19 May 2017

Van Moof rolls out new "Smart City Bike" for Japanese Market


Dutch cycling/lifestyle company VanMoof has announced a new "smart urban" bike model for Japan. It seems aimed at the Tokyo urban market.
-- Built in front and rear lights, dynamo powered.
-- A really nice front hub electric assist power - 24kph up those hills with barely any effort.
-- Mechanical disk brakes.
-- study front rack to attach a briefcase, purse or small shopping bag.
-- Anti theft features to dream of. ("Find my bike" GPS, etc. And, as I understand it, a "Lockout" feature so the bike stops working if it is reported missing, and even a guaranteed replacement if the bike is not recovered in 2 weeks.)
Pieter Franken reports it is a joy to ride.  As he notes, it is "Piet Mondrian meets mama chari":

This kind of product moves away from mama chari "bicycle as disposable item" to bicycle as urban transportation alternative. For a stylish Tokyoite who can only have one bike, mostly for getting around town, and who wants electric assist, looks like a great alternative.

I stopped by the event, but needed to head off before I could do a test ride (and the size is for the Japanese market anyway).

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