits) is delightfully futuristic or downright bizarre, depending on who you ask.

luxury price

Early critics warned about the absence of Superstrata’s seat tube, which normally connects the top tube and down tube to form a strong triangle that supports the rider’s weight, but the Vu is a single, seamless carbon Guaranteed fiber rating up to 750. At a pound, it is strong enough to hold a cyclist. When I was riding the Superstrata, I didn’t care about the strength of the carbon fiber, but the possibility of adjusting the seat tube to smooth out the ride. The frame is sturdy and the ride is stiff. That’s exactly right.

(The frame design is eye-catching even without tubes, and bears some striking similarities to Greg LeMond’s nice looking e-bike Prolog. Superstrata may have printed these frames (But the company isn’t listed anywhere, it’s actually printed. It boasts a much more traditional geometry.)

While the missing part of the frame gets the attention, Superstrata’s other aesthetic choices also make the bike stand out visually. The company is all about customization, and that goes for paintwork as well. My review unit was an intense purple, perhaps like periwinkle. My wife found it attractive.

Some of the special paint jobs you can order are pretty cool. can. This is not a bike for the wallet minded (most of us).

That choice and other aspects of the Superstrata feel a little. How much does it cost? ’ I’m not convinced the bike is really designed to sell to many people.

Superstrata’s e-bike is clearly meant to be presented as a luxury item, but the ride quality and deeper design don’t exactly give it a luxurious, cohesive feel. After all, if you ask what’s so special about this bike, the full answer is “3D printed unibody carbon fiber frame.”

At this price point, e-bikes start at $3,500. Superstrata’s basic offering comes at a price far below what you’ll get with more-capable e-bikes like the Cowboy ($2,990) and VanMoof’s newer model ($3,498). ) or even its last-generation model is about $2,000. It packs in perks for the same or close to what you’d pay for a base-priced Superstrata bike.

A defining feature of this is the fact that Superstrata originally planned to integrate the front and back lights. Many of the bikes featured on the website are misleadingly presented, but that idea was dropped in the finished version. The lights, small computer for the electric motor and accessories are all aftermarket items and not designed into the bike.

After speaking with Vu, he was transparent enough to admit that the whole e-bike idea was kind of silly. I didn’t particularly feel that Superstrata was actively trying to mislead people about headlight situations or anything else. The fact that Superstrata’s website shows a product that is literally not available for purchase further indicates that it is not from this company. the main thingThe problem with that is that most people making a purchase this big feel safer buying from a company that lives and breathes bikes rather than carbon fiber.

custom carbon fiber

Let’s go back to the frame — here’s the heart of the innovation. Superstrata bikes are custom printed to order. This is a great boon for people at extreme heights, including adults under 5’2″. It sounds like you were happy to order the bike. For these folks who struggle to find the right size bike elsewhere, the Superstrata’s frame size options are probably really important. , a Superstrata bike could be the best choice.

For those who fall into the normal height spectrum, the rest of the customization process is relatively shallow. When relying on the bike for commuting or city transit purposes, key customization options offer practicality such as baskets, front and rear racks, and tire widths.

When building your bike, you can choose between ‘Urban’ or ‘Sport’ bar configurations for a casual upright ride or a more aerodynamic drop bar, road bike style. You can choose a single speed or multiple gears. This is probably the option most people prefer, but it also adds $500. Probably for gravel or light off-road. But we won’t go into details here. Superstrata fills out the component list, but our review unit is packed with Shimano disc brakes, a Bafang that powers the electric side of the bike, and the rest of the brand’s grab bag.

After they’re dialed in, you can enter the specific heights and measurements for your custom-sized frame. It was designed for tall people, but I was still able to ride it and it was fine. The biking experience is great, but nothing particularly sophisticated. The frame design is very stiff to ride, so watch out for bumps on rough terrain.

Battery life is more than sufficient for normal needs. Superstrata claims it will last 60 miles, but significantly less at higher assist settings. Still, the battery will give you at least 20 miles, even if it consumes more power. This is more than enough for most needs around town. It’s also worth mentioning here that the Superstrata e-bike doesn’t have a throttle. It’s basically a button that gives you a burst of speed to power your bike. Throttle is a really great way to get through dangerous intersections faster or keep your bike going faster, and once you use it, it’s hard to put it back on. A Superstrata e-bike can go up to 20 mph, but it takes effort.

On that note, Superstrata’s cutting-edge frame may be carbon fiber, but the e-bike doesn’t feel like a featherweight. The bike is so light in the front and so heavy in the back where the motor is, that it feels heavier than it actually is. It’s also harder to carry than a bike with a uniform weight, and you don’t have to climb more than a few flights of stairs at once.

Superstrata’s website says the e-bike weighs 24 pounds, but it’s not much lighter than my regular ride, the VanMoof X3. Vu noted that the weight of the final version varies, but the e-bike weighs in at around 38.5 to 39.6 pounds, enough to nearly mask the weight savings from carbon fiber.

Ultimately, the Superstrata exceeds normal height parameters and could be a solid option for those in desperate need of an e-bike. Superstrata’s bikes might also be a good choice for those who want a custom-printed carbon fiber bike frame and feel confident about tuning the rest themselves, but they buy just the frame on his website. I can not do it.

In either case, advanced carbon fiber tech doesn’t come cheap, but neither does this bike. Especially when compared to competitors building feature-rich and cohesive e-bike experiences. Superstrata should probably focus on its custom unibody carbon fiber frames and get other companies (or people) to build the bikes. Anyway, this was all an experiment, so it’s very likely that’s what the company is planning.